Review: THE SHARK IS BROKEN, Ambassadors Theatre
It’s rare to meet someone who hasn’t seen Spielberg’s 1970’s blockbuster, Jaws. It’s even harder to find someone who hasn’t heard those famous two musical notes. The Shark is Broken really is a tribute to this legacy.
In fact, this is how the play starts, with the infamous shark’s leitmotif, and it continues in this vein. In fact, for non-Jaws fans, it might be a little alienating. At the climax of the piece, the references to the film, dripping with dramatic irony, are a little on the nose. But these are seemingly loved by the die-hard Jaws fans in the audience, which is great to see.
The play follows the three lead actors, Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss as they wait, and wait, and wait again for the crew to fix the mechanical shark (named Bruce after Steven Spielberg’s lawyer). Demetri Goritsas (Scheider), Liam Murray Scott (Dreyfuss) and Ian Shaw (Shaw) have fantastic onstage chemistry and maintain high energy throughout. Shaw’s physicality is particularly impressive and he is captivating at times. His intense gaze holds the focus onstage before slightly clumsy scene changes that felt more ‘Edinburgh Fringe’ than ‘West End’.
The script is witty and, for the most part, balance Jaws in-jokes with cutting one-liners between the men as they navigate their way through their off-set relationship. Their struggle to communicate and get on, isolated inside a small room with nothing but drinks and playing cards to entertain them, are intensely relatable given our recent collective ‘lockdown’ experience. It feels like a personal win each time we see them share a moment of genuine friendship.
However, as a play, it lacks a narrative arc. Rather than having a tangible beginning, middle, and end, it feels like a 90-minute snapshot of life, as if the audience are flies on the wall. This makes it difficult to really invest in the show. Although enjoyable on the surface, it doesn’t invoke much of an emotional response beyond that and feels two-dimensional. But the show delivers a great tribute to Jaws and an interesting insight to the cast’s challenging relationships.
The set, though static throughout, is beautiful. We feel thoroughly transported back to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, which is a credit to designer Duncan Henderson and video designer Nina Dunn. The backdrop is a boards-to-rafters video screen of the sea, which creates an immersive feel supported by great lighting from Jon Clark.
If you enjoyed Jaws, you should book a ticket for The Shark is Broken. It’s a brilliant insight behind-the-scenes of one of the world’s most famous films and the acting is stellar. If you’ve never seen Jaws, then w'e’d consider starting there before you venture into the theatre for this one.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Eliza Harris
The Shark is Broken runs at the Ambassadors Theatre until 15 January 2022, with tickets available here.
