THE LAST SHIP - STING

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 3:37pm

what's the good word on this revised show that is now starring STING in LA?

 

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 4:22pm

I really liked this one. It was clearly a love letter to where Sting grew up, and the music is beautiful. Other people thought it was a bore. Agree to disagree.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 6:02pm

When we were still attending we saw it and enjoyed it a lot

Updated On: 1/18/20 at 06:02 PM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 9:08pm

"I really liked this one. It was clearly a love letter to where Sting grew up, and the music is beautiful. Other people thought it was a bore. Agree to disagree."

My wife saw it near the end of the run on Broadway and loved it. I will admit she is a big Sting fan.

[HSky]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 9:44pm

I saw the original twice on Broadway then saw the revised edition twice last year in Toronto. I personally preferred the original, which had more of a focus on Gideon's personal journey. The revised version focuses a bit more on the town of Wallsend.

[bwayboy22]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 10:26pm

HSky said: "I saw the original twice on Broadway then saw the revised edition twice last year in Toronto. I personally preferred the original, which had more of a focus on Gideon's personal journey. The revised version focuses a bit more on the town of Wallsend."

Can you share about the changes a little more in depth? I also saw it twice in its original Broadway run and I absolutely loved it. I'm wondering whether to make the trip to DC to see it or just enjoy my memories.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 10:33pm

I really enjoyed the show on Broadway! And really enjoyed the score!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 10:35pm

Any chance of additional dates being added or is this it?

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 11:41pm

CATSNYrevival said: "Any chance of additional dates being added or is this it?"

The show with Sting is coming to San Francisco the week after it closes in L.A. in February so I doubt they will extend in L.A. if that is what you are asking.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 12:42am

UncleCharlie said: "The show with Sting is coming to San Francisco the week after it closes in L.A. in February so I doubt they will extend in L.A. if that is what you are asking."

Additional stops, I mean. Beyond the five listed on the website. Sorry about that.

[RemlapLBC]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 7:44pm

CATSNYrevival said: "Additional stops, I mean. Beyond the fivelisted on the website. Sorry about that."

As Sting has a residency opening in Las Vegas this May, I doubt it. 

That said, I have no inside information and Sting has not shared his schedule with me.   lol

 

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 8:07pm

Wow... Some of the posts here have me thinking about seeing this here in Los Angeles, The posts about the original Broadway production made me think I'd skip it on tour...

[markypoo]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 8:14pm

One of those precious shows that seems much better on CD than onstage.

[HSky]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 9:13pm

bwayboy22 said: "Can you share about the changes a little more in depth? I also saw it twice in its original Broadway run and I absolutely loved it.I'm wondering whether to make the trip to DC to see it or just enjoy my memories."

Even if I didn't love the revised production as much,  I'm probably going to try and see it again in DC, too. Some of the changes are in the spoiler tag below.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Some of the changes were cutting the priest and incorporating characteristics into the Jackie White role; eliminating Arthur and by extension, the love triangle; and changing Gideon's child to a daughter, Ellen. 

The shipyard's plight led by Jackie (who now is the one hiding his illness while trying to keep the yard going) now is the main story, with Gideon occasionally popping into focus but no longer being the driving force at the center against a backdrop involving the yard. It's a bit of an anvil, but they're trying to shut down the yard as the Utopia is being constructed and there's more debate with a new character, the Baroness, about the politics of closing the yard and selling the ship for scrap. 

Gideon is softer than depicted on Broadway and blends into the background for a bit. I missed following his character's angst-filled arc as the means to hook me into the story. "All This Time" is now the rock song Ellen, an aspiring musician who wants to run off to London, plays as she envisions making a go of it as a musician. "And Yet" now serves as Gideon's reentry to Wallsend but doesn't have the same pop to me. With the rewrite to Ellen, the story also loses some parallels I loved partly because of the double casting of Young Gideon/Tom and "Ghost Story" was also cut.

The female characters are stronger in the revision - although Meg reflects on Gideon, she's not as wistful, and with the increased prominence of Jackie, Peggy also gets more time front and center. I know the context isn't really different, but one thing I hated about the new version was how sudden "Show Some Respect" seemed to come about. The raucous transition felt so abrupt in Toronto, and I don't remember it being so unsettling in NY. (I think the context may be the issue, IIRC it's at the bar wake originally but now feels like it's happening graveside.)

 

[Platypus]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 9:14pm

I enjoyed it when I saw it in Toronto. The staging is cool and I liked the music. I thought the ending was kind of silly, but the show has heart. I would never have seen Sting perform otherwise, so that was cool, too. 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 9:35pm

Where did this production originate? Toronto? I’m assuming it’s not as “big” as the Broadway production?

[willep]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 9:41pm

Wow, I had no idea they changed it that much from Broadway. I am curious about it now. I was in the camp of people who enjoyed it when I saw it in New York.

[Californian]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 1:18am

This version originated in the UK, in Sting's hometown of Newcastle...before touring in the UK and Ireland.  Then landed in Toronto last year.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 4:40am

It is also returning to London this year.

[HSky]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 11:39am

The new physical production is mostly played with projections against a steel scaffolding set of ladders and catwalks that echoes the shipyard feel. The projections make for some stunning ones like stained glass when Jackie and Peggy are in the church reminiscing before "So to Speak," and some that feel a little cheap like the end shot of the ship with Utopia prominently displayed on the hull. There isn't anything like the rain effect from Broadway.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 12:07pm

I'm possibly in the minority, but I saw the Broadway production twice and absolutely loved it and it's very disappointing to me that they seem to have changed the entire show. It's especially disappointing that they changed Gideon's child to a daughter and cut "Ghost Story," which is a really stunning song...is "The Night the Pugilist Learned How to Dance" still in the show? Does anyone have a song list from the new version? 

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 2:04pm

I was still living in NYC when the show ran there, and since the reviews were meh, I decided to skip it. But a good friend was going with a group of friends, and invited me to join them. At that point Sting had joined the cast, and I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Not a classic perhaps, but a well-constructed musical with a good score. Now looking forward to seeing Sting again in LA, where I now live (and am often starved for great theatre; the LA Phil has become my go-to, and coming this May is SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, with cast TBA; could it be Jake and Annaleigh???)

 

[HSky]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 4:03pm

The new song list is up on the Wikipedia page. "The Night the Pugilist Learned How to Dance" is still in the show and still acts as a bonding moment between Gideon and his child. Rather than being in the jail cell, it's in the apartment (forgive my memory, but I think it's Gideon's dad's old place) but feels like a lighter dance number compared to the original.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 1:26am

''I'm possibly in the minority, but I saw the Broadway production twice and absolutely loved it and it's very disappointing to me that they seem to have changed the entire show. It's especially disappointing that they changed Gideon's child to a daughter and cut "Ghost Story," which is a really stunning song.''

PerfectlyMarvelous, I agree with you 100%. I saw ''The Last Ship'' on Broadway about a half-dozen times, before Sting joined the show AND after he joined it. I loved it, and wish Sting had won the Tony that season for Original Score. But all these changes sound like they've taken the heart out of the show. I'm especially ticked off that they've gotten rid of the love triangle; changed Gideon's son to his daughter, and dropped ''Ghost Story,'' surely one of the most haunting and moving showtunes I've heard in a long time.

[Jeroen100]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 5:49am

devonian.t said: "It is also returning to London this year."

Cannot find that on the official website. Can you share a source?