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 opens on Broadway August 10. 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.
READ: Ian Shaw Takes a Bite Out of Broadway With His Play The Shark Is Broken
Peter Bradbury, Stephen Dexter, and Coby Getzug are understudies.
The creative team includes 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 is 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.
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.