The Shark Is Broken review: Poignant despite its imperfections

How do you film a shark movie without a working shark? Well, you spend a lot of time not actually doing much. Set aboard the fishing boat The Orca, on location of the 1975 blockbuster Jaws, The Shark Is Broken narrates the misadventures of the film’s three actors, Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw, as they attempt to fill the hours spent waiting behind the scenes for their animatronic predator co-star to finally start swimming.

Written and performed by Shaw’s real life son, Ian Shaw, the play is poignant despite its imperfections. Embodying his father with remarkable precision – moustache and all – Shaw boozily stumbles around the ship, talking of his time performing in the theatre and his love of alcohol. “I’m English – we have to drink to cope with the climate”, he splutters. Their blood relation makes his final scenes, where he recites the lines his father also spoke in the film, all the more touching. A little eerie, too.

But while Shaw is impressive, our 90 minutes trapped on this boat feels slow and laboured. Bored out of their minds, the trio bicker and bother each other. They play cards to pass the time, but the games, inevitably, end in more fighting. Whether deliberate or not, these scenes feel samey, and the repeated arguments between Shaw and Dreyfuss quickly become tiresome. “We may well be here for the rest of our lives”, they say. At times I feel the same.

Taking inspiration from Shaw Sr’s diaries, Shaw and Joseph Nixon’s script is very funny in parts. Knowing Jaws’ eventual critical success makes the actors’ gloomy previsions of its reception seem ridiculous, while Liam Murray Scott as the uptight Richard Dreyfuss gets one of the evening’s biggest laughs for his unforgiving impressions of his co-stars, as he sits alone below deck. Demetri Goritsas as the measured Roy Scheider also provides some welcome light relief as a calming, neutral referee figure.

Trapped inside a simple but impressive cyclical sea projection designed by Nina Dunn, which makes the boat seem genuinely isolated from the rest of civilisation, the three stars give off a palpable frustration. In the later scenes, they debate the future of the film industry. Robert talks of his belief that one day, all that will be produced are “remakes and sequels”, as Richard questions his ability as an actor. It is in these moments of reflection that the play really starts to find its strength.

Directed by Guy Masterson, The Shark Is Broken has some splashes of brilliance. But, ultimately, it fails to stay afloat.

‘The Shark Is Broken’ runs at the Ambassadors Theatre until 15 January