Broadway Theater Review: The Last Ship

Fred Applegate Jimmy Nail and the cast of The JMLast Ship Photo: Joan Marcus

Great Music by Sting Fails to Turn the Tide for The Last Ship

By Lauren Yarger
Drawing on inspiration from the community where he was born and raised, Sting makes his Broadway debut as a composer of The Last Ship, a look at the lives of folks living in the shadow of the River Tyne and its massive shipyard.

Most of the residents of the close-knit community of Wallsend in northeast England have depended on the shipyard for their existence. All of the men end up there, but young Gideon Fletcher (Collin Kelly-Sordelet) dreams of becoming something different from his abusive father, Joe (Jamie Jackson), who was injured in a shipyard accident, but who now hands him his boots, expecting that his son will follow in his shoes – literally – by supporting them with a job at the yard. Gideon wants a different future so much, though, he is willing to leave behind his love, young Meg Dawson (Dawn Cantwell), to find it and sets sail.

Fast forward 15 years later when Joe dies. Gideon (Michael Esper) returns home to find Meg (Rachel Tucker) engaged to Arthur Milburn (Aaron Lazar) and mother to young Tom (Kelly-Sordelet). Complications ensue when Meg and Gideon find sparks of their romance rekindling.

Meanwhile, Arthur, a former welder, now management shirt, isn’t popular with the shipyard workers like foreman Jackie White (Jimmy Nail) or shop steward Billy Thompson (Craig Bennett) when the Newlands Corporation, the new owner of the shipyard, announces that it will cease shipbuilding, but offers the men jobs in its new salvage operation.

Korea and Japan can build ships far more cheaply, but the men refuse to accept their livelihood – and their existence -- is dead. Spurred on by the local priest, Father O’Brien (Fred Applegate), who can hold his own with the townsfolk when it comes to drinking, smoking or using profanity, the workers unite to build one last ship – and many plan to sail away on it to a new life.

Sting’s music is great. Many tunes are memorable (the refrain of the theme song has been repeating annoyingly in my head for days, which is a good thing when it comes to musicals) and the ballads are lovely. Lazar has a dreamy voice and had me wondering how Meg could resist his proposal in “What Say You, Meg?” I found out how when Tucker and Esper teamed up for the absolutely gorgeous duet “When We Dance.” Look for a Tony Award nomination for score here.

Beyond the music horizon (directed by Rob Mathes who does the orchestrations and arrangements), this musical may have rough seas, however. The book by John Logan and Brian Yorkey is sketchy. We never really believe that these men would build their own ship, despite the fact that the premise apparently reflects real-life incidents “including a recent project in Poland for which a priest commandeered supplies and financial support so a group of laymen could not only have work, but also reclaim their pride and dignity by assembling a ship meant to sail the world” according to press information. It’s also nicely staged by Director Joe Mantello on large, but non-scene-stealing sets designed by David Zinn (who also designs the costumes) and expertly lighted by Christopher Akerlind.

Shawna M. Hamic and Sally Ann Triplett stand out in minor roles that get minimal development.

While Sting creates a tidal wave with the music, his lyrics are simplistically weak and heavy on exposition:

• “For my name is Jackie White and I'm foreman at the yard, and ya don’t mess with Jackie on this quayside”
• “My name is Billy Thompson, I'm shop steward for the union and me dream is proletarian revolution”
• “Well, me name is James O’Brien it’s from Ireland I was sent to be the pastor of this flock and your spiritual guide”

There are more, but I’ll spare you.

I also was disappointed by some flat notes, particularly from Nail and Esper. Granted, the score can be difficult, and I did see a matinee performance, but still, this is Broadway…

Meanwhile, word is that Sting fans haven’t been flooding the box office, so The Last Ship had better start to sail or it just might sink and the actors and crew might find the unemployment line a reality as well as part of the story they are telling. Go seen it soon.

The Last Ship sails at the Neil Simon Theatre, 250 West 52nd St., NYC. Performances are Tuesday and Thursday at 7 pm; Wednesday at 2 and 8 pm; Friday at 8 pm; Saturday at 2 and 8 pm; Sunday at 3pm. Tickets: $55 to $147;  http://thelastship.com.

Christians might also like to know:

-- Language

-- Lord's name

-- Father O'Brien is a smoking, drinking, cursing kind of priest who offers much of the humor in this piece. He kind of skims over scripture during a service.