The Shark Is Broken: A son's powerful tribute to late father
I promised myself that if The Shark Is Broken came to the United States, I would do whatever it took to see the show. I value it even more than three thousand bucks, Chief because I saw Jaws when I was ten years old in 1975 and it has been my favorite movie ever since.
I read on The Daily Jaws Facebook page that Ian Shaw’s theatrical play was headed to Broadway and I knew it would be pretty good stuff, since he wrote it himself. My daughter Lauren teaches high school theatre and seeing a Broadway show in New York was a dream I knew I could help her realize. She’s a great kid who I never had to hang up by her Buster Browns, so I phoned her to make sure her summer break still had time enough left for a last minute trip. I asked her if she would accompany me on my Jawsome adventure, “Do it for the old man, will ya?” I threw out another chum marker to lure her along with tickets to a production of her choice as well and it was like ringing the dinner bell for Christ’s sakes.
Ian Shaw in THE SHARK IS BROKEN - Photo by Matthew Murphy
I made sure that the show tickets, air flights, and a hotel were available before I booked everything. It’s my charter, it’s my party and so my daughter Lauren drove nine hours from northern Illinois to where her mom and I retired to west Tennessee. The following day we drove to Nashville and then flew to Newark, New Jersey. We stayed overnight and took an Uber to Broadway for the first time. We learned about the history presented at the Broadway Museum and then we had our noon feeding before seeing the production of Sweeney Todd at two in the afternoon.
It was a beautiful day, Times Square was open and people were having a wonderful time, so after Sweeney Todd we looked around and checked out the shops. We had dinner at an Irish Pub in memory of Robert Shaw and drank to our legs while sitting outdoors at a bistro table.
Then it was time to walk over to the Golden Theatre to get in line for when the doors opened half an hour before the show began at eight o’clock. Ian Shaw walked past and into the theatre while we were waiting to enter. He is unmistakable as he really is the spitting image of his father.
It was fun to talk with fellow Jaws fans while waiting in line. There was a palpable feeling of a shared community interest. Entering the 802 seat theatre and seeing the cutaway of the Orca on stage produced erratic impulses through my body’s nervous system like a fish in distress. The excitement surged like a feeding frenzy as I approached the stage for a closer look before taking my seat. You’re not going to need a bigger theatre because every seat is a good seat. My daughter was impressed (my kids were in that audience too) and I was amazed at the undulating water and moving clouds projected on the huge screen behind the Orca. Even the stage floor appeared to sway with waves.
Ian Shaw & Alex Brightman in THE SHARK IS BROKEN - Photo by Matthew Murphy
When the lights dimmed (he ate the light) and the music came up, I noticed (as any genuine Jaws fans will) that the music was not the actual John Williams’ score we all know by rote and note for note. Universal Studios would be wise to simply grant free permission to the show to use the actual famous music from the movie. This stage production can only increase newfound sharing of the Jaws legacy and it will likely create more Blu-Ray sales of the movie Jaws leading up to its 50th anniversary.
Ian Shaw’s play is a fascinating inside look at the egos of actors and provides insight into the behind the scenes of movie making. Shaw has stated that his show has been cathartic for him personally in regards to his dad. My daughter is no where near the Jaws fan that I am (though we did watch the movie the night before we left for our trip, just as a refresher course), and she found the stagecraft impressive. With her background, she has built sets, choreographed action, made costumes, run the lighting and sound boards, acted, and directed. She appreciated how well everything worked together during this professional play.
The Shark Is Broken is not a Jaws tribute or a re-enactment of scenes from the movie. However, it does play off certain memorable scenes and provide fan service in a welcome and playful manner that will be appreciated by fellow Jaws finatics. Most of us who are truly into Jaws lore are already aware of Robert Shaw’s infamous drinking and attempt at method acting the Indianapolis scene while actually drunk. It didn’t work out well when he tried it, but Shaw masterfully acted out Quint’s mesmerizing speech while sober and it is one of the all time greatest film soliloquies. During The Shark Is Broken, we get to see both versions as a comparison and it emphasizes Shaw’s outstanding talent as he portrayed Quint.
I do wish that one particular scene had been reenacted, even though it would have been pure fan service. If the three protagonists sang “show me the way to go home” while seated around the table inside the Orca’s cabin, it would have been a rousing crowd pleaser and audience bonding sing along. The entire melody is only a minute and a half and Jaws fans long for every tiny piece of chum they can get. Of course, Ian Shaw didn’t ask me, “You got any better suggestions?”
