Sting to join Broadway cast of his 'Last Ship'

Sting has decided to help steer his own Ship.

It was announced Monday that the rock star, who drew critical praise for his first outing as a Broadway composer/lyricist, The Last Ship, which opened in October, will join the cast for four works starting Dec. 9. He'll play the role of Jackie White, a veteran ship worker, currently played by Jimmy Nail.

The show, set in Wallsend, England, was inspired by Sting's own experience growing up in that shipbuilding town in the 1950s. (Nail hails from the same region.) Ship drew praise for Sting's score but has struggled at the box office, despite its high-profile creative team, which also includes director Joe Mantello and co-librettist John Logan.

Sting is clearly hoping to correct that course. In a statement, he noted he has spent five years working on Ship, "and I have relished every moment of that process. Taking to the stage is a continuation of that."

The singer/songwriter, who previously appeared on Broadway in a 1989 revival of The Threepenny Opera (titled 3 Penny Opera), added it was a "distinct honor to join this remarkable cast and play the part of Jackie until I pass the baton back to Jimmy," which Sting will do after Jan. 10.