Capital—malign
it all you want, but you’ll miss it when its gone. The Wallsend Shipyard is a
case in point. After decades of strikes and work stoppages, work stopped there for
good. Maybe the workers were supposed to inherit control of all means of
production, but they just wound up unemployed. Sting still remembers when there
were laboring jobs to be found in the northern British city and the massive
ships that towered over his boyhood home. The former Police frontman’s
childhood memories have inspired his forthcoming Broadway book musical, which
he performs as a special concert preview in Sting:
The Last Ship (promo
here), debuting
on most PBS outlets this Friday as part of the current season of Great Performances.
Since
hundred dollar-plus Broadway tickets are intended for the proletariat, Last Ship is naturally centered around
the shipyard, focusing on the angst caused by its imminent closure. To keep the
men’s spirits up, the parish priest inspires them to “occupy” the shipyard and
build themselves one last ship. Cool, then what?
As
a concert presentation, there is no acting per se in the Last Ship performed last year at the Public Theater. However,
prospective cast member Jimmy Nails is on-hand to spell Sting on the vocals. A
fixture of British television and recording charts, Nails’ casting is probably
considered something of a coup on the other side of the Atlantic. He certainly
understands the working class theatricality of Sting’s tunes. However, the greater hook for American
audiences will be back-up singer Jo Lawry, who is featured in 20 Feet from Stardom, the consensus
favorite to win best documentary at this year’s Oscars. In fact, she has a
lovely duet with Sting on “Practical Arrangement.”
The
music itself definitely has that book musical vibe, but the Northumbrian
musicians give it a distinctive Celtic-ish twist. The title tune has the right
overture quality to it, yet it sounds vaguely familiar. Likewise, “Shipyard” is
an effective role call for the cast of characters, including the overtly
Marxist union rep (and also includes another brief but appealing solo spotlight
for Lawry). Similarly, “Dead Man’s Boots”
establishes much of the show’s driving conflict, poignantly addressing the emerging
generational divide.
In
contrast, “Sky Hooks and Tartan Paint” is a bit of a novelty number in terms of
lyrics (albeit a jaunty one), but Kathyn Tickell’s violin solo is the real
deal. Arguably, the concert’s highpoint also
goes for laughs. The Rockabilly “Jock the Singing Welder” finally lets Sting
unleash his strutting inner rockstar. It is catchy as all get out and loaded
with attitude.
There
is a reason why fans will probably latch on to “Jock.” Frankly, many of us
would rather remember Sting as the shirtless villain in Dune kicking Kyle MacLachlan’s butt than as the sensitive memory
play-book musical composer. Still, there is no denying his affection and empathy
for the rough diamonds of his formative years.