The Shark Is Broken UK Tour Review

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Tue 28 Jan 2025 - Sat 17 May 2025

Iconic Steven Spielberg movie Jaws may have been action-packed but there was just as much drama behind the scenes that's relived in this enthralling play on its first UK and Ireland tour.

The Shark Is Broken is full of intricate details, partly because it's co-written by the son of one of the movie's big three stars. Ian Shaw - son of actor Robert Shaw who played seadog Quint in Jaws - not only created this comedy-drama but also stars as his own dad in the production.

He came up with the idea after finding his dad's drinking diary in a drawer and has been surprised by the positive reaction to the production from its early days at the Edinburgh Fringe to London's West End and on Broadway. Now the play is on its first UK tour and I caught it at Malvern Theatres , where it stays for almost a week until Saturday, February 1.



The tour will be back in the Midlands at Cheltenham's Everyman from April 22 to 26 and at Birmingham Rep Theatre from May 6 to 10. It's also off to Salford, Nottingham, Bath, Richmond, Newcastle and more - see all the tour dates listed below.

While the cost of using the original Jaws music may be beyond this show's budget, there is a brief shark appearance at the very start that will make fans chuckle. More impressive is the painlessly accurate recreation of 'The Orca' boat that Jaws actors Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss spent so much time on at sea - waiting, chatting and gambling between takes if this story is to be believed.

The boat takes up the whole set with a screen as a backdrop recreating the ocean setting outside Martha's Vineyard. That's why the shoot was extended from a few months to 159 days because "Bruce" the animatronic shark wouldn't play ball.

The imitation shark famously caused delays and issues on the Jaws film set, but what is lesser known is how the three actors interacted with each other at the time. Shaw has done a great creative job of getting under the skin of each of its stars, bringing to life not just the rapport, but the bust-ups and even sea sickness along the way.



When Dan Fredenburgh steps out on stage there are immediate whispers among the excited audience of how uncannily similar to Roy Scheider he looks. Ashley Margolis too is a dead ringer for Dreyfuss and it goes without saying that Shaw looks just like his dad. The make-up and costume departments have done a marvellous job all round that adds to the authenticity of this tale.

Impressive Fredenburgh and Margolis work well to overplay the Americanisms of Scheider and Dreyfuss as they are in stark contrast to Shaw's caricature Britishness. Robert Shaw was renowned as a Shakespearean actor on stage and Ian Shaw uses the plummy voice and hard-drinking attitude of his pa to initially bring a comic element to the show.

Most of the interactions are based around the explosive relationship between elder statesman Shaw and young gun Dreyfuss, who is desperate for fame as well as acceptance from his older peers. Their bickerings about who'll get top billing ring true but there are also moments when Scheider gets a look in, but not as much. His main role is the sun-seeking straight bat to the other two's frenetic antics.

The script bubbles along with zest in this three-hander that's around 90 minutes long with no interval. It's a funny, fascinating and character-led drama that's tender too due to the emotional link between the writer and the film set, which he visited as a child.



Shaw's alcoholism features heavily, which is understandable given that this was born from his drinking diary. In many ways the play feels like a tribute to Shaw senior, finishing on an emotional note with him centre stage. After all, Shaw died three years after Jaws was released when Ian was just eight years old.

There's a slight dip in pace and content towards the end of the play but I forgive it that as it gathers momentum for a satisfying, poignant finale.

The Shark Is Broken works on two levels. It's enjoyable entertainment to those not so familiar with Jaws, while for fans of the movie, it has plenty of inside jokes and nods to the film as well as Spielberg.

Spielberg doesn't feature but the character's voice does from off-stage. Plus he comes up plenty of times in the actors' discussions and even in-jokes about what topics the crazy director could turn to next. "Maybe dinosaurs" one of them shrieks mockingly, without the hindsight of the chuckling audience.

The Shark Is Broken is a clever, witty and beautifully crafted personal story behind one of the biggest blockbusters of the 20th Century. It's enthralling humour with bite and I'm pretty sure its popularity will mean they're gonna need a bigger tour.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars



The Shark Is Broken - UK Tour Dates
See more information on how to book tickets at The Shark Is Broken website here.

MALVERN - Malvern Theatres
Tue 28 January – Sat 1 February

SALFORD - The Lowry
Tue 4 – Sat 8 February

RICHMOND - Richmond Theatre
Mon 17 – Sat 22 February

NOTTINGHAM - Theatre Royal
Wed 26 Feb – Sat 1 Mar

BATH - Theatre Royal
Mon 3 – Sat 8 March

CANTERBURY - Marlowe Theatre
Tue 11 – Sat 15 March

NEWCASTLE - Theatre Royal
Tue 18 – Sat 22 March

GUILDFORD - Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
Mon 24 – Sat 29 March

PLYMOUTH - Theatre Royal
Mon 31 March – Sat 5 April

BRIGHTON - Theatre Royal
Mon 7 – Sat 12 April

CHELTENHAM - Everyman Theatre
Tue 22 – Sat 26 April

POOLE - Lighthouse
Tue 29 April – Sat 3 May

BIRMINGHAM - The Rep Theatre
Tue 6 – Sat 10 May

DUBLIN - Gaiety Theatre
Tue 13 – Sat 17 May

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