The Last Ship, York (Originally reviewed for The Reviews Hub, June 2018)

Originally Reviewed for The Reviews Hub and the link can be found here. 

Image: Contributed 

Sting’s The Last Ship has been touring since March with York Theatre’s Royal marking the penultimate stop on this successful tour.  Due to technical issues on the night of this review, the musical started half an hour later.  With the complex hi-tech and intricate staging evident in this production, the late start must have been needed to ensure that “everything will be right on the night”.

The Last Ship is about a tight-knit community in Wallsend, a town in Tyne and Wear, and the pending closure of the Swan Hunter shipyard.  The shipyard workers fight to save their livelihood, before deciding to build one last ship, and for it to be launched and sail away.  The story explores some of the key characters, including Gideon Fletcher (Richard Fleeshman), a sailor who leaves town only to return 17 years later and Jackie White (Joe McGann) the foreman of the shipyard, who leads the fight to ensure “the last ship” sails, supported by his wife, Peggy (Penelope Woodman). 

The length of this production, three hours, may be somewhat off-putting for some viewers but this could be vetoed as necessary to reflect the spirit of Sting’s music and the deep melancholy and reflective messages brought from the songs.  The beautiful music and lyrics from his award-winning album, The Soul Cages, inspires this musical and is intertwined with singer’s own childhood experiences.  This production plays out at a steady pace, incorporating the characters’ narratives well; it is the people who make the shipyard, and the shipyard that makes the people who they are.

59 Productions’ staging with the assistance of Matt Daw (lighting) and Sebastian Frost (sound) is exceptional, making great use of hi-tech features for the shipyard especially, while transitions between sets are smooth.

The Last Ship is politically and socially charged, with themes that are no doubt familiar to many in the audience.  One is reminded of the continuous demise of the coal industry in the 20^th Century, leading to the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike in response to the then Conservative Government’s so-called “name of progress”  economic policy.   The production also follows personal stories, particularly the estranged relationship between Joe and Meg (Frances McNamee) and their bridge being built in the beautiful When We Dance.

Under the direction of Lorne Campbell, the cast and creatives put on an excellent performance in telling such a poignant and moving story. Like a lot of industrial dependent towns, Wallsend’s Swan Hunter shipyard represents the community and people’s livelihood. It represents just how important it is to fight for what you believe, with heart, soul and spirit.

Shipbuilding has more or less declined in the UK, but its proud community roots, legacy and industrial heritage vividly live on in many hearts.  This may be one of the reasons Sting wanted to tell this story; to repay his “debt” to the community he grew up in, before leaving the town to pursue his dream as a successful musician.

Titanic The Musical, Sheffield (Originally reviewed for The Reviews Hub, May 2018)

Originally reviewed for The Reviews Hub and the link can be found here. 

Image Credit: Scott Rylander

The sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912 is one of the most tragic maritime events on record, where sadly 1517 souls were lost.  Many will know and have watched James Cameron’s 1997 Oscar-winning film, Titanic, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.  The same year as the blockbuster film, Maury Yeston’s Titanic – The Musical, opened on Broadway, winning numerous awards including a Tony Award for Best Musical.  The musical, based on Peter Stone’s book, isn’t a factual narrative about what exactly happened to the “unsinkable ship”, instead, there is a specific focus on the characters on board.

The narrative in the first act follows the characters’ dreams, hopes and aspirations, including those who are planning to make a life in the New World, such as The Three Kates as in the song Lady’s Maid (Emma Harrold, Devon-Elise Johnson and Victoria Serra). There are those who are planning to propose to their loved ones, as sung by Frederick Barrett (Niall Sheehy) in The Proposal/The Night Was Alive, while Lady Caroline Neville (Claire Marlowe) and her fiancé Charles Clark (Stephen Webb) are eloping to America, sharing their love in I Give You My Hand. 

As representatives of the class system on board, the characters could not be any more different. The Third Class passengers are seeking a better life in America while the Second Class passengers such as Alice Beane (Clare Machin) whose husband has done well with his business, were able to treat themselves a trip of a lifetime. Alice is a social climber and aspires to be among the First Class, the movers and shakers, the billionaires such as the Straus’s (Dudley Rogers and Judith Street).  Also not to forget Captain Edward Smith (Philip Rham), J. Bruce Ismay (Simon Green), Thomas Andrews (Greg Castiglioni) and William McMaster Murdoch (Kieran Brown) who all open their minds to their thoughts and feelings about the ship and passage itself.  They are involved in the crucial decision making as reflected too late in The Blame.

