by NYBroadwayTours | Aug 2, 2019 | Blog, Broadway
WHAT HAVE WE GOT?!!! It has just been announced that Sting's cult hit musical The Last Ship will be embarking on an International Tour beginning in 2020 with the acclaimed singer-songwriter himself reprising his performance as ship foreman "Jackie White" doing at every single performance.
Under the direction and a newly updated book by Lorne Campbell, the new tour of THE LAST SHIP will hit North America this January in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson Theatre before traveling to San Francisco, Washington D.C., St. Paul, and Detroit. More cities will be announced soon.
For those who may not know, THE LAST SHIP is an original musical inspired by Sting's personal childhood and the shipbuilding industry in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. It centers on a community facing the demise of the shipbuilding industry alongside a poignant and moving romantic tale of childhood sweethearts and the adults they grew up to become. With an original score by Sting and an original book by John Logan and Brian Yorkey, it features songs including the title song, ALL THIS TIME, WE'VE GOT NOW'T ELSE, and SHOW SOME RESPECT.
The show was first conceived by Sting around 2009-2010 as he was creating an original show inspired by his personal childhood. The show had its first industrial reading in 2011 in New York City before heading overseas to Newcastle for a 2nd reading and a full development lab in 2013. It had its official world premiere out of town tryout in Chicago at the Bank of America Theatre in the early summer of 2014.
THE LAST SHIP officially made its Broadway debut in the Fall of 2014 playing the Neil Simon Theatre for only 29 previews and 105 regular performances. The show received negative reviews and failed to fill in the seats. Under the original direction of Tony winner Joe Mantello and original choreography by Steven Hoggett, the cast starred….
Michael Esper as "Gideon Fletcher",
Jimmy Nail (later Sting) as "Jackie White",
Sally Ann Triplett as "Peggy White",
Rachel Tucker as "Meg Dawson",
Jamie Jackson as "Joe Fletcher",
and more.
Following its short-lived time on Broadway, THE LAST SHIP began a 2nd chance life on the stage including productions in Salt Lake City, Utah, Turku, Finland, Toronto, and a UK/Ireland Tour.
Who is excited?
BWW Flashback: Sting Sings from THE LAST SHIP on Tour, Coming to the US in 2020!
As BroadwayWorld first reported last week, Sting's acclaimed musical, THE LAST SHIP, starring and featuring original music and lyrics by multiple Grammy Award-winner Sting, will add three new cities as part of its international tour. After premiering in Los Angeles at Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson…
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by NYBroadwayTours | Jul 28, 2019 | Blog, Broadway
THAT'S WHY YOU LOVE ME!! They wowed the hearts of millions on National TV and ended up on the Great White Way. It has been announced that real life Actor-Singing husband and wife duo, American Idol favorites, and Broadway veterans Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo will headline the highly anticipated overdue First National Tour of the smash hit First Date The Musical. Under the direction of Matt DiCarlo (The Play That Goes Wrong), this newly updated production will be making its way across North America in the Fall of 2020.
FIRST DATE is a musical comedy centering on the events of a blind date between a quirky conservative banker and an artsy serial-dater. Throughout the course of the evening, the casual drink night becomes a crazy high-stakes dinner. The show features an original score by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner along with a book by Austin Winsberg. It features some notable songs including THE ONE, FIRST IMPRESSIONS, SAFER, IN LOVE WITH YOU, and SOMETHING THAT WILL LAST.
The show originally was developed and premiered in Seattle, Washington at the ACT Theatre (in association with The 5th Avenue Theatre) back in 2012. Under the direction of Bill Berry and staging by Josh Rhodes, the world premiere cast consisted of….
Eric Ankrim as "Aaron",
Kelly Karbacz Griffith as "Casey",
Billie Wildrick as "Grandma Ida", "Lauren", & others,
Vicki Amendum as "Allison" & others,
Brandon O'Neill as "Gabe", & others,
Benjamin Harris as "Reggie" & others,
Richard Gray as "The Waiter" "The Therapist" & others,
and Greg McCormick Allen as "Casey's Father" & others.
The show went through various changes and officially arrived on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre back in 2013 for a complete total of 208 performances. The show received mixed reviews but a huge cult following. With Bill Berry's direction and Josh Rhodes' choreography, this cast featured….
Zachary Levi as "Aaron",
Krysta Rodriguez as "Casey",
Sara Chase as "Grandma Ida", "Lauren", & others,
Kate Loprest as "Allison" & others,
Bryce Ryness as "Gabe" & others",
Kristoffer Cusick as "Reggie" & others,
and Blake Hammond as "The Waiter" "The Therapist" "Casey's Father", & others.
In addition, Eric Ankrim and Vicki Amendum continued with the show serving as standbys but have went on to reprise their Seattle performances for Broadway.
Following the success of Broadway, FIRST DATE began its life being performed in schools, community, and regional theaters around the world (including productions in Japan, Buenos Aires, Melbourne, and set to make its debut in London in 2019).
FUN FACT: NYBT Tour Guide Michael is real life cousin of Sara Chase (one of the original cast members from Broadway).
Who is excited to experience a romance like no other in a city near you?
Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young To Lead FIRST DATE National Tour
BroadwayWorld has learned that that Broadway Stars and real-life couple Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young will headline the First National Tour of the musical comedy First Date. Although DeGarmo and Young were both contestants on 'American Idol,' their 'first date' was during the Broadway production of HA…
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