Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1975 iconic Hollywood Blockbuster Jaws, the Olivier-award nominated play, The Shark Is Broken (which is co-written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon) will land at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre from Tuesday 11 to Saturday 15 March.

Photo By: Manuel Harlan

The behind-the-scenes West End and Broadway hit comedy sees Ian Shaw starring as his father, Robert Shaw, alongside Dan Fredenburgh as Roy Scheider and Ashley Margolis as Richard Dreyfuss. Inspired by Robert Shaw’s experience playing Quint in Jaws, The Shark Is Broken celebrates movie history as it peeks at the choppy waters behind Hollywood’s first blockbuster and imagines what happened on board The Orca when the cameras stopped rolling during the filming of Steven Spielberg’s epic movie.

On the open ocean in 1974, filming is delayed – again. The 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.

Photo By: Manuel Harlan

Following its critical and sell-out success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, The Shark Is Broken transferred to the West End in 2021, playing at the Ambassadors Theatre for a limited season where it enjoyed an extended run due to popular demand and an Olivier award nomination for Best Comedy Play. In July 2023 the production transferred to Broadway for a 16-week run at the John Golden Theatre, where it garnered fresh critical acclaim.

Photo By: Manuel Harlan

Tickets are available to purchase now from marlowetheatre.com/shows/the-shark-is-broken, with ticket prices starting from £17.