The Shark is Broken – The play set behind the scenes of Jaws will run at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End

Ian Shaw. Photo Nick Driftwood.

Cape Cod, 1974: shooting on JAWS has stalled. The film’s lead actors – Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss – are stuck on a boat, frustrated by foul weather and a faulty mechanical co-star. Awash with alcohol and ambition, three great white sharks start to bare their teeth…

The Shark is Broken reveals the hilarious and moving behind-the-scenes drama on one of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters.

The play was on at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Co-written by Robert Shaw’s son Ian it imagines what happened on board the Orca when the cameras stopped rolling. Ian Shaw stars as his father Robert Shaw, alongside Demetri Goritas as Roy Scheider and Liam Murray Scott as Richard Dreyfuss.

Sonia Friedman Productions is delighted to announce its second production at the Ambassadors Theatre in 2020. After a sell-out, critically acclaimed premiere at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon’s brilliantly funny play will arrive in the West End from May 11th. Tickets will be on general sale from £10 this Friday.

• The Times ★★★★★
  “Did I mention waves? Get ready for this play to make some. Do they need a bigger boat? Actually, I think they are going to need a bigger theatre — and soon.”
• Metro ★★★★★
  “This play packs plenty of bite.”
• The Telegraph ★★★★
  “Something unexpectedly profound and emotionally serrated lurks below the apparently frothy surface of this dive behind the scenes of the making of JAWS.”
• The Arts Desk ★★★★
  “This play deserves a life beyond the Fringe; yes, they’re going to need a bigger theatre”
• The Stage ★★★★
  “An intoxicating combination of behind-the-scenes gossip and contemplation of the nature of popular art.”