Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck join Tom now for another of her weekly reviews of Baltimore's regional stage. Today, she tells us about Vagabond Players' production of "The Shark Is Broken."
The 2019 play — written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon and directed for Vagabond Players by Stephen Deininger — imagines the complicated and often comic dynamics among the three actors who starred in Steven Spielberg's iconic 1975 film, Jaws.
Andy Belt plays Richard Dreyfuss ("Hooper"), Doug Krehbel plays Robert Shaw ("Quint"), and Matthew Lindsay Payne plays Roy Scheider ("Brody"), as the three film actors endure shooting delays, technical problems with the mechanical shark, and personality clashes aboard Quint's stranded fishing boat, Orca.
The play's storyline is drawn from real life: co-writer Ian Shaw is the son of Jaws star Robert Shaw, and as a boy, Ian spent many days visiting his father on the movie set. Ian played his father's role when his play premiered in London in 2019.
"The Shark Is Broken" continues at Vagabond Players in Baltimore through Sunday, February 1. For showtimes and ticketing information, click here.
