EMA Review: The Shark is Broken ***** Delicious

It’s safe to go in the water

By Paul Atreides

Author, Playwright, and Theatre Critic at EatMoreArtVegas.compaul-atreides.com  

The Shark is Broken, by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, premiered in 2019 at the Edinburgh Fringe and made its way to Broadway via London’s West End and Toronto, opening in New York on August 10, 2023 for a limited run. This being the 50^th anniversary of Jaws, it’s perfect timing for this production.

While the play received mixed reviews from critics, audiences have found it delightful, and it’s easy to understand why. The popularity of the film was fully evident in that some attendees even wear Jaws memorabilia t-shirts.  Plus, let’s face it: we love anything that gives us a glimpse of famous folks, and so much the better if it portrays them in a poor light.

Robert Shaw (Ian Shaw’s father), Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfuss sit on the boat Orca (used during the filming of Jaws) passing the time while they wait for Bruce, the mechanical shark, to be repaired. Boredom and tedium creep in, tensions rise and the fur flies.

Now playing at LVLT, Director Joe Hynes has assembled a very able ensemble cast and provides a delicate balance to the serio-comedic tone and keeps a brisk pace.

All three actors do a pretty good job of finding the quirks of the famous men they portray. Matt McClish plays Roy Scheider, whose clipped delivery of dialogue in films always held a slight overtone of superiority. The only thing missing in this portrayal is the ever-present cigarette dangling between his lips or held in his hand, unlit much of the time.

Glenn Heath proves once again why he is a staple on Las Vegas stages. He disappears into the role of Robert Shaw so thoroughly that it’s as if he donned the character by putting on the shoes and topping it off with the hat. The dialect never falters, the grand gestures never falter, the portrayal never falters. A one-word line in particular is delivered with perfect drollness.

Izeyah Portillo, as the young and eager but neurotic Richard Dreyfuss, started out a bit rough, over the top. Every line found a word to pump up the volume so much that the meaning behind the lines got lost. But as he settled in he hit the mark spot on with the slightly nasal tone, and Dreyfuss’ insecurities as a young actor in his first major film role. When he imitates his co-star, the delivery is perfect.

The production values are good, too, from the clever preshow music mix (which you really shouldn’t miss!) to the rear-projections of the Atlantic Ocean behind the boat. Toss in Bailey Parcells’ spot-on costumes and there’s nary a flaw to be found.

If you like movies in general, this glimpse of what actors go through on a movie set between takes, when tempers rise and egos flare, is fairly accurate. This is about more than a shark. Go see this.

 What: The Shark is Broken

When: 7 p.m. Friday - Saturday; 2 p.m. Sundays through November 2

            2 p.m. Saturday, October 18, 25 and November 1

Where: Las Vegas Little Theatre - Mainstage, 3920 Schiff Drive

Tickets: $37 (702-362-7996; www.lvlt.org)

Grade:  ***** Delicious

Producer: Las Vegas Little Theatre; Director: Joe Hynes; Set Design: Cassie McKnight; Lighting Design: Ginny Adams; Costumes: Bailey Parcells; Stage Manager: Jordan Magee