A comedy about three Hollywood actors trapped on a boat while filming "Jaws" opens Friday, July 31, at Actors' Playhouse on Miracle Mile, giving Coral Gables theatergoers a behind-the-scenes look at one of cinema's most famously troubled productions.
"The Shark Is Broken" Runs Through Aug. 9
"The Shark Is Broken," written by British playwrights Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, runs through Sunday, Aug. 9, in the 100-seat Balcony Theatre inside the historic Art Deco Miracle Theatre at 280 Miracle Mile. Tickets range from $40 to $95.
Three-Person Cast Plays Shaw, Scheider and Dreyfuss
Artistic Director David Arisco directs a three-person cast: Iain Batchelor as Robert Shaw, Adam Poole as Roy Scheider, and Wesley Slade as Richard Dreyfuss. The one-act play is set in 1974 aboard the boat Orca off Martha's Vineyard, where the trio waits out endless production delays caused by "Bruce," the 25-foot mechanical shark that kept breaking down on director Steven Spielberg.
A Feud Fuels the Comedy
The play's comic engine is the feud between Shaw, a cantankerous veteran, and the young Dreyfuss, with Scheider stuck playing peacemaker. One of the production's biggest laughs comes when Batchelor, in character as Shaw, declares: "No one will remember this movie in 50 years."
"Jaws" became a blockbuster.
Playwright Drew on His Father's Own Writings
Ian Shaw, one of the play's co-writers, is the son of Robert Shaw, the British actor who played shark hunter Quint in the 1975 film. He based the play in part on his late father's own writings about the production, according to South Florida Theater. A climactic moment of the show is a full rendition of the famous USS Indianapolis speech from the film, which the play depicts Shaw struggling to write and rehearse.
From Brighton to Broadway
The play premiered in 2019 in Brighton, England, then transferred to London's West End, where it earned an Olivier Award nomination for best entertainment or comedy play. It ran on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre from Aug. 10 through Nov. 19, 2023. The real Richard Dreyfuss, now 78, has publicly said he was unhappy with how the play portrayed him, saying the writers overstated his feud with Shaw.
Miracle Theatre's Own Jaws History
There's a local footnote, too. The Miracle Theatre previously operated as a movie house and, according to South Florida Theater, screened the original "Jaws" during that era.
Local Review Praises "Stellar" Lead Performance
Coral Gables Magazine reviewer Tina Wyngate called the production "an amusing antidote to the doldrums of summer" and praised Batchelor as "stellar as the incarnation of Robert Shaw" in her July 27 review.
Showtimes and Tickets
- Friday, July 31 — 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 1 — 8 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 2 — 3 p.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 5 — 8 p.m.
- Thursday, Aug. 6 — 8 p.m.
- Friday, Aug. 7 — 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 8 — 8 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 9 — 3 p.m.
Tickets: $40-$95. Box office: (305) 444-9293 or actorsplayhouse.org.
Upcoming Community Events
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Moonlight Walks resume Friday evenings with telescopes and wine tastings.