The acting in The Shark Is Broken is top notch, none of the three stars are half-ass. Co-writer and actor Ian Shaw’s portrayal of his father is monumental. Other actors have played their parents in minor movie roles or shared the screen with them in the past, but Ian’s co-creation of this show is both unique and special. There’s no other play like this in these waters. He embodies the role as only he genuinely could. The audience forgets that they’re not seeing the real Robert Shaw on screen and is lulled into the feeling of being aboard the Orca during filming of the blockbuster summer movie (and we need summer dollars).
Broadway veteran Alex Brightman’s portrayal of Richard Dreyfuss is so spot on that one has to wonder what Dreyfuss himself would think of the show. Has he seen it? Will he see it? Brightman has all of the tics, mannerisms, and anxiety that we’ve seen on display, not only in Jaws, but in Dreyfuss’ other films and during interviews.
The role of Brody, as embodied by Roy Scheider came across in the film as calm and reasonable, the traits a good police Chief should embody (he can do anything). Brody only lost his cool once when Quint smashed the ship to shore radio. Colin Donnell’s embodiment of Scheider is perfection, down to his actual body (which is on full display during a zen sunbathing moment), along with his accent and manners. Both Shaw and Dreyfuss have tons of personality (three tons of ‘em) to go along with their egos. Scheider came across to audiences as more low key, which means that playing him on stage is a bit more difficult, but Donnell makes you think you’re actually watching Scheider.
Colin Donnell in THE SHARK IS BROKEN - Photo by Matthew Murphy
A few other scenes from Jaws are presented on stage, not as the actual movie scenes, but as the actors mimicking the scenes in supposed real life. When the movie was made, the actors were genuinely trapped on the Orca (instead of waiting in their private, air conditioned trailers or hotel rooms with assistants to attend their every need - “What about ice cream? Coffee.”) while repairs were made to the mechanical shark. The show conveys “we’re stuck together” camaraderie that could also quickly lapse into a “I’m going to strangle you” mentality.
Humor comes often enough, intertwined with the sentimentality and seriousness. It’s skillful writing when Ian portrays his father and makes a statement referring to his actual son. It takes the audience a beat or two to recognize that we’re watching the actual son portray his father working on a movie role while talking about the son who we are really watching live onstage portraying his father (that makes a lot of sense!).
The stage is minimalistic while also being extraordinary. The background changes projected onto a screen are subtle, going from calm seas to waves, cloudy, sunny, and even night…just like in the film. There is a stage trick that creates the illusion of movement as the actors climb aboard the Orca. You can appreciate the gut reaction people seated in the audience have, it’s all psychological. It conveys a moment of seasickness and the magic of this stage is impressive. Serious Jaws fans will be on the lookout and smile to themselves when there is a night scene with a shooting star.
After the well earned standing ovation, my daughter and I exited the theatre and went outside to wait where the sidewalk was barricaded in hopes of Ian Shaw greeting fans. Patrons held their Playbills and shark toys, waiting and hoping for a possible autograph. Nothing is guaranteed, but Ian Shaw did come out to the street and sign for fans and smile (you son of a….) for photographs. I brought along a Crush It Like Quint Narragansett foam beer can and he laughed when he saw it and said that the brewing company’s representatives came to see the show and presented him with one of the foam cans. Little did I know that two days later (on National Beer Day), Narragansett would become an official beer sponsor of The Shark Is Broken.
It was satisfying to watch Shaw, co-writer, star, and blood related son of our beloved Captain Quint interact and connect with Jaws fans. However, I was so impressed with Brightman and Donnell that I wish they too would have come out to greet fans as well. I’m sure those on the street would have clamored for autographs and pictures with them as well. We love all three characters, no matter where each actors’ name appeared on the movie poster, left or right, above or below.
Looking back on my personal experience, I had no way of knowing if the show will leave Broadway and move to other US cities. I had to spend the time and money to travel for the first time in my life to New York City. It was a mission, a quest, a hunt for me. I’d find this show and I’d catch it and watch it for whatever it cost.
I was thoroughly satisfied as a Jaws fan the next day and my daughter thanked me and said how entertained and impressed she was as a devotee of live stage theatre. I believe we are representative of both types of target audience members for this production. You do not need to be a fan of the movie Jaws to come away from the experience with a positive and lasting impression. It helps, of course, but the show is entertaining from the dorsal to the tail even without having seen the greatest fish adventure movie ever filmed
Steve Tracy with replica of iconic ‘beaches closed’ sign from JAWS
The best compliment I can give to The Shark Is Broken is that if it moves to another big city theatre, I will go again and they’ll be counting money all their lives. Ian Shaw’s very personal stage creation will satisfy every Jaws fan while watching the trio of Scheider, Shaw, and Dreyfuss once again.
Words and images Steve Tracy
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