Iain Batchelor (Robert Shaw), Adam Poole (Roy Scheider), Wesley Slade (Richard Dreyfuss) in Actors' Playhouse's production of "The Shark Is Broken." (Photo by Alberto Romeu)
Waiting becomes dramatically interesting in Actors’ Playhouse’s entertaining and believable production of “The Shark is Broken,” a comedy that provides a peek behind the scenes during the making of “Jaws.”
At first glance, little seems to happen in “The Shark is Broken,” which runs through Sunday, Aug. 9 in the intimate Upstairs Balcony Theatre, located inside the newly dedicated Dr. Lawrence and Barbara Stein Center for the Performing Arts at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables.
The three main actors from “Jaws,” Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfuss, while away the time as film personnel work to fix the often-broken mechanical shark portraying the movie’s villain. The play depicts Shaw, Scheider, and Dreyfuss conversing, fighting, playing games, worrying, debating, and reflecting during the many lulls between filming scenes.
Instead of letting them simply sit around and talk, playwrights Ian Shaw (Robert Shaw’s son) and Joseph Nixon keep the characters busy as they battle boredom. Under Actors’ Playhouse Artistic Director David Arisco’s dynamic direction, we’re hardly bored as we take in this engaging play.
In some respects, “The Shark is Broken” recalls Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.” Like the tramps in Beckett’s play, the men in “The Shark is Broken” fill extended stretches of idle time with conversation, arguments, games, and reflection.
Adam Poole as Roy Scheider in Actors' Playhouse's production of "The Shark Is Broken." (Photo by Alberto Romeu)
The play takes place in 1974 in Martha’s Vineyard, the Massachusetts island that stood in for the film’s fictional Amity Island. Shaw, Scheider, and Dreyfuss spend their time aboard a boat called the Orca during lulls in filming “Jaws,” the 1975 American thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley’s bestselling 1974 novel of the same name. “Jaws,” which made its South Florida debut at the Miracle Theatre, became a cultural phenomenon and a masterpiece of suspense. The film follows a man-eating great white shark that terrorizes the people of Amity Island, forcing a desperate showdown at sea.
In lesser hands, “The Shark Is Broken,” a talk-heavy play, might become a monotonous, static three-hander in which the actors remain largely stationary and rely too heavily on dialogue. But here, the cast, under Arisco’s guidance, keeps the action alive by moving frequently and altering the pitches and tones of their voices. They never become “talking heads,” but rather recognizable, multidimensional people who are as imperfect as we are.
A poster outside the Miracle Theatre describes “The Shark Is Broken” as a “jaw-dropping comedy about the making of ‘Jaws.’” It is certainly that, but the play also explores themes such as fame, masculinity, alcoholism, aging, legacy, profit, mortality, and the nature of true art. The characters are not only waiting for film personnel to fix the often-broken mechanical shark nicknamed Bruce -- they’re also waiting for validation and artistic fulfillment. Of course, they have no way of knowing that “Jaws” will become one of the most successful and influential films of all time. One reason “The Shark Is Broken” proves so compelling is its dramatic irony. We know what the characters cannot—and that knowledge lends added poignancy to their doubts, arguments, and artistic anxieties.
Adam Poole as Roy Scheider, Wesley Slade as Richard Dreyfuss, and Iain Batchelor as Robert Shaw in Actors' Playhouse's production of "The Shark Is Broken." (Photo by Alberto Romeu)
The production features uniformly strong performances from its three stars, Iain Batchelor (Shaw), Adam Poole (Scheider), and Wesley Slade (Dreyfuss). They bring their characters to life with impressive realism. The performers are intense without appearing to force anything, and they handle the play’s quieter moments with equal skill. They not only speak and move with purpose, but listen intently to one another and play their roles with sincerity, enhancing the play’s ample humor.
Slade is in near-constant motion as a hyper, eager, needy, and childlike Dreyfuss. Without impersonating the real-life actor, Slade captures Dreyfuss’s youth (he was in his late 20s during the filming of “Jaws”), impatience, playfulness, and impulsiveness. He panics, paces, pants, dances, fidgets, flinches, screams, playfully mimics others, rushes off to vomit, and hurries back onstage at full tilt. He doesn’t appear to think twice about taking Shaw’s liquor away because he believes the older man has had enough to drink.
Even when Slade’s Dreyfuss sits, his leg bounces, he scratches his head, folds his arms, and turns wide-eyed in surprise when someone appears unexpectedly.
Iain Batchelor as Robert Shaw, Wesley Slade as Richard Dreyfuss, and Adam Poole as Roy Scheider in Actors' Playhouse's production of "The Shark Is Broken." (Photo by Alberto Romeu)
Slade’s performance isn’t one-note. When Dreyfuss asks Shaw whether he thinks he can perform Shakespeare, we hear the younger man’s genuine eagerness to tackle a challenging acting assignment. Slade’s Dreyfuss also sounds believably insecure when he asks Scheider if he thinks he’s a strong performer. When Slade’s panting gives way to believable sobbing during a trying moment for Dreyfuss, your heart goes out to him.
