‘The Shark Is Broken,’ but the movie trudges on

Nobody expected “Jaws” to be a blockbuster, least of all the long-suffering cast and crew, who were at the mercy of a mechanical shark named “Bruce” that didn’t fare well in the salty ocean water.

The constant malfunctions delayed filming for days and weeks at a time, leaving the three lead actors — Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss — stranded on the Orca with nothing to do except wait for things to resume. Tempers flared, booze flowed, and egos clashed. With all that strife, it’s a miracle the movie was finished at all.

The behind-the-scenes drama has been recounted in many documentaries and specials. And in 2019, Ian Shaw, the late Robert Shaw’s son, wrote a play depicting those agonizing, slow weeks of filming.

“The Shark Is Broken,” playing at Riverwalk Theatre through Sunday, is a small, intimate production that focuses on the dynamic of the three main actors. Scheider (played by Michael Palmer) is the mostly mild-