Shipping Bulletin - Sting's musical about shipbuilding in the North East of England has found a home on Broadway. The Last Ship, which is inspired by the singer's own childhood, will open at the Neil Simon Theatre on 30 September. The cast will include New York stage star Michael Esper and Irish singer and actress Rachel Tucker. It will also star fellow North East star Jimmy Nail, who Sting has previously said "gave me the courage to carry on" with the project. "He said 'this is very important, you have to do this, this story needs to be told,'" the musician told BBC News.

Sting has already released an album called The Last Ship, with music that will feature in the show. The musical will be directed by Joe Mantello, who has won two Tony Awards, for musical Assassins and stage play Take Me Out.

Welsh Boost - Film company Pinewood is to set up a new studio in Cardiff. Pinewood Studios Wales will be based at the former Energy Centre building in Wentloog and will form part of the company's global network. The deal was announced on Monday by First Minister Carwyn Jones and Pinewood Shepperton chief executive Ivan Dunleavy. The Welsh government hopes the 180,000 sq ft complex will generate an estimated £90m for the economy.

"Attracting such an iconic global brand as Pinewood is wonderful news for Wales," Mr Jones said. "This high-profile investment is of significant economic value to Wales while the partnership between the Welsh government and Pinewood offers a priceless opportunity to promote Wales as a world-class location for film and television production."

Jersey Boys - John Lloyd Young, who originated the role of Frankie Valli in the Broadway production of Jersey Boys, is to play the role in the West End production from March. Young will appear in the show when it moves from the Prince Edward Theatre to the Piccadilly Theatre on 15 March. He will star in it until 27 April.

Island News - An Isle of Man singer is set to "breathe new life" into the ancient Manx language, once classified as "extinct" by cultural body Unesco. Ruth Keggin's debut solo album features new arrangements of traditional and contemporary folk songs, most of which are sung in the Gaelic language. The 25-year-old said, "Manx never died out - the language revival started decades ago." There are currently around 1,700 Manx speakers on the Isle of Man.

(Jim Evans)


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