The Shark is Broken – Lowry

Everyone knows that the film Jaws was a box-office smash. It was based on a best-selling novel by Peter Benchley and one critic said of the book, “None of the humans are particularly likable or interesting” and they felt the shark was the most compelling character. Spielberg agreed with them, which is why he changed the characters in the movie after deciding that the book’s characters were unlikeable.

This play concentrates on the three stars of the film, Roy Schneider (Dan Fredenburgh), Richard Dreyfuss (Ashley Margolis) and Robert Shaw (Ian Shaw) who are forced to wait around on the boat while the film’s techies try to fix Bruce, the broken animatronic shark.  At first, it appears that these actors, like the characters in the book, are not “particularly likeable or interesting.” Roy comes out with boring facts, Richard is self-obsessed and Robert is a pompous alcoholic.

The boat from the movie is recreated on stage and this is where the characters argue, drink and ruminate on acting, life and fathers. Ian Shaw, Robert’s son, co-wrote the play. Both his father and grandfather were drinkers. In the play, Robert talks about his father’s alcoholism. The fact that his son is delivering these lines adds to their poignancy.

In the programme, Ian talks about having sleepless nights about playing his father and not wanting to offend his family. He gives a warts-and-all depiction of his dad. Robert is overbearing, drunk, sarcastic, scathing, a bit of a know-it-all and, like the shark, broken. Showing off he portentously quotes Shakespeare and talks about wanting to be a “theatrical revolutionary”. Constantly he winds up and denigrates Dreyfuss. Slowly, Ian peels back the layers to show us a good-hearted yet deeply unhappy man who seeks solace in the bottle.

Ashley Margolis as Richard Dreyfuss was full of hyperactive energy and showed us a young actor full of dash and drive who wanted to be a star. This is in contrast to the older, less enthusiastic Shaw and their outlooks on life and acting inevitably conflict. Robert wants to create art and Dreyfuss wants to be famous. In some ways this is what the play is about, can there be such a thing as popular art? Can a popular film be artistic?

Dan Fredenburgh brought a cool intelligence to his portrayal of Schneider. His role was as peacekeeper between the warring odd couple of Shaw and Dreyfuss. He had an admirable stillness making the character grounded and very real. It was a nice balance against the rakishness of Shaw and the tireless energy of Dreyfuss.

In many ways it’s a classic sitcom set-up, all the characters are trapped on a boat and they can’t escape. All they want to do is leave but they have to find a way to live with each other. There were some very funny lines in the play, especially those that are said from the perspective of 1975, but they are made amusing by what we know now.

Judging by the size of the audience this is a very popular play. I have never seen so many people taking photos of a set. Whether they are fans of the film or of this drama it clearly has its devotees. It is apposite then that a play that muses on the worth of popular art should itself be so popular.

The play is performed without an interval and at only 95 minutes long it speeds along faster than an animatronic shark. It is an engaging, entertaining and slightly whimsical play. There were one or two blocking issues, where I couldn’t see the actor who was talking, because of the small space on the boat they acted in, perhaps what they really need is a bigger boat.

It continues at The Lowry until Saturday 8th February – https://thelowry.com/whats-on/140//the-shark-is-broken.

It then continues touring the country. For more information, go to – https://thesharkisbroken.com.

Reviewer: Adam Williams

Reviewed: 4^th February 2025

North West End UK Rating: