'The Shark Is Broken' brings Hollywood's biggest fish tale to Greenville Theatre

Few movie monsters have become as iconic as the great white shark in “Jaws.” Yet the mechanical predator that terrified audiences in 1975 spent much of the production refusing to cooperate.

That behind-the-scenes misfortune became theatrical gold in “The Shark Is Broken,” a comedy being staged at Greenville Theatre, July 31-Aug. 2.

The story explores what happened while three stars of the landmark film waited, and waited, for the shark to work.

The 90-minute play – written by Jospeh Nixon and Ian Shaw, the son of “Jaws” actor Robert Shaw – places Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider aboard the Orca between takes as egos collide, tempers flare and friendships are tested.

The play premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before successful runs in London’s West End and on Broadway.

Directed by Thom Babbes, Greenville’s production unfolds over 90 minutes without an intermission.

“It’s really just a comedy about these three actors stuck on a boat trying not to drive each other crazy,” Babbes said. “If you love ‘Jaws,’ you’re going to recognize all kinds of Easter eggs. But even if you’ve never seen the movie, it’s funny on its own.”

To prepare, Babbes had his cast revisit “Jaws” itself and watch documentaries chronicling the film’s famously troubled production, immersing themselves in the personalities behind one of Hollywood’s most celebrated movies.

The real-life ordeal has become cinematic legend. Mechanical failures repeatedly sidelined the shark, forcing director Steven Spielberg to rely on suggestion and suspense instead of showing the creature.

Babbes believes those setbacks inadvertently helped create one of cinema’s greatest thrillers.

“We use our imagination,” he said. “You don’t see the shark very much, and I think that’s what makes it scarier.”

Discovering Quint

For actor Evan Harris, who portrays Robert Shaw, the role has meant discovering the man behind Quint, the gruff shark hunter immortalized in the film.

What audiences will see, Harris said, is a witty, articulate British actor with a dry sense of humor and little patience for the young, ambitious Dreyfuss.

Harris based his performance on interviews with Shaw rather than on Quint alone, hoping audiences will appreciate the range of an actor often remembered for a single role.

The prickly relationship between Shaw and Dreyfuss drives much of the comedy, while Scheider serves as the exasperated peacemaker.

Yet beneath the laughs, Babbes sees something more personal. Because the playwright is Robert Shaw’s son, he believes the work also becomes “almost like a son trying to understand his father.”

One of the play’s highlights traces the creation of Quint’s haunting USS Indianapolis speech, showing Shaw wrestling with the lengthy monologue before delivering the unforgettable version that became one of the film’s defining moments.

Greenville Theatre is constructing a life-size cutaway of the Orca to recreate the film’s famous fishing boat onstage.

For Babbes, though, the production’s greatest strength lies in its simplicity.

“It really is theater at its best,” he said. “Three actors, one boat, 90 minutes.”

One caveat for audiences: Despite its humor, the production contains strong language and is intended for mature audiences.