The Last Ship

[edjames]

I got to see this new musical last night at the Barrymore Theater. The Last Ship, inspired by Sting's 1991 album The Soul Cages and Sting's own childhood experiences, tells the story about community and the demise of the shipbuilding industry in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. The show features a score by Sting that includes mostly original material, as well as two previously-written songs: "Island of Souls" from The Soul Cages, and "When We Dance" from the 1994 album Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994. Whether or not this will invalidate Sting's being nominated for best music and lyrics awards will have to wait for next year.

 

The show had a run in Chicago where the Chicago Tribune had this to say:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/reviews/chi-last-ship-sting-review-column.html#page=1

 

I thought is was an entertaining evening of song, although many of the songs are reprised, some more than twice. The cast is a capable group, although looking through the Playbill, I did not recognize any names. Of note, is actor Fred Applegate who plays Fr. O'Brien, the Irish priest of this parish. The set is sparse and when needed only a few pieces are used to evoke a setting. The lighting is dark, probably used to evoke the despair that exists in this community falling apart. There is choreography but not much.

 

It is said that the main character, Gideon, is based on Sting himself. And so, it was a surprise when Sting himself appeared at the curtain call, said his thank you's, and launched into a rock and roll number that had the audience begging for more. The audience reaction to the show was very good. I sat up in the vast mezzanine on a TDF ticket. The first half of the mezz was pretty full but the back mezz was practically empty so we were able to move our seats for a better view and more room.

 

In previews, officially opens on October 26.

[edjames]

And it opened last night to mixed reviews.

The music gets good reviews, the cast gets good reviews was does the director (Joe Mantello), but the critics agree that the book tends to be weak.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/theater/the-last-ship-with-songs-by-sting-opens-on-broadway.html?ref=arts&_r=0

http://nypost.com/2014/10/26/stings-debut-musical-isnt-perfect-but-it-stays-afloat/

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/theater-arts/ship-theater-review-article-1.1985413

[edjames]

Not a box office smash????

 

This article from NYPost reported today by columnist Michael Reidel:

 

Of this I’m certain: Sting will receive a Tony nomination for his score for “The Last Ship.”

The critics praised his lyrics and music, using nearly identical words and phrases — “haunting” (The Post, Newsday, The Times, Variety), “heartfelt” or “heart” (The Post, The Daily News), “crafted” or “craftsmanship” (Deadline, The Post, The Times). “Stirring” and “mournful” were in the mix as well.

Alas, “throw-your-hats-in-the-air, Broadway-has-a-new-smash,” “not-to-be-missed,” or that old standby, “run-don’t-walk-to-the-box-office” were nowhere to be found.

“The Last Ship” needed old-fashioned money reviews. It didn’t get any, and it’s in trouble.

The $14 million musical opened with less than $3 million in the bank. Monday, the day the reviews came out, sources say “The Last Ship” took in a little more than $100,000. On Broadway, the minimum threshold for a new musical’s opening day should be $250,000, maybe $350,000, given the high weekly running costs most shows have these days.

In previews, “The Last Ship” grossed a little more than $500,000 a week — which, I’m told, is a bit shy of the weekly overhead.

Sting was perplexed by the lackluster ticket sales, sources say. He quietly checked in with some pop-star friends who’ve written Broadway shows to get the lay of the land. Their response: People buy tickets to see you perform — not because you wrote the show.

Disney found this out years ago with “Aida,” which had music by Elton John. It didn’t sell all that well at first, and then Disney emblazoned his name above the title. Because the “s” in *“ELTON JOHN’s” was so small, it gave the impression he was in the show.

“If they’re buying tickets because they think Elton’s in it,” someone who worked on the show told me, chuckling, “who are we to say otherwise?”

Maybe Sting should go into his show. He’s a little too old to play the lead character, though it is a version of himself. But that’s immaterial. Sting in “The Last Ship” would sell tickets.

In any case, he’s generating plenty of goodwill around Broadway for being on the scene. Unlike Bono, who was busy touring while actors were falling left and right in his “Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark,” Sting has been all over “The Last Ship” since it played its out-of-town tryout in Chicago in the summer. And he’s out on the hustings promoting it. Just this week, he sang a few songs for some high-powered travel editors and journalists aboard the Queen Mary 2 while it was docked in Brooklyn. I suspect he got paid for the gig, but he made it — appropriately, given the setting — about “The Last Ship,” and I can report that the group was impressed with the songs.

Whether they’ll buy tickets remains to be seen. The musical’s producers have deep pockets. They’ll fight for the show. They’re rolling out an expensive TV commercial in the coming weeks and, sources say, won’t make any decisions until they see its effect on the box office.

But January and February are bleak and brutal on Broadway. That’s when the vultures — that is, producers with shows looking for a theater — begin circling.

If you listen closely, you can hear that low hiss they often make before they take flight.

[edjames]

The Last Ship continues its downward spiral at the box office. It's estimated that it is losing about $75K per week.

Sting, God bless 'em, has announced that he is joining the cast in the hopes that his presence will boost the box office.

He's been tirelessly promoting this show and has regularly appeared at the theater and performed at curtain call and the weekly sing-off with The Jersey Boys across the street.

Sting begins his new job on Dec 9.

He's famously said that he’d show his rear end “in Macy’s if it will help our show.”

(I've seen his rear end, so not a bad gimmick!)

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/theater/sting-to-join-the-cast-of-his-broadway-musical.html?ref=arts&_r=0

[Cooper]

The Last Ship has sunk

 

If you were planning on seeing "The Last Ship" do it soon. It will be closing Jan. 24th. Not even with it's composer, Sting, joining the cast could save this most anticipated new musical. Low ticket sales and gross income were mentioned as the reasons. The NY Times also added, "While Sting’s score drew strong reviews when the musical opened in October, the show’s book — about the lives of shipbuilders and others in a struggling British town — came in for criticism, and ticket sales never took off."

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/theater/last-ship-to-close-on-broadway.html?_r=0

 

http://www.trbimg.com/img-51afb251/turbine/la-sting-broadway-bound-with-the-last-ship-201-001/600/600x599