Titanic- The Musical, accompanied by Yeston’s beautiful score, is written as a tribute to those who have lost their lives as well as to those who have survived.  It is a celebration of the human spirit and the imagination beyond experience on the “ship of dreams”.   The score includes the memorable Goodspeed Titanic and the poignant The Foundering which mourns and remembers those lost at sea.  Thoughts and expressions are sung in varied musical numbers which are sensitively constructed for the passengers and circumstances, from the optimism and normalcy during the first act through the second act which is fast moving and poignant, predominantly concerning the Titanic’s fateful final hours.

David Woodhead’s stunning staging compliments this production, with its steel hull, its railings and stairways and ropes certainly giving the ambient feeling of being on a ship.  The set coordinates well with Howard Hudson’s lighting and Andrew Johnson’s soundscapes, while the staging space is imaginatively used by the cast under the moving direction by Thom Southerland and musically by Mark Aspinall and the live orchestra.

The cast is formed of performers who have been successful in London West End’s theatre, the Southwark Playhouse or the Charing Cross Theatre productions of Titanic – The Musical.  This stellar cast gives first class portrayals of the characters and together with the ensemble share a wonderful chemistry in telling this unique experience.

On the night of this review, the production was received well by the audience and credit must go to the cast and also the creative team. Titanic – The Musical offers a window of opportunity for the passengers onboard to dream and aspire to something more, although fated and unknown at the time, how this journey would change their lives forever.

The Last Ship, Leeds (Originally reviewed for Fairy Powered Productions, May 2018)

Originally reviewed for Fairy Powered Productions and the link can be found here.

The Last Ship Review

Leeds Grand Theatre – Until Saturday 5th May 2018

Reviewed By Dawn Smallwood

5*****

Sting, under the direction of Lorne Campbell, brings this critically acclaimed musical, The Last Ship, to Leeds which is currently part of the UK and Ireland tour. The musical is based on the singer’s music and lyrics and looks back to the ship building community in the Tyne and Wear during its industry decline in the 1970s.

The story is about Gideon Fletcher (Richard Fleeshman), a sailor, who returns home after spending 17 years in the Navy and is confronted with the past and present tensions concerning his family, particularly his ex girlfriend, Meg (Frances McNamee) and the town’s community. The demise of the shipbuilding industry is evident with their local ship yard closing and the town is determined to fight saving the ship and the yard. This is lead by Jackie (Joe McGann), the yard’s foreman, and his wife Peggy (Charlie Hardwick). The story is in similar vein to Sting who grew up in a similar community, left the town to pursue a music career, and returned to tell this tale.

Sting sought inspiration from his album, The Soul Cages, to generate the moving and powerful musical score and lyrics to the musical. The musical numbers includes the memorable Island of Souls, All This Time, When We Dance and The Last Ship and tells this political and personal stirred story – this is quintessential to many communities who earnestly fought to save the towns’ industries and the livelihoods it generated. One can think of the coal mining towns and villages’ role during the 1984/85 Miners Strike. Each song sung depicts the emotions, passions and the souls of the community and how much the shipyard and the livelihood mean to them. The songs are sung with such conviction from individuals and united in chorus from the ensemble.

59 Production’s staging is stunning with its hi-tech backdrop and life size ship yard from where the story is told. The space is utilised very well with successful transitions being made between each scene. The lighting and sounds, courtesy of Matt Daw and Sebastian Frost, compliment the staging particularly with the notion that one is by the sea and the waves crashing in the background.

The Last Ship is delivered excellently from the cast who perform wholeheartedly and in unison, particularly the songs’ choruses, from beginning to the end. Every single performer has a part to play and impressions are certainly left. A lot of thought, heart and soul have been put into the story along with Sting’s musical and lyrical ingenuity. It is a realistic poignant beautiful musical to see and is highly commended and recommendable during its tour.

Nautical Theatrical Highlights - July 2018

I would like to share some Nautical highlight from two amazing musicals with a ship theme I've seen on stage this year.  I had pleasure seeing and reviewing the following:

The Last Ship

    Image Credit: https://www.thelastshipmusical.co.uk/


Titanic The Musical

Image Credit: http://www.titanicthemusical.co.uk


Please see separately three posts for both The Last Ship and Titanic The Musical which were originally reviewed for Fairy Powered Productions (The Last Ship) and also originally review for The Reviews Hub (Titanic The Musical and The Last Ship).

The Last Ship  (Leeds, Reviewed for Fairy Powered Productions)
Titanic The Musical (Sheffield, Reviewed for The Reviews Hub)
The Last Ship (York, Reviewed for The Reviews Hub)

Plus here's my review of Titanic The Musical (click on the link) when I saw it Southwark Playhouse in 2013.