When Sting says he grew up in the shadow of a shipyard, he means it literally. At the end of his street in Wallsend, northern England, the Swan Hunter factory dominated the skyline. Each day thousands of workers filed past his house to labour on ships so big they obscured the sun. A royal visit sparked a childhood epiphany: watching the Queen Mother drive past in a black Rolls-Royce, Sting decided he didn’t want a life in the belly of a metal beast. He wanted something bigger, and he would find it: first as the magnetic frontman of the Police, then as a solo artist.

Now 74, with 17 Grammys to his name, the superstar is back in the shipyard – this time in Australia, in a renewed version of his musical The Last Ship. Sting takes on a leading role as foreman Jackie White, who is navigating the threat of the shipyard’s closure as he grapples with his failing health. Sting is joined on stage by none other than Reggae icon Shaggy, who brings warmth to the stage as the Wallsend Ferryman, who watches over Jackie.

The inclusion of Brisbane on The Last Ship’s international run – alongside cultural capitals Paris, Amsterdam and New York – marks a notable moment for Queensland Performing Arts Centre (Qpac) as it seeks to position the city as a global destination for the arts. Inside the new Glasshouse Theatre, the stage has become an industrial landscape, with towering metal scaffolding and the imposing bow of a vessel. The set, by renowned projection design company 59 Studio, is striking and immersive. The digital projections blend so seamlessly with the physical scenery that at times it is tricky to tell where one ends and the other begins.

Sting wrote the music and lyrics for The Last Ship, drawing on his 1991 album The Soul Cages and generations of family ties to the shipbuilding industry. The score moves through folk, ballads and choral numbers; fans will recognise songs like Island of Souls, All This Time and When We Dance.

Sting’s presence is a clear drawcard for the 1,500-strong audience. He brings a rugged authenticity to the role, though his performance is more understated than some of his castmates. His voice no longer has the power of the Roxanne era – unsurprising, given that was nearly 50 years ago. Shaggy brings his signature charm, though you’ve likely never heard him sing like this, stretching outside his reggae roots.

While the headline names may fill the seats, the wider cast sustains the production. Lauren Samuels stands out as Meg Dawson, the publican once left broken-hearted by childhood sweetheart Gideon Fletcher (Declan Bennett, in a role Sting loosely based on himself). Joe Caffrey is equally compelling as union leader Billy Thompson, bringing authority and presence to the role. The Last Ship is at its most effective when the full ensemble comes together. The choral moments are powerful and moving, reinforcing the central idea of collective strength.

The Last Ship was first developed in 2011 and premiered in 2014 to mixed reviews. This version includes new scenes and music, and updated characters. It starts slowly but picks up steam in the second act; Sting’s performance follows a similar trajectory. But the ending feels rushed, with too many threads tied up too quickly. A tighter narrative would strengthen the show – and trim its almost three-hour run time.

The central love story between Meg and Gideon is its weakest point; it is hard to root for a man who disappears for 17 years with not so much as a letter to the woman he loves, then returns expecting to simply pick up where he left off. The women of The Last Ship are mostly fierce, resilient and self-determining; the arc of Meg is at odds with that complexity and strength.

The Last Ship explores mortality, labour and identity, as well as the tension between tradition and progress. The shipyard becomes a symbol of a communal world built on shared pride and purpose. Though it at times leans toward cloying sentimentality, the musical still resonates with contemporary concerns around the erosion of secure work and the crucial power of collective action.

Sting once wanted to be like the ships in Wallsend, that, having launched out to sea, never returned. With hindsight, his view of the place he was once so eager to escape has shifted. “My community made me who I am. They gave me a sense of dignity, a sense of work ethic that I still have,” he told AP recently. “I wanted to thank my community and my parents, and telling the story is a way of doing that. When you escape a community to have a different kind of life, part of you wants to go back and make amends. So, this is my way of making amends.”

In The Last Ship, that desire is sincere and heartfelt – even if the storytelling doesn’t always meet its emotional ambitions.

Rory McIlroy began this Masters in the company of Cameron Young and will finish it in the company of Cameron Young. McIlroy arrived at this tournament as the holder of the Green Jacket. By Sunday night he will …? Goodness only knows. Day three proved predictions are a fool’s errand at the Masters.

