Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Sting’s Hard Work Pays Off: “The Last Ship” Has Its Biggest Week, Nears $1 Mil in Sales

Share

Hard work and persistence pay off. That’s true for Sting, who jumped into his show “The Last Ship” on Broadway, to save it back on December 9th. And the reward is sweet: last week, “The Last Ship” sailed to $953,165 at the box office. The show had its biggest week yet, and highest capacity crowd.  Plus, the average ticket price was a robust $106. So there.

To pull this off, Sting had to jump into a secondary role in the show, and perform it 8 times a week. He hasn’t missed one show yet, and will stick it out through January 24th. At that point, he has to leave to get ready for a big pre-sold tour with Paul Simon. Of course, when “The Last Ship” was coming together, the rock star never thought this is what he’d be doing over Christmas and New Year’s.

It hasn’t hurt that the CD for “The Last Ship” is number 1 on Billboard among Broadway shows. USA Today gave the show a boost when it named it Best Musical of the Year. They weren’t wrong. “The Last Ship” is unique in that it’s totally original, also. It isn’t based on a previous film or show, or anything that existed. All the music is new, too. Even the songs Sting brought in from his vast catalog were completely reworked. And they are gorgeous, hummable songs you don’t forget.

What will happen when Sting leaves? The excellent Jimmy Nail will return to the show as Jackie White, and audiences should keep coming. Word of mouth should help. I’ve never seen so many satisfied customers Tweet out thanks for a Broadway musical. But it’s all about Sting’s dedication and his work ethic. Maybe this week the show will hit $1 million. That would be the sweetest reward of all !

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

Read more

In Other News