JAWS filming location newspaper applauds The Shark Is Broken
You can catch The Shark Is Broken from 25th July 2023 at the Golden Theater, New York, NYC.
As integral to JAWS as the likes of Quint, Chief Brody and Matt Hooper or the shark is the filming location of Martha’s Vineyard, which doubled as the fictional Amity Island in Steven Spielberg’s 1975 monster hit.
So, with the Broadway debut of The Shark Is Broken – an account of the making of JAWS during 1974 – it’s fitting that The Martha’s Vinyard Times has given the play – written by Ian Shaw, son of JAWS actor Robert Shaw, and Joseph Nixon – a resounding thumbs up, calling it “an adventure you won’t regret.”
The review, by Gwyn McAllister, says that whilst “the three-character play has not exactly garnered rave reviews from New York critics, I can attest that anyone with an interest in the film or with a connection with Martha’s Vineyard is bound to find something to love, while even a casual fan of Jaws will enjoy the play for the acting, directing and script alone.”
McAllister freely admits that she thinks that JAWS is the greatest film ever made – and we aren’t going to dispute that – but her fun and insightful review goes onto lay out three reasons why the JAWS-inspired play should be seen.
As many have also pointed out, it is the build up to the USS Indianapolis speech, which is very much the heart of the show, which takes place on a cutaway replica of the Orca.
She writes: “Just as it is in the film, the monologue is just as breathtaking and has lost none of its power and hold on the viewer, hearing it delivered by the son of the actor who helped write it dressed as Quint only just raises it several bars. McAllister said of that moment: “When Ian, as Robert Shaw, finally nails the speech at the end of the play, the moment is as equally terrifying and moving as when the playwright/actor’s acclaimed father delivers it in the movie.”
You can’t stay away from The Shark Is Broken, not with these three reason you can’t! Here’s Gwyn’s three fin-tastic reasons that make The Shark Is Broken on Broadway a must-see.
Reason One
“The three co-stars. Ian Shaw, a Robert Shaw doppelganger, does a pitch-perfect portrayal of his legendary father.
“Alex Brightman as Hooper all but steals the show with his spot-on channeling of Richard Dreyfuss as a newcomer striver with all of his neurotic energy and bravado.
“Colin Donnell as Scheider, takes a backseat to the two large personalities he’s refereeing, but holds his own as well as his counterpart did in the film.”
Reason Two
“The story. While one of the unique (and positive, in my opinion) things about JAWS the film was that, unlike contemporary action movies, the protagonists didn’t have the prerequisite backstories.
“Since The Shark is Broken is based on reality, we do get the backstories. Shaw’s demons are in evidence as he drowns himself in drink throughout the entire 90-minute production and all three characters have daddy issues of some sort or other that help explain their personalities, as well as their relationships to each other. This makes the show much more than a simple comedy or historically based play.”
Reason Three
“Martha’s Vineyard references. Within the first 15 minutes Scheider is giving his castmates directions that include the Vineyard Haven/Edgartown Road and the Edgartown Road/West Tisbury Road. Granted, Shaw and Dreyfuss could care less about this boring bit of geographical minutia, but Islanders’ ears will prick up at this local reference. During the course of the play, Shaw describes the locals in what are not necessarily the most flattering of terms.”
You can read Gwyn’s original review in full here on The Martha’s Vineyard Times website: ‘Jaws’ unhinged - The Martha's Vineyard Times (mvtimes.com)
Words by Dean Newman
If you would like to write for The Daily Jaws, please visit our ‘work with us’ page
For all the latest Jaws, shark and shark movie news, follow The Daily Jaws on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.