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REVIEW | The Last Ship, Theatre Royal Drury Lane - London
AD | Tickets gifted in exchange of an honest review. All views are our own
The Last Ship has always been a deeply personal show for Sting, but last night's opening in its newly reimagined form felt like something else entirely – a homecoming concert, a political statement, and a full-blown musical, all fighting for the same stage.
The headline, of course, is the casting. Sting returns to the show he wrote, starring as Jackie White, the foreman figure who is effectively Sting himself. Joining him is Shaggy, an inspired and completely unexpected choice as his long time friend and foreman rival, Joe Fletcher. On paper it shouldn’t work. On stage, it absolutely does. Sting brings that familiar, weathered gravitas – you believe every year he’s spent away from Wallsend. Shaggy brings a loose, charismatic warmth that the show has badly needed. Their duet in Act One is the highlight of the evening, two icons with very different musical vocabularies finding a common rhythm. Shaggy’s voice is surprisingly well-suited to the folk-rock score – less reggae-toaster, more storyteller.
Musically, this production of The Last Ship is its strongest yet. Placing the orchestra on stage, upstage on scaffolding, was a bold choice from Director Leo Warner. It turns the musicians into shipyard workers themselves, sawing at violins instead of steel. The sound is immense. You feel the Northumbrian folk melodies in your chest, particularly in the ensemble numbers like “We’ve Got Nowt” and the title song. There are moments where the orchestra almost overpowers the singers, but when it works, it’s thrilling – raw and industrial.
Which brings us to the set. Designer 59 Productions has gone dark. Very dark. The stage is a near-black skeleton of a ship, all rusted girders and shifting shadows, lit only by harsh work lights and the glow of welding sparks. It’s atmospheric and undeniably beautiful, but it comes at a cost. For large stretches of Act One, you struggle to see faces. The large ensemble cast – and it is large, at least 22 strong, which is rare and wonderful to see these days – often gets swallowed by the gloom. When they finally get to shine in the second act’s yard closure protest, the sheer vocal power is stunning. This ensemble can SING, but they deserve more light.
The book by Lorne Campbell remains the show’s weakest link. The story of a dying shipyard and a community fighting for dignity still resonates powerfully in 2026, but some of the dialogue scenes between the big musical numbers feel underwritten and rushed to get to the next song. Sting and Shaggy’s natural chemistry papers over a lot of those cracks.
Does The Last Ship come together? Not quite perfectly, but it’s close, and it’s the most alive this musical has ever felt. This is no longer just Sting’s memoir piece. With Shaggy’s soul, a massive ensemble finally given room to roar, and that orchestra pounding away on deck like a beating heart, The Last Ship feels less like a eulogy for an industry and more like a rallying cry for it.
It’s gritty, it’s dark – sometimes too dark – but when it hits, it hits hard.
★★★
The Last Ship plays at The Royal Drury Lane Theatre, London, until 3rd October 2026. Tickets and further information are available from the
