Released in 1975, Jaws is largely considered to be the film that kick started the “summer blockbuster” while also establishing director Steven Spielberg as one of the greats of the industry, fifty years later the movie is still as loved as ever and has become a part of pop culture.
As well as the film being loved there is also a huge number of stories and legends around the filming of the movie, the most well known being the numerous problems caused by the mechanical shark, which constantly broke down causing delays and frustrations, becoming such an annoyance that Spielberg is said to have nicknamed the prop “Bruce” after his lawyer.
“The Shark is Broken” is a comedic look at the behind the scenes happenings as our three leads are stuck on the boat set awaiting to film scenes, and through 95 minutes of excellent dialogue and back and forth we are treated to a delightful, very funny and, at times, very moving tale.
All three actors knock there performances out of the park and absolutely nail the performances. Dan Fredenburgh is an excellent straight man of the group, bringing gravitas to the role of Roy Scheider, who played police chief and, arguably the films lead (with the possible exception of the shark), Brody. The more stoic of the group and often the voice of reason – not to mention a lover of “interesting facts”. Meanwhile, Ashley Margolis brilliantly portrays the energetic, and often irritating, persona of Richard Dreyfuss, who longs for fame and his big break why often driving his more established co-stars to frustration. Barely sitting still you struggle to take your eyes off the character as he bounds around the set.
The stand out though is co-writer and creator Ian Shaw who absolutely nails the role of the troubled Robert Shaw, who played shark expert Quint, this is not totally surprising given that he is, of course, playing his father. This is clearly a project of passion for Shaw and he is absolutely mesmerising in the role, Shaw moves effortlessly between being hilarious, angry and, at times, melancholy. It is an absolute delight of a performance.
I don’t want to give to much away but this is a story much more than that about a broken shark, in fact it’s the story of three distinct personalities, forced together for long periods of time where they deal with both their own, and each others, demons.
If you are a fan of the movie then this is a must catch performance, but even if you’ve never seen Jaws (WHAT?) I would still recommend this play as it is, at heart, a story about human nature.
Review by Darren Patterson
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