Sting is not one to accept failures

A new version of. debuts today at the Metropolitan Opera in New York The Last Shipthe musical composed by Sting. The show will remain on the bill for nine performances over six days, until June 14th. The production marks the opera’s return to the New York stage following its 2014 debut on Broadway; on that occasion, the show was removed from the schedule after 105 performances with one financial loss estimated at 15 million dollars for the producers, despite the inclusion of the former Police frontman himself in the cast in an attempt to increase sales.

In an interview given to the “New York Times” on the eve of his debut, the seventy-four-year-old singer-songwriter declared that “The Last Ship refuses to sink“noting how most plays that don’t get immediate traction tend to disappear. Sting, who also plays the title role in this production, stated that he does not confuse commercial success with artistic excellence, adding that he has the financial resources necessary to verify this theory.

After the 2014 cycle of performances, the show continued its international programming with stops in Salt Lake City, Toronto, Finland and the United Kingdom, where in 2018 it recorded a favorable public response. A subsequent US tour was cut short prematurely in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, pre-empting recent productions presented in Amsterdam, Paris and Brisbane.

The current production introduces structural changes compared to the original edition, making use of a new libretto, unreleased songs written by Sting, renewed scenography and direction by Leo Warner, who took over from Joe Mantello. The plot, based on real events, sees the artist (born Gordon Sumner, born in 1951 in Wallsend, County Tyne and Wear) play the role of Jackie White, an elderly construction site foreman. The narrative focuses on the events of the workers of the local shipyards who, faced with the prospect of the closure of the factory, decide to occupy the docks to build one last vessel to sail internationally.

Sting described the characters in the drama as fragments of his own biography and the work ethic learned in the community of origin, defining the representation as an act of restitution and respect towards one’s native land.

For the Metropolitan Opera, this is the first concession of its spaces to a Broadway musical. Although in the past the theater has hosted events related to pop and rock music – such as the performance of the rock opera Tommy by The Who in 1970 -, the opening to this type of production is part of a strategy of income diversification by the opera institution. In fact, the theater’s balance sheet has been showing financial liabilities for several years, exacerbated by the failure to materialize a previously planned 200 million dollar sponsorship agreement with Saudi Arabia. The agreement with the British artist allows the use of the stage by pop productions in the summer months when the traditional opera season is suspended.