Celebrating 'JAWS' 50th Anniversary with making-of play at Cape Cod cinema

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the movie “JAWS,” Regal Cape Cod Mall has screened its last movies, but new operator Bill Hanney has said he plans to request a permit for a temporary stage in one of the cinemas to produce “The Shark is Broken.”

The stage comedy, which premiered on Broadway in 2023, delves into the dynamic between actors Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Scheider as they dealt with delays and setbacks—including a frequently malfunctioning shark—while filming Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster “Jaws” on Martha’s Vineyard.

Written by British playwrights Joseph Nixon and Ian Shaw, son of actor Robert Shaw, the script offers a unique perspective on the film’s behind-the-scenes struggles. Robert Shaw portrayed shark hunter Quint in “Jaws,” and Ian Shaw took on the role of his late father in the Broadway production. His portrayal was striking, in part because of his uncanny resemblance to Robert Shaw—even down to the signature mutton chop facial hair.

Hanney, who co-produced “The Shark is Broken” during its limited run at the Golden Theatre from July to November 2023, expressed his long-standing desire to bring the show to Cape Cod. “When I produced it, I knew that I wanted to do it here,” he said in an interview Friday. “But we need a (town) permit for a temporary stage because we need a boat, and you can’t have a boat without a stage to put it on.”

The Shark Is Broken is currently touring the UK and Ireland

The show is set to run for two weeks in May at Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly and in July at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center at the island’s regional high school. He also hopes to schedule performances in Hyannis between those dates.

“It makes sense. You have the sets, you have the cast, you want them to be working,” he said.

However, Ian Shaw will not be part of this production, as he has committed to a British staging of “The Shark is Broken,” Hanney confirmed.

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