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Shaggy to star alongside Sting in West End reimagining of musical The Last Ship
Sting’s musical The Last Ship comes to London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane this September
Sting brings a reimagining of his musical The Last Ship to London this September, with reggae singer Shaggy starring as Wallsend Ferryman. 17-time Grammy-winning artist Sting himself will star opposite as Jackie White.
The show arrives in London as part of a global tour, and will play at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 22 September to 3 October 2026, with Sting appearing at every performance whilst continuing his STING 3.0 World Tour.
Sting said: “I immediately knew Shaggy was the perfect man for this role. He has a great sense of mischief, a great sense of joy, and he’s also a natural actor. We’ve taken the Ferryman all over the world together this year, and I’m thrilled he’s crossing over to Drury Lane with me too, even if only for two performances.”
Due to prior commitments, Shaggy will only reprise his role at the first London performance on 22 September and at the gala on 23 September.
The Last Ship follows a community of shipbuilders in the North East of England who are faced with the closure of their shipyard, directly drawing on Sting’s own childhood in the shipbuilding town of Wallsend. Initially inspired by Sting’s 1991 album The Soul Cages, the musical now comes to London in reimagined form, featuring a new book by Barney Norris, as well as direction by Leo Warner and set and video design by 59, a Journey studio. The show features Sting tracks such as ‘Island of Souls’, ‘All This Time’, and ‘When We Dance’.
Also on the creative team are 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, and musical supervisor and orchestrator Rob Mathes.
Further casting news has yet to be announced.
