If you’re looking for 90 minutes of meticulously written, genuine fact-packed and brilliantly acted theatre, hunt down your nearest venue for The Shark is Broken, now on an 11-week tour around England and Northern Ireland.
The production has already wowed audiences at the Edinburgh Festival and in London’s West End.
Believe me, they’re gonna need a bigger regional run.
The Shark is Broken is the ultimate tale of three men in THE boat.
Ian Shaw, Dan Fredenburgh and Ashley Margolis are the absolute embodiment of Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss, trapped each day for nine weeks on the Orca during the filming of the sea scenes in Jaws, now one of the highest grossing films ever.
Written by Ian Shaw (son of Robert) and Joseph Nixon, it gives the audience unparalleled insight into the lives and relationships of the three men which unfold as technical crew struggle with the mammoth technical difficulties with ‘Bruce’ the animated shark star of the film.
Not a word is wasted in this masterful script.
It’s packed with allusions and references that’ll send you scurrying for the internet in the manner of a BBC Fact Checker. And you’ll be elated with what you find. Yes, Scheider broke his nose in a boxing contest. Yes, Robert Shaw had nine children.
And yes, Spielberg had to shoot the film from the shark’s point of view because the animatronic sharks he wanted in shot simply wouldn’t work in seawater.
Shaw has scoured his father’s diaries and other related writing and interviews to create an authentic and fascinating account of the three men’s interactions.
Yes, you’ll find interviews with Dreyfuss that describe Shaw’s public onset bullying but private kindness and concern.
Yes, it’s true that Scheider sought to get a tan at every opportunity after his bedridden childhood with curtains drawn, as a sickly kid.
The witty banter is in sharp contrast to some of the play’s more soulful insights, usually revealed during alcohol-fuelled conversations but never maudlin.
The outstanding performances expertly capture the essential essence of the men’s experience.
The audience’s ecstatic reaction tells you that, like Spielberg, this team really has a hit on its hands.
At Richmond Theatre until Saturday (February 22), The Shark is Broken is touring until May. To find out where and when visit https://thesharkisbroken.com/ and contact individual theatres for accessibility information.
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