Theater News

The Shark Is Broken, New Comedy About Jaws, to Open on Broadway

Co-writer Ian Shaw will star as his father, Robert Shaw.

Ian Shaw will play Robert Shaw in The Shark is Broken on Broadway.
(© Nick Driftwood)

Following successful runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and on London’s West End, Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon’s comedy, The Shark Is Broken, will begin preview performances at Broadway’s John Golden Theatre on July 25 ahead of an official opening on August 10. The limited engagement is for 16 weeks.

The play is a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, with the following press description: “FADE IN: The open ocean, 1974. Production on Jaws is delayed…again. The film’s lead actors — theater veteran Robert Shaw and young Hollywood hotshots, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider — are crammed into a too-small boat, entirely at the mercy of foul weather and a faulty mechanical co-star. Alcohol flows, egos collide, and tempers flare on a chaotic voyage that just might lead to cinematic magic…if it doesn’t sink them all.”

Shaw will reprise his performance as his father, Robert Shaw. Casting for the roles of Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss will be announced at a later date.

Guy Masterson directs the production, which includes scenic and costume design by Duncan Henderson, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design and original music are by Adam Cork, video design by Nina Dunn.

Click here to read the review of the West End run of The Shark Is Broken, which our sibling site, WhatsOnStage, called “utterly splendid.”