Sting's THE LAST SHIP Launches in Chicago 2014

Producers Jeffrey Seller and Kathryn Schenker announced today that THE LAST SHIP , with an original score by 16-time Grammy Award® winner Sting , will have its pre-Broadway World Premiere at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre (18 West Monroe) from June 10 – July 13, 2014 . THE LAST SHIP will open on Broadway in the fall of 2014. An epic yet intimate tale inspired by Sting's own childhood experiences, this World Premiere production features direction by two-time Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello (Wicked), a book by Tony Award® winner John Logan (Red) and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal) and choreography by Olivier Award winner and Tony Award® Nominee Steven Hoggett (Once)

Life in the English seafaring town of Wallsend has always revolved around the local shipyard, where the hardworking men of this close-knit community construct magnificent vessels with tremendous pride. But Gideon Fletcher dreams of a different future. He sets out to travel the world, leaving his life and his love behind. When Gideon returns home fourteen years later, he finds the shipyard's future in grave danger and his childhood sweetheart engaged to someone else. As the men of Wallsend take their fate into their own hands and build a towering representation of the shared dream that has defined their existence, Gideon realizes that he left behind more than he could have ever imagined.

"The memories at the heart of THE LAST SHIP have occupied my mind for most of my life," said Sting. "I was compelled to tell this story, and I've had the great fortune of collaborating with an enormously talented team."

"I can only produce a show that I fall in love with," said producer Jeffrey Seller. "The moment that I heard 'Shipyard,' which was the first song that Sting wrote for this show, I knew two things: that I was in love and that this extraordinary artist knew exactly how to write a Broadway musical."

Big, bold and hauntingly beautiful, THE LAST SHIP is a portrait of a group of people so bound together by passion and faith that they'll stop at nothing to preserve the only life they've ever known.

Casting, design team members, and details for the Broadway production will be announced at a later date.

On Tuesday, September 24, Sting will release a new album of original material entitled The Last Ship, inspired by the story of the forthcoming musical.

Performances of THE LAST SHIP will begin at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre (18 West Monroe Street) on June 10, 2014 for a five-week-only limited engagement through July 13, 2014.

Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. THE LAST SHIP will be a part of the Broadway In Chicago 2014 Spring Season. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date. For more information, visit Broadway In Chicago.