A Review of The Shark is Broken at George Street Playhouse
In June, 1975, the movie Jaws began running in movie theaters. Directed by Steven Spielberg, it was such a powerful film that countless numbers of people became afraid to go into the water. This year, the film celebrates its 50th anniversary making it a terrific time to see the play, The Shark is Broken. Written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, it is presented by George Street Playhouse now through Sunday, May 18, 2025.
Peter Flynn directs The Shark is Broken as it provides a funny but somewhat frustrating look at the action behind the scenes as the movie was being filmed. Jaws began making history right from its start when Director Spielberg decided to film it on the ocean making it a first for a motion picture set. A mechanical shark which broke many times was used. The team avoided using water tanks, the more traditional approach. But with this break in tradition came many unexpected problems.
The unpredictability of working on the ocean at Martha’s Vineyard and the temperamental nature of the mechanical shark were huge issues the actors and crew faced. In fact, Spielberg went way over the original budget both monetarily and actual shooting days. The play focuses on the three main cast members as they struggle to survive all the production issues.
The Movie’s Cast and How They Tried to Work it Out
There are three actor representations from the film who are featured in the play. A very young Richard Dreyfuss (Max Wolkowitz), up and coming Roy Scheider (James Babinsky) and actor and writer Robert Shaw (Jeffrey M. Bender) work together under stressful situations. There are times when the best of each of them comes out, but then many more times that the worst comes out. The well written dialog is funny and keeps the play moving at a good pace. But it is not all funny; at times it is insightful and filled with thoughts from the three men about a number of things.
To pass the time between their moments on camera, the three play cards, drink, and talk. Each one has a reason they took their respective roles and that is part of the conversation. One of the most intriguing scenes involves Robert Shaw as he became involved with refining the monologue about the fate of the U.S.S. Indianapolis. It became known in the movie as the U.S.S. Indianapolis Speech. His attempts to take the original pages given to him and his ability to bring it into a more usable format are a highlight of the show.
The actors do a good job of conveying the difficulty of working under the difficult conditions they had to endure. Interesting to watch is how they basically have no idea of the impact Jaws will have on the movie industry. At the end, each of them talk about their next project showing that need to move on.
Outstanding Set, Lighting, and Sound
The creative team for this play did a phenomenal job creating the set. The all important boat where the action takes place is big and well designed to allow a variety of scenes to take place.
On Opening Night, the audience broke into an enthusiastic round of applause as the boat appeared on stage. It is an impressive prop which provides an open space in the center where the cast spends most of their time. A ladder on the back is used to show the actors as they go on and off of the boar. A backdrop of moving ocean water is used along with sounds of the sea which are effective in creating a nautical feel. Lighting and additional sounds all add to the sensation of being on the ocean. Sit back and close your eyes for moment and you might actually feel like you are at the shore. That”s how good this set is.
We never see the mechanical shark, but descriptions of how it breaks help to explain how the title of this play comes to be. Yes, the shark was broken but when it worked, the cast moves into action and finally the time to film the movie comes to a conclusion.
To See The Shark is Broken
This is a very enjoyable show to see particularly if you are a fan of the movie Jaws. Having an opportunity to see a true story play out makes for good theater and this does exactly that.
For tickets to go see The Shark is Broken, go to the George Street Playhouse website. The run of this play ends on May 18, 2025.