Sting to come to the West End in The Last Ship

Sting will reprise his role in a newly adapted version of The Last Ship at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane this autumn.

The musical will run for a limited engagement from 22 September to 3 October 2026, with Sting appearing in every performance while continuing his ongoing STING 3.0 World Tour.

Produced by Karl Sydow, the new staging features a new book by acclaimed writer Barney Norris and is directed by Leo Warner, with set and video design by 59, a Journey studio. The production will also include newly written numbers.

Inspired by Sting’s upbringing in the shipbuilding town of Wallsend and drawing on themes first explored in his 1991 album The Soul Cages, The Last Ship follows a community facing the closure of their local shipyard. Sting will play Jackie White, the shipyard foreman attempting to guide the workforce through the crisis while dealing with his own declining health.

Sting said: “I grew up in the shadow of the shipyard. I’d watch thousands of men walk to work each morning, but I dreamed of something else… I dreamed of escaping, and I did everything in my power to get away from that life. But the farther I got, the more I realised I needed to understand where I came from and felt I had to give something back. The Last Ship is my tribute to the people and the place that shaped me.”

The production follows recent runs in Amsterdam, Brisbane and Paris, with further performances scheduled at the Metropolitan Opera in New York this summer before a return engagement in Amsterdam later this year.

Songs featured in the musical include “Island of Souls”, “All This Time” and “When We Dance”, performed by a company of more than 50 performers.

Further casting is to be announced.

The creative team also includes set and props designer Jenny Melville, costume designer Loren Elstein, lighting designer Adam Bassett, sound designer Tom Gibbons, animation director Matt Taylor, choreographer Rebecca Howell, video designer Benjamin Pearcy, musical supervisor and orchestrator Rob Mathes, and musical director and co-orchestrator Richard John.