The Olivier Award-nominated The Shark Is Broken takes a fascinating and poignantly funny behind-the-scenes look at the filming of epic cinema classic Jaws. Released a half-century ago, in Summer 1975, and based on the same-named 1974 novel by Peter Benchley, the movie made a household name of its director, a 28-year-old Steven Spielberg.

For those who’ve never seen Jaws, the film tells the story of a beach community off Long Island which is being terrorised by a great white shark. It’s up to local police chief Martin Brody (played by Roy Scheider), marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and shark hunter Quint (veteran English theatre actor & writer Robert Shaw) to make sure it’s safe for folk to go back in the water.

The Shark Is Broken is written by Joseph Nixon and Ian Shaw. The latter is Robert Shaw’s son, whose inspiration for the play came from reading a drinking diary kept by his father. Ian adored his dad and well remembers visiting him on the set of Jaws and meeting Steven Spielberg. Just three short years after the film’s release, Robert Shaw died from a heart attack at the age of just 51. Ian was only eight years old.
The play takes place on shark hunter Quint’s fishing boat, the Orca. On stage, this is shown as a cross section of the craft, presented against a surprisingly effective video backdrop of the sky and ocean.

Offering a glimpse into the fraught relationship that existed between the three main actors, the action takes place across the course of many days while cast and crew are waiting for the mechanical shark to be repaired... yet again.

Filming is regularly delayed, not just by uncooperative mechanical sharks, but also by the weather, and by sightseers in their own boats blocking scenes (Jaws had been scheduled to take just a couple of months to film, but in the end took 16 long weeks). Feeling bored and claustrophobic on board the Orca, the three lead actors drive each other crazy, spending their time arguing, sharing their personal stories and vulnerabilities, getting seasick, sunbathing, and contemplating their acting skills and future roles. They all have reservations about the potential of the film, and share their anxieties about the inexperience of its young and relatively unknown director.

They also speculate as to whether there might be a philosophical meaning behind the Jaws storyline. The young and ambitious Dreyfuss suggests the shark represents subconscious terrors. Scheider considers the film to be about the shared responsibility of protecting people from unseen threats, even if doing so is terrifying. Both views are disparagingly rejected by Shaw, who scornfully retorts, “It’s about a shark!”

Shaw’s alcoholism, acerbic wit and biting criticisms lead to plenty of moments of conflict, especially with Dreyfuss, while Scheider tries his best to keep the peace and ensure the movie is successfully completed.

As well as co-writing the show, Ian Shaw stars as his father (to whom he bears an uncanny resemblance), while Ashley Margolis and Dan Fredenburgh play Dreyfuss and Scheider respectively. All three actors excel in their parts, their perfect comic timing generating some truly memorable laugh-out-loud moments. 
This is a show that’s sharp, funny, fascinating and well worth a look. We’re happy to report that it’s safe to go back in the water.

Five Stars

The Shark Is Broken was reviewed by Sue Hull on Tuesday 28 January at Malvern Theatres, where it shows until Saturday 1 February. The show then swims back into the region in the spring, showing at Birmingham Rep from Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 May.