To benefit the Sage Gateshead 10th Birthday Appeal, Sting will perform songs from The Last Ship, his latest album and new musical of the same name which premièred in Chicago in June and opens on Broadway in October, on 24 and 25 April 2015.
Inspired by and set in Sting’s hometown Wallsend, The Last Ship tells a universal story. Drawn from his childhood growing up beside the Swan Hunters shipyard, The Last Ship is very personal to Sting yet also echoes the experiences of those working in shipyards along the Wear, Clyde, Mersey or any Northern port, as well as post-industrial communities the world over.
The play was originally workshopped with local musicians and actors at Newcastle’s Live Theatre—ahead of its upcoming Broadway debut—but for Sting, it was never in doubt that the songs of it should be performed for a north east audience.
“The Last Ship is a musical allegory set in Wallsend, the town where I was born and raised," he said.
"The demise of industry—not only in shipyards like Tyneside and Gdansk, but also great manufacturing centres like Detroit—has been well documented and the effect of that demise on the identity and future of local communities particularly resonates with me. I’m very much looking forward to bringing these songs and stories home.”
Sting gave permission for the title song to be used in Live Theatre's production of Michael Chaplin's play TYNE last year in advance of the launch of the album.
Anthony Sargent, General Director of Sage Gateshead, said, “We’re honoured that Sting has chosen to bring The Last Ship to Sage Gateshead. His support for our 10th birthday appeal means that our work across the region, helping to enrich so many lives through our musical education programmes, can continue.
"For the past ten years, these programmes have benefitted everyone from marginalized, struggling young people through to people at the end of their lives. The generosity of Sting, and our other kind supporters, will help even more people as Sage Gateshead enters its second decade.”
Tickets (£49.50, £75 and £85) go on sale to the general publc at 10AM on Monday 1 September both online and at the Sage box office.