Such drama played out at Augusta National on Saturday that by close of play it was extraordinary to see McIlroy’s name still atop the leaderboard, albeit now with Young for scoring company. Both are 11 under par. From holding a six-shot lead at the start of the round – and eight over Young – McIlroy inexplicably wobbled. His 73 was one involving intense struggle. “I knew today wouldn’t be easy,” said McIlroy. “I didn’t quite have it today. I’ll need to be better tomorrow.”

Events of 2025 matter in this context. Were McIlroy not already a Masters champion, there would be reason to worry about the impact of his 36-hole lead evaporating. Instead, while McIlroy is desperate to retain his title he is at least playing with house money. Unlike Young – and Sam Burns, who is one adrift – McIlroy has emerged successfully from this movie before.

Young’s standing here is incredible. He was four over par after the front nine of his first round. He has played his subsequent stretch in 15 under. He displays an unflappable attitude that will prove useful on Masters Sunday. Helpful, too, will be Young’s Players Championship success only last month.

“I like the position I’m in,” said Young after his 65. “If you had said on Thursday at about noon that I was even going to be within a couple of the lead going into Sunday, I would have taken it in a heartbeat, especially given the fact that I was watching Rory play.

“Out here that’s so much of the battle. You’re going to get good breaks, you’re going to get bad ones. You’re going to hit a bad shot or two. The ability to just swallow it and move on and go hit your next shot, the emotions of it, the frustration, whatever it may be, I think this place really punishes you if you play angry or impatient.”

McIlroy’s woes started on the opening hole. An overhit approach shot left a putt into the grain from the fringe. He was too delicate, with a bogey the consequence. Up ahead, Patrick Reed was reaching nine under to McIlroy’s minus 11 courtesy of three birdies in a row. McIlroy steadied himself by collecting a shot on the 3rd but an elite pack was hovering. McIlroy played the remainder of the front nine in even par, thanks to some acts of escapology that Paul Daniels would applaud.

At the 10th, McIlroy hit a terrific approach to set up a birdie. Things took a conspicuous twist on the next hole, where McIlroy clipped a tree with his drive and found water with his second. A double bogey cut his lead over Young to only one. McIlroy’s issue looked a technical one rather than between his ears; a pulled short iron to the 12th meant a cry of “Oh no!” and a bogey, which left the reigning champion behind. Young had reached the leaderboard’s summit with a birdie on the 16th.

McIlroy needed a spark. It failed to arrive at the 13th, where he drove into pine straw and had to scramble a par. Instead, McIlroy matched Young’s score with a converted putt from 19ft on the 14th. The birdie felt significant; with two towering strikes, he was on the dancefloor at the par-five 15th. With a four, he was the man to beat again. This was exhausting, exhilarating stuff.

McIlroy’s 16th was noneventful. His drive flew right on the penultimate hole. “Give me back my son!” roared a member of the crowd, who presumably will be propping up a bridge over the I-20 to Atlanta by tomorrow morning. McIlroy’s second cleared the green, from where he could not rescue par. He cut a rueful figure on the final green as more than five hours of toil concluded. Burns, alongside McIlroy, signed for an impressive 68. McIlroy was the only player among the top 19 names on the board to score over par. No wonder he headed for the practice ground.

General chaos was playing out elsewhere. Rafa Nadal, again part of the galleries, looked enthralled. Li Haotong, very much a part of this conversation at seven under, topped his ball into the water on the 15th. “I had some negative thoughts on my backswing,” said Li. Shane Lowry became just the seventh man in history to ace the 6th. The hole-in-one inspired Lowry, who is only two from the lead. “I thought if Rory could shoot a 68 today he might run away with the tournament,” Lowry said. But he did not and he did not.

Lowry added: “We all know it’s all about tomorrow. Obviously it matters today, but when we get to tomorrow, that’s when we’ll see what everyone is made of.”

Jason Day rolled back the years with a 68 to sit one shy of Lowry. Justin Rose is also eight under after a 69. Scottie Scheffler took umbrage with an “awful” question – which was actually perfectly valid – from a member of the media in the aftermath of his 65. Scheffler is at minus seven alongside Li. It would be daft to write off the world No 1. Reed’s chances were perhaps fatally harmed by a bogey at the last, which slid him back to six under.

As dust settled, it was worth remembering this was only Saturday. Scriptwriters should turn to Augusta National for lessons.