Sting gives Chicago a sneak peek of his 'Last Ship' musical

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Please enable Javascript to watch this videoSting performs “Dead Man’s Boots” from his upcoming musical “The Last Ship.”

Sting arrived in Chicago Friday bringing with him a sneak peek at his upcoming stage musical “The Last Ship,” which will have its world premiere and pre-Broadway run in Chicago next June.

The singer-songwriter composed the music and lyrics for “Last Ship,” which tells the tale (inspired by his childhood experiences in the working-class town of Wallsend, England) of the local shipyard where the all the men labored long and hard and where their sons were expected to follow suit.

“I always wondered if I’d end up at the shipyard,” Sting said, “but I found a guitar and escaped.”

Describing the difference between writing pop songs and composing a stage musical, Sting said with a chuckle: “In a pop song, you can express one emotion for three minutes, over and over… the loop goes round and round. I know — I’ve written a few of them. In a dramatic song you need to move the narrative along. I learned that.”

Sting performs selections from his upcoming musical “The Last Ship” during in a press conference at the Broadway Playhouse today. | PHOTO BY MIRIAM DI NUNZIO for the Sun-Times

“Last Ship” is directed by Joe Mantello (“Wicked), with a book by “John Logan” (“Red”) and choreography by Steven Hoggett (“Once”).

For more information, visit broadwayinchicago.com.