REVIEW: The Shark is Broken at Newcastle Theatre Royal

The Shark is Broken

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Until Saturday 22 March 2025

A play about making a classic feature film has arrived in Newcastle this week. Co-writer Ian Shaw is the son of actual Jaws actor Robert Shaw, and he gets to appear in this play as his father.

The movie Jaws (1975), directed by Steven Spielberg, was a thriller about a great white shark terrorizing the small beach town of Amity Island. As the shark attacks locals and tourists, the town's police chief, a marine biologist, and a grizzled fisherman work together to capture and kill the creature. 

The filming was not smooth as it had mechanical sharks braking down, boats sinking, actors arguing fiercely, and regular script changes. This show focusses on the three stars, Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw, who found themselves stuck on a small boat called the Orca for sixteen weeks with little to do except drive each other crazy.

The show begins with Bruce (as the mechanical Shark is called) heading across the screens at the back of the stage to the instantly recognisable music from John Williams before promptly breaking down again. Dan Fredenburgh appears as the calm and collected Roy Scheider who is taking the delays, and endless filming, in his stride. His two co-stars are something of a contrast. The younger Richard Dreyfuss, at this stage of his career is still looking for the movie that will make his name. Ashley Margolis plays him is a way that suggests that he can be irritating in such a small space as this boat the the three of them find themselves on Dreyfuss hopes to perform in a Shakespearean play - or work with Pinter himself - in order to get that creditability that he craves.

After the audience get to know these two, Ian Shaw appears as his real life father, Robert Shaw. This character is very British. Irascible, cantankerous and not someone who easily suffers fools. Whilst Dreyfuss is after some glamour, Shaw is there for a profit sharing payday. (A good move it seems as the $9 million movie who go on to make a reported $476.5 million). 

The set is a cutaway of the boat. The cabin lending itself to cabin fever as the three actors await the repairs to Bruce to take place so they can get on with filming at some indeterminate point in the future. They talk, discuss the newspaper, play card games and Shaw even introduces them to shove ha'penny. The comedic moment come from the shared cultural capital with the audience. For example a description of Present Nixon is clearly aligned to the current president. When discussing movies, two of them assume Jaws will be a quickly forgotten flop. Likewise they assume that recent movies like The Exorcist will fade away. Of course they may have done if it had not been for the home video revolution that was around the corner - but that is the point. The actors talk as they don't know the future - but the audience does. Certainly, the audience has plenty to laugh about and for many, The Shark Is Broken will pass the six laughs test to confirm the show as a comedy.

For others, they may find the knowing suggestions of incorrect predictions tyring after a while. Do you need to have seen Jaws to get the plot, is another question? Most of the audience on opening night seem to be familiar with it. Most laughed when Scheider jokes about appearing in an unlikely sequel. I, for one, cannot remember seeing the sequel - was it that bad?

Despite the antagonistic characters that they portray, the show works as they is on stage chemistry between Shaw, Fredenburgh and Margolis. The decision to go 90 minutes without an interval helps keep the momentum and tension between the scenes. Simple staging enables the show to be about these three men who would not choose to be at sea with one another for a number of weeks.

The Shark Is Broken was, in my opinion, an enjoyable and entertaining night at the theatre. Classic drama, with comedic overtones, make for an accessible piece that went down well with the audience. Not only did it make us want to watch Jaws again - but also Close Encounters!

Review: Stephen Oliver

Photo: Manuel Harlan

Tickets:

The Shark is Broken plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Tuesday 18 – Saturday 22 March 2025. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.