NEWS: SMASH-HIT PLAY THE SHARK IS BROKEN COMES TO PLYMOUTH NEXT WEEK

SMASH-HIT PLAY CELEBRATING THE

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF JAWS OPENS AT

THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTHNEXT WEEK

THE SHARK IS BROKEN stars Ian Shaw as father Robert Shaw who attended Truro School

A behind-the-scenes West End and Broadway smash hit show about the making of the movie Jaws will play at Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP) next week, running from Monday 31st March – Saturday 5th April 2025. The critically acclaimed Olivier award-nominated comedic play, THE SHARK IS BROKEN stars Ian Shaw as his father Robert Shaw, alongside Dan Fredenburgh as Roy Scheider and Ashley Margolis as Richard Dreyfuss.

>>> CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS <<<

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1975 iconic blockbuster, THE SHARK IS BROKEN tells the behind-the-scenes story of how the cast spent hours each day filming on a small boat for 16 weeks and, as the mechanical shark continually broke down, so too did the relationships between the actors.

Robert, who attended Truro School, was one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, starring on stage as well as in Hollywood films. Ian, who co-wrote the play with Joseph Nixon, was cautious to carve his own path away from his dad, but as a film fan, he felt it was important to share the thrilling history of the iconic film.

“I’d spent my life trying not to be associated with my dad, as most children of famous people tend to do,” says Shaw. “You want to carve your own path, so I was wary of that. But I’m obsessed with films and I’m obsessed with the story of filmmaking. This was a particularly juicy story. I just imagined three men stuck on this boat, marooned out in the water. Something about that idea appealed to me. I’ve reached a point now where I guess the comparison with my dad doesn’t matter so much. I’m also at the same age as my dad when he was doing Jaws, and I just feel less sensitive about the comparison now.”

Ian didn’t just want the play to be a rehash of the famous stories from the making of Jaws, and instead explores the different types of actors, different outlooks on life, as well as addiction, and the idea of father figures.

Following its critical and sell-out success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, THE SHARK IS BROKENn transferred to the West End in 2021 and in July 2023, the production transferred to Broadway.

THE SHARK IS BROKEN, is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Scott Landis, GFour Productions and Kenny Wax, and plays at TRP from Monday 31st March – Saturday 5th April.

For more information and to book tickets, click here.

All details in this article are correct at time of publishing and are subject to change.

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