Despite a most valiant effort by ex-Policeman Sting, his autobiographical The Last Ship has decided to shut its door this month. Faced with an indifferent audience in the cruelest months of the year, the $15 million fledgling could not take off.
With its last performance Saturday, Jan. 24, January proved to be the ax that slashed the performance for a final time. Despite the singer-songwriter donning the lead role, according to Deadline, it just did not prove to be enough.
The play, set in a faltering shipyard in Sting's hometown in northeast England, had its moments of jaunty tunes and upbeat jigs, but its dark subject matter did not inspire patrons to spread the word.
Sadly, that is probably what claimed the musical in the end.
This comes after Sting had reluctantly let his best friend, Jimmy Nail, go since he was unable to adequately draw audiences into the main character, Jackie White. As of now, the play is likely to close at a loss.
Maybe a future staging is in order, but for now, we bid farewell to a Sting original and hope it turns around soon.
For now, though, we imagine the musician must be feeling quite awkward about the show closing — but probably not as much as him clapping below.
Enjoy.
