'The ship of my life': Sting talks the comeback of his musical

Article excerpt

Sting's musical *The Last Ship* is making history as the first musical ever staged at New York's Metropolitan Opera House. The production draws directly from the British rock legend's childhood in Wallsend, a shipbuilding town in northeast England where his father worked as a milkman and the shipyard dominated the landscape. Sting created the musical to explore themes of community, industrial decline, and personal identity rooted in his formative years. The debut marks a significant crossover moment for both Sting, known primarily as a musician, and the traditionally classical-focused Met, blending rock sensibility with operatic ambition.