Reggae icon Shaggy will join Sting on stage at Theatre Royal Drury Lane for two nights of the reimagined 2026 adaptation of Sting’s musical The Last Ship, which opens for a limited run in September.
Shaggy plays the role of the Wallsend Ferryman, appearing on September 22 and 23. Remaining cast will be announced soon.
Sting plays a leading role in The Last Ship, the musical he first developed in 2011, initially inspired by his 1991 album The Soul Cages. Rooted in his own childhood in the British shipbuilding town of Wallsend, The Last Ship tells the moving story of a community of shipbuilders in the North East of England, faced with the closure of their shipyard – the heart of their existence.
Sting takes on the role of Jackie White, the shipyard’s foreman whose health is failing just as his leadership is needed most. In this very personal show, the artist immerses the audience in the hometown he was desperate to escape, a world where love, loss, and hope intertwine.
Sting’s beloved songs such as Island of Souls, All This Time and When We Dance are woven into the performance in this fully staged, large-scale production featuring a company of more than 50.
Sting will perform throughout the run of this newly reimagined production of his musical from September 22 – October 3. Featuring a new book by Barney Norris, this revised production of the Last Ship, produced by Karl Sydow, is directed by Leo Warner with set and video design by 59, a Journey studio.
The production has toured globally this year, including stops in Amsterdam, Paris, and Brisbane, as well as a limited nine-show run at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
The creative team also includes set and props designer Jenny Melville, costume designer Loren Elstein, lighting designer Adam Bassett, sound designer Tom Gibbons, animation director Matt Taylor, choreographer Rebecca Howell, video designer Benjamin Pearcy, musical supervisor & orchestrator Rob Mathes and MD & co-orchestrator Richard John.
Tickets here.
Top image: Shaggy in The Last Ship – credit Nienke de Groot (image supplied)