Sting's Ship goes down

Sting's musical 'The Last Ship', a story of ship building in the North East of England in the 80s, and which opened on Broadway in October to good reviews, will close after producers said that current ticket sales cannot cover the $625,000 per week running and $15 million set up costs. Sting himself joining the cast in November, replacing Jimmy Nail. 'The Last Ship' will close on 24 Jan. The New York Times says producers are now hoping to secure licensing deals to help cover some of the losses.

News of the closure comes after Broadway theatres reported a record-breaking year for attendance and box-office takings in 2014. A total of 13.1 million people went to see shows in the heart of New York last year, bringing in $1.36bn (£0.89bn) with attendances  up 13 percent and box-office takings up 14 percent. Long-running shows Wicked, The Lion King and The Book of Mormon were among the top-grossing shows, with each pulling in more than $2.2 million (£1.45 million) for the New Year week. Nearly 20 new shows are scheduled to open on Broadway in 2015, including a musical version of the 2003 Jack Black film School of Rock.