John Burland previews The Last Ship, which will be performed at Leeds Grand Theatre in May.

The Last Ship, which was initially inspired by Sting’s 1991 album The Soul Cages and his own childhood experiences, tells the story of a community amid the demise of the shipbuilding industry in Tyne and Wear, with the closure of the Swan Hunter shipyard.

This personal, political and passionate new musical from multiple Grammy Award winner Sting, is an epic account of a family, a community and a great act of defiance. The Last Ship features an original score with music and lyrics by Sting as well as a few of his best-loved songs: Island of Souls, All This Time and When We Dance. It is the proud story of when the last ship sails.

The casting of Joe McGann (Jackie White), Charlie Hardwick (Peggy White), Richard Fleeshman (Gideon Fletcher) and Frances McNamee (Meg Dawson) was announced earlier this month.

The show is directed by Lorne Campbell, the artistic director of Northern Stage, and has set design by the Tony Award-winning 59 Productions – the team behind the video design for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Lorne Campbell said: "We have brought together a remarkable cast and team of creatives from across the UK with a core of incredible performers from the North East, many of whom are only a generation away from the shipyard workers of the Tyne and the Wear.

"This personal connection to the project brings an enormous passion and resonance to the company."

When a sailor named Gideon Fletcher returns home after seventeen years at sea, tensions between past and future flare in both his family and his town.

The local shipyard, around which the community has always revolved, is closing and no-one knows what will come next, only that a half-built ship towers over the terraces.

With the engine fired and pistons in motion, picket lines are drawn as foreman Jackie White and his wife Peggy fight to hold their community together in the face of the gathering storm.

Joe McGann, perhaps best known for his lead role as Charlie Burrows in the comedy series The Upper Hand, has had a wide career spanning theatre, television and film. Charlie Hardwick played Val Pollard from 2004 to 2015 and again in 2017 in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. For this role, she won the 2006 British Soap Award for Best Comedy Performance.

Richard Fleeshman is a familiar face on our stage and screens having been acting since the age of 12 when he played the role of Craig Harris in Coronation Street for four years. A talented singer-songwriter, Richard’s stage roles include Sam Wheat in Ghost the Musical, a part he originated and played in the West End and on Broadway.

Frances McNamee is currently appearing alongside Kelsey Grammer in Big Fish (The Other Palace).

The production is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tuesday, May 1 to Saturday, May 5. Tickets can be booked at www.leedsgrandtheatre.com or by calling the box office on 0844 848 2700.