Beginning Dec. 9, and for five weeks thereafter, Grammy-winner-turned-Broadway musical creator, Sting, will join the cast of “The Last Ship” in the role of shipyard foreman Jackie White, currently played by actor Jimmy Nail.
The show, which had it’s world premiere in Chicago prior to its Broadway debut, tells the story of a British shipbuilding community facing the closure of the last yard.
Sting made the announcement this morning on the “Today” show, telling Matt Lauer that “He’s watched every performance from the rear of the theater.” “I do it every day,” he said in the interview. “I’m right in the back, I’m like the phantom of the opera — I’m just sneaking there in the dark.”
Sting made his Broadway debut in 1989 in “Threepenny Opera.”
About stepping into the role occupied by Nail, who also is Sting’s lifelong friend, the singer said: “Big shoes to fit. But he’s passed me the baton for five weeks [through Jan 10].”
An article in the New York Times calls the measure “a bold gamble” for the $15 million show, which opened on Sept. 29, and according to he story is losing $75,000 per week. Ticket prices top out at $200 apiece.
