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| 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 12:59 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 12:57 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
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| Loved the 2014 Broadway production with Michael Esper, Rachel Tucker, Aaron Lazar and Collin Kelly-Sordelet. But has anyone seen this totally rewritten version in the U.K., with a ''streamlined and politicized'' book by Lorne Campbell? I'm wondering what all the changes are. Apparently gone is Arthur's character (but I hope not his beautiful solo, ''What Say You, Meg?''). Sting wrote such a glorious score, and I'm glad he loves the show enough to relaunch it himself as the captain of this Canadian production. |
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| Link | Toronto Star: Sting will star in Canadian premiere of his musical 'The Last Ship' |
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| re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 10:52 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
| In reply to: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 - WaymanWong 12:57 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
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| I'm with you, Wayman. Hoping they didn't jettison what was so moving. And worked. I loved the B'way iteration, and thought the cast just about perfect (saw it quite late, when Sting went in; but his presence wasn't any kind of deciding factor in my overall appraisal.) |
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| re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 | |
| Posted by: jmill 12:59 pm EDT 07/18/18 | |
| In reply to: re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 - Delvino 10:52 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
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| I saw it twice with Sting; I also found it quite moving and hope the changes haven't hurt that. The hardest part I had with the show, especially the first time I saw it, related to the reasoning for building the ship. I get it that it helped their spirits, etc. But, for me, the entire concept of building the ship, perhaps meant to be allegorical, defied logic and was never that believable. It clearly required some suspension of disbelief. But, in spite of that, I found the score lovely and the show stirring. On my second visit, knowing what to expect, the plot issue didn't bother me, and the overall effect of the musical was spellbinding and haunting, with both acts culminating in stunning stage pictures. LAST SHIP was a true tribute to the human spirit. From what I read in sf's linked review of the UK production in this thread, it sounds like the changes have somewhat addressed my plot issue and have provided better reasoning for building the ship. It also sounds like the ending remains quite moving. Without seeing the show, it's hard to judge the effect of Gideon's child being a young woman in the new version - so much that worked in the ending of the original involved what his son did in that closing moments of the show. I am glad to see the show have a life after its Broadway engagement. |
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| re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting: (Plot spoilers!) | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 01:34 pm EDT 07/18/18 | |
| In reply to: re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 - jmill 12:59 pm EDT 07/18/18 | |
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| ''The Last Ship'' and the song ''Ghost Story'' is so moving to me because of Tom's confrontation with his long-absentee dad, Gideon. And John Logan and Brian Yorkey's original book, which has since been totally rewritten, captured that conflict so wrenchingly. Tom: ''I waited my whole life to meet you, and you were just going to leave without telling us. I think that's bollocks.'' Gideon: ''It's for the best.'' Tom: ''I can see how you never lost a fight. You just run away.'' Tom calls Gideon out on running away from being his father, just as Gideon had run away years ago from HIS father. Gideon: ''Don't waste your life on old men and sinking ships. … I learned nothing from [my father].'' Tom: ''Like Hell, you're just like him. And I'm never going to be anything like you.'' As Tom runs off, Gideon grapples with the legacy of his gruff dad, pretending to hate him, but always seeking his love. Then Gideon and Tom sing: ''You were my compass star. You were my measure. You were a pirate's map of buried treasure.'' Gideon finally admits: ''It's time that I confess [Dad], I must have loved you.'' And Tom joins in: ''I must have loved you.'' (Here's Sting's ''Ghost Story,'' from the cast album, sung so hauntingly by Michael Esper and Collin Kelly-Sordelet.) |
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| Link | 'The Last Ship': 'Ghost Story' (orchestrated by Rob Mathes) |
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| re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 | |
| Posted by: sf 01:14 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
| In reply to: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 - WaymanWong 12:57 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
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| 'What Say You, Meg?' is still in the show. Arthur is gone. Meg's son is now a daughter. There's (very lightly-done) narration. It is set in the 1980s - around 1986, immediately after the miners' strike - rather than in the present. I don't usually pimp my blog here, but I've linked my review below because it'll probably give a more detailed sense of what was changed from the Broadway production, which I didn't see; I thought some things about it worked very well indeed - but only some things. And I'm very glad I saw it in Newcastle (which is not where I live), among a hometown audience with whom it clearly resonated very powerfully, rather than in a venue closer to home. The set design is superb, and the video effect in the last minute of the show is *stunning*. |
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| Link | The Last Ship - Northern Stage, April 2018 |
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| re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 06:49 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 06:49 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
| In reply to: re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 - sf 01:14 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
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| Thanks, sf. … Without Arthur, I guess they've gotten rid of the haunting trio version of ''When We Dance,'' featuring Gideon, Meg and Arthur. And I'm disappointed about the loss of Tom. I'm a sucker for father-son conflicts, and I loved how Gideon and Tom bonded so beautifully on ''The Night the Pugilist Learned How to Dance.'' Plus, I was always moved by how Tom confronted his long-absentee father in ''Ghost Story.'' Oh, well. I'll always have the Broadway cast album, which I play quite often. But maybe this ''Last Ship'' will float other people's boats more. |
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| re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 | |
| Posted by: jmill 01:03 pm EDT 07/18/18 | |
| In reply to: re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 - WaymanWong 06:49 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
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| All good points, Wayman. I think the show can survive without Arthur, although I hope the lovely "When We Dance" remains in the score. And, I agree with all your comments about Tom. Without seeing the new version, it's hard to judge whether the father-daughter dynamics work just as powerfully, albeit in a little different way. I'm glad "Pugilist" remains in the score - it's another of my favorite songs from the show. |
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| re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 | |
| Posted by: teka21 10:23 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
| In reply to: re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 - WaymanWong 06:49 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
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| I adored The Last Ship- the story and the music brought me back 3 times. Wayman, Ghost Story and When We Dance are also two of my favorites, as is So To Speak. I listen to the cast recording quite often. Sorry to hear the show has been reset back into the past- I think its message has much relevance today... | |
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| re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 | |
| Posted by: sf 12:27 pm EDT 07/18/18 | |
| In reply to: re: 'The Last Ship' will set sail again, starring Sting, this time in Toronto in early 2019 - teka21 10:23 pm EDT 07/17/18 | |
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| To be fair, they've found a way to set it firmly in the mid-1980s - which does, in terms of the place where it's set, make more sense than having it take place in the present - *and* to underline the fact that the show's theme of protest against the establishment is as relevant today as it was thirty years ago. | |
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