Sonia Friedman Productions and Scott Landis are delighted to announce that the smash-hit play The Shark is Broken will make waves on Broadway this summer after critically acclaimed runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and on London’s West End.
A new Olivier Award-nominated comedy by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, THE SHARK IS BROKEN imagines what happened on board “The Orca” when the cameras stopped rolling during the filming of Stephen Spielberg’s blockbuster, JAWS. Co-writer Ian Shaw (War Horse) will also star in THE SHARK IS BROKEN, making his Broadway debut in the role he created in Edinburgh and on the West End, portraying his father Robert Shaw who played “Quint” in JAWS. Casting for the roles of Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss will be announced at a later date.
Directed by Guy Masterson, The Shark is Broken begins performances on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at the John Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street), and will officially open on Thursday, August 10, 2023, for a strictly limited 16-week engagement.
FADE IN: The open ocean, 1974. Production on JAWS is delayed…again. The film’s lead actors—theatre veteran Robert Shaw and young Hollywood hotshots, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider—are crammed into a too-small boat, entirely at the mercy of foul weather and a faulty mechanical co-star. Alcohol flows, egos collide, and tempers flare on a chaotic voyage that just might lead to cinematic magic…if it doesn’t sink them all.
From the JAWS of defeat, came a Hollywood victory.
Tickets are on sale now for THE SHARK IS BROKEN at Telecharge.com (212.239.6200) and range from $49 - $119 (including $2 facility fee) during the specially priced preview performances. The playing schedule for THE SHARK IS BROKEN is as follows: Monday – Saturday at 8pm, with matinees on Saturday at 2pm. Please note: There will be an added 2pm matinee on Wednesday, August 2 and Wednesday, August 9. Beginning Friday, August 11, the performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday – Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 8pm, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Please note: There will be no matinee on Sunday, August 13.
The Shark is Broken includes scenic and costume design by Duncan Henderson, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design and original music are by Adam Cork, video design by Nina Dunn, with casting by Jim Carnahan Casting.
The smash-hit of the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, THE SHARK IS BROKEN was steering a course to transfer to London’s West End but was postponed due to the pandemic. The “intoxicating combination of behind-the-scenes gossip and contemplation of the nature of popular art (The Stage ★★★★)” opened at the West End’s Ambassadors Theatre in 2021 where it garnered critical acclaim and an Olivier Award nomination for Best Comedy Play, and by popular demand extended its limited run into 2022.
For more information, visit TheSharkIsBroken.com and follow us on social @sharkonbroadway