The Shark is Broken by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon.

The original mechanical shark used in the film Jaws had been originally designed to be used in a studio freshwater tank. Director Steven Spielberg decided to film at sea. This meant it worked less productively in salt water. The play The Shark is Broken is set during the times that the three actors were sitting around waiting while the crew tried yet again to fix Bruce.

Writers Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon bring to life the banter and antics that took place on board the fishing boat used in Jaws. Shaw takes on the role of his father Robert Shaw one of the three actors on board the fishing boat. The two actors are uncannily alike.

Roy Scheider’s role is played by (Dan Fredenburgh) who played the Chief of Police of Amity and Richard Dreyfuss’s role by Ashley Margolis who was the marine biologist. Both actors look very similar to the original castings. Leaving no doubt to anyone who has seen the original film as to which character was which.

Based solely on the time they had on the boat waiting for the shark to become active again. The three cast members discuss their past roles and joke that they can’t see audiences rushing to this film if only they knew. The flippant comment about nobody remembering the film fifty years on was met by laughter throughout the auditorium.

The cross-section of the boat designed by Duncan Henderson fills the majority of the stage and the cast uses it to enter and exit the set at all times. The rolling seascape across the back of the stage places all the action out to sea awaiting the shark’s return. The only glimpse the auditorium ever gets of the shark is the iconic dorsal fin moving across at the start of the play.

The Shark is Broken is a fitting tribute to the original cast and creatives who are responsible for stopping thousands of people from swimming in the sea and creating fear around man-eating sharks that lurk beneath the surface.

For more information about The Shark is Broken and future productions at The Lighthouse in Poole please use the links below.

Five Stars.