Following a premiere at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, an Olivier-nominated West End run, and just over two weeks of Broadway previews, The Shark Is Broken officially opened on Broadway August 10, and the reviews are rolling in.
The comedy—about the on-set struggles between the three leads of the film Jaws—is scheduled for a limited engagement through November 19.
With a script co-written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, the comedy takes audiences behind the scenes as the film's three stars try to cope with foul weather, a temperamental mechanical shark, and each other's egos.
Shaw makes his Broadway acting debut in the work as well, playing his father Robert Shaw, who starred as the grizzled shark hunter Quint in Jaws. Shaw is joined on stage by Alex Brightman, playing a young Richard Dreyfuss, and Colin Donnell as Roy Scheider. Guy Masterson directs.
Entertainment Weekly (Dalton Ross)
New York Stage Review (Bob Verini)
New York Stage Review (Steven Suskin)
New York Theater (Jonathan Mandell)
New York Theatre Guide (Joe Dziemianowicz)
Time Out New York (Adam Feldman)
Wall Street Journal (Charles Isherwood)*
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Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
Peter Bradbury, Stephen Dexter, and Coby Getzug are understudies.
The production also has scenic and costume design by Duncan Henderson, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design and original music by Adam Cork, and video design by Nina Dunn. Wig design and construction are by Campbell Young Associates. Kate Wilson is the dialect coach, and Patrick McCollum is the movement director.
Timothy R. Semon serves as production stage manager, and Justin Gleiberman is the company manager. Production management is by Aurora Productions, and general management is by TT Partners, Rebecca Habel. Casting is by Jim Carnahan and Alexandre Bleau of Jim Carnahan Casting.
READ: Ian Shaw Takes a Bite Out of Broadway With His Play The Shark Is Broken
The Shark Is Broken premiered at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, and opened in the West End in 2021, where it was nominated for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play at the 2022 Olivier Awards.
The Broadway bow is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Scott Landis and GFour Productions in association with Tulchin Bartner Productions, Eilene Davidson Productions, LD Entertainment, No Guarantees, Jane Bergère, Richard Batchelder, Larry Magid, Theatre Tours International LTD, Shooting The Breeze, Cue To Cue Productions/Jamie deRoy, Marc Goldman/Richard & Claudia Beeny, Jill Lenhart/Yara Shoemaker Couture, Moellenberg/Hornos, Pinnacle Productions/Bill Hanney, and Jesse Singer/Matthew Levy.
Ian Shaw in The Shark Is Broken
Ian Shaw and Alex Brightman in The Shark Is Broken
Colin Donnell, Ian Shaw, and Alex Brightman in The Shark Is Broken
Colin Donnell, Ian Shaw, and Alex Brightman in The Shark Is Broken
Colin Donnell, Alex Brightman, and Ian Shaw in The Shark Is Broken
Colin Donnell, Alex Brightman, and Ian Shaw in The Shark Is Broken
Colin Donnell in The Shark Is Broken
Colin Donnell and Ian Shaw in The Shark Is Broken
Colin Donnell and Alex Brightman in The Shark Is Broken
Alex Brightman, Ian Shaw, and Colin Donnell in The Shark Is Broken
Alex Brightman, Ian Shaw, and Colin Donnell in The Shark Is Broken
Alex Brightman in The Shark Is Broken
Alex Brightman and Ian Shaw in The Shark Is Broken