While Slade’s Dreyfuss is youthful and green, Batchelor’s Shaw is seasoned and self-assured. With a sharp, commanding voice and presence, Batchelor, himself a veteran performer, makes Shaw (1927-1978) erudite and lends him a gravitas befitting the accomplished actor and writer.
Batchelor’s Shaw can be harsh—he unapologetically insults Dreyfuss multiple times—and unsteady when he’s drunk, but he can also be eloquent and graceful when, for instance, he seamlessly recites Shakespearean verse. Certainly, Batchelor matches Slade’s energy, and the pair’s clashes feel genuinely dangerous. When Shaw chokes Dreyfuss, you worry that the older man might seriously injure or kill him. But Batchelor also credibly conveys Shaw’s encouragement when he tries to instill confidence in Dreyfuss. Indeed, Batchelor’s Shaw isn’t just gruff. As the performance progresses, Batchelor reveals regret, compassion, and vulnerability, making Shaw a multidimensional character worthy of our empathy.
Iain Batchelor as Robert Shaw, Adam Poole as Roy Scheider, and Wesley Slade as Richard Dreyfuss. in Actors' Playhouse's production of "The Shark Is Broken." (Photo by Alberto Romeu)
Poole’s mild-mannered Scheider serves as a foil for the more forceful portrayals by Batchelor and Slade. With a calm demeanor and pleasant voice, Poole’s Scheider resembles a referee or peacekeeper who intervenes when the battles between Shaw and Dreyfuss grow too heated. Poole’s Scheider might be low-key, but his performance is never dull. He varies the pitch and tone of his voice and injects Scheider (1932-2008) with enthusiasm at just the right moments. While he tends to be unassuming, Poole’s Scheider has his limits. When he raises his voice, it comes as a jolt because we’re so accustomed to his mellowness.
The actors in this production aren’t the only artists who shine. Behind the scenes artists, including costume designer Ellis Tillman, apply their distinctive touches to bring the play to vibrant, believable life.
Scenic designer Brandon M. Newton’s depiction of the Orca is detailed enough without relying on museum-like accuracy. Set pieces such as ropes, a first aid kit, and life vests help place us aboard a boat. The inclusion of a projection of moving water as a backdrop reinforces the impression that the vessel is floating on open water. At the top of the show, we also see what resembles a shark’s fin cutting through the water. This visual, coupled with the foreboding music from “Jaws,” prompted an audible reaction of recognition from the audience during the reviewed performance.
Iain Batchelor as Robert Shaw in Actors' Playhouse's production of "The Shark Is Broken." (Photo by Alberto Romeu)
Lighting designer Eric Nelson employs mostly bright, realistic lighting. He departs from that realism during a storm scene, when the lights appropriately blink. Similarly, the lights dim to suggest memory during a scene depicting Quint’s recollection of the “USS Indianapolis’s” sinking during World War II. Fans of “Jaws” will recall that the trauma of watching fellow servicemen killed by sharks fuels Quint’s relentless hatred of the predators and determination to hunt them.
Sound and projection designer Reidar Sorensen creates a soundscape that enhances the production’s realism. Effects such as seagull calls and a ship’s horn sounding bring the play’s nautical world vividly to life. Overall, the sound is crisp, and projections such as an ocean in motion strengthen the illusion that the characters are aboard the Orca.
As the director, Arisco varies the pacing, creates striking stage pictures, and balances comedy with genuine emotion. The fights feel dangerous, while quieter scenes, including well-placed pauses, allow the production to breathe. In addition, movement always feels purposeful. Here, variety in movement keeps the action from becoming static.
Actors’ Playhouse’s production of “The Shark is Broken” isn’t simply a nostalgic nod to “Jaws,” just as it isn’t merely an entertaining backstage comedy. It’s a revealing look at artists battling boredom by finding ways to stay in touch with themselves and each other as they wait for the sometimes frustrating but often worthwhile creative process to run its course. We leave the theater with a renewed appreciation for the collaborative process of making art.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Actors’ Playhouse’s production of “The Shark is Broken.”
WHEN: Through Aug. 9. Evening performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinees on Sundays at 3 p.m. A special weekday matinee will take place at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 22.
WHERE: Dr. Lawrence and Barbara Stein Center for the Performing Arts at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile in Coral Gables.
TICKETS: Ticket prices range from $40 to $80.
INFORMATION: (305) 444-9293, www.ActorsPlayhouse.org, or at the Actors' Playhouse Box Office, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables.
