THE SHARK IS BROKEN – REVIEW OF COMEDY ABOUT THE MAKING OF JAWS AT THE ROYAL ALEXANDRA THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas

The broken shark refers to the artificial ocean predator that was manufactured for the filming of the now legendary movie Jaws. The attempts to find a mechanical shark that works, have become almost as legendary as the movie, and the four-month delay in shooting has spawned The Shark is Broken that is now playing at The Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto.

Three of the stars of the movie were stuck on a boat waiting for the shooting to resume and that wait has been transformed into a 90-minute play by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon. The men on the boat are Roy Schneider (Demetri Goritsas), Richard Dreyfus (Liam Murray Scott) and Robert Shaw (Ian Shaw). Ian Shaw is one of the authors and the son of Robert Shaw. Presumably we can rely on his memory of events, borrowed or otherwise, for the play.

The three characters are crammed on the boat with a view of the ocean and sky behind them. The set is designed by Duncan Henderson and probably represents what the actors from the movie had to endure. The boat looks claustrophobic and they could not have spent too much time sitting close to each other without going stir-crazy. For the theatre audience, the video of the sea and sky by Nina Dunn looks quite stunning.

(L-R) Demetri Goritsas (Roy Scheider), Ian Shaw (Robert Shaw) and 
Liam Murray Scott (Richard Dreyfuss). Photo: by Helen Maybanks.

In Jaws, Schneider plays the police chief, Dreyfus is a marine biologist and Shaw is a shark hunter. Their mission: kill the man-eating shark that attacks people on the beach. But that is a long way off as the technicians on the movie cannot design a working mechanical shark and the actors are stuck waiting.  

They are in New England and clam chowder is the meal of the day, the week and the month and they are all sick of it. Robert Shaw drinks a lot; Schneider is almost the straight man to the temperamental other two as boredom rises to arguments among some very funny lines that the three come up with.

Director Guy Masterson does an excellent job managing talented actors playing stars.

They have time on their hands and resort to telling stories. Because they are stars, their stories create some interest. Robert Shaw reminisces about acting in the theatre in London with Peter O’Toole and George Devine and his life-long alcoholism. Ian has a remarkable resemblance to his father and plays well. We hear much about the so-called Indianapolis speech in the movie where the character of the shark hunter is illuminated but it had to be rewritten and Robert Shaw finally came up with a satisfactory draft.  

Dreyfus’s father wanted him to become a lawyer. He got his big chance in the movies with a starring part in the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravits. He thought he bombed and it was the end of his acting career. It was not.

The marooned actors play games, argue, annoy each other and provide laughter. Aficionados of Jaws may enjoy it and fans of the three actors who starred in it may find it outstanding. Despite the limitations of three actors on a boat during a hiatus in shooting, Nixon and Ian Shaw have crafted a good show that should be enjoyed by all.

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The Shark is Broken by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon continues until November 6, 2022, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. W. Toronto, Ont. www.mirvish.com