By Peter Maddern
The new visions of the new film directors that came to our silver screens in the 1970s still remain fresh in many instances. None more so than Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws, with its haunting trademark notes opening this easy to like work.
The Shark Is Broken takes us onto the Jaws set, the boat indeed, with its three players sitting around waiting days, weeks even for the mechanical beast of prey to work properly in order to film the last scenes. Co-writer Ian Shaw plays his father, the heavy drinking Irishman, Robert Shaw (who plays Quint), Liam Murray Scott plays a dopey, self obsessed Richard Dreyfuss (who plays Hooper) while Duncan Henderson is Roy Schneider (who plays Chief Brody). It should be noted that all three bare great resemblances to their actual characters, though obviously in the case of Shaw this may not have been hard.
It may also be appropriate to suggest the play is, in a Seinfeld tradition, not about very much. However, under Guy Masterson’s pin-point direction, insult and observation, both of their present and ours, are delivered deliciously; wit as razor sharp as the shark’s, put downs as cold as the sea that supposedly surrounds them, all done nonetheless with a warmth to match a swig of Shaw’s whiskey.
Great fun and a sure hit at this year’s Fringe.
Kryztoff Rating 4.5K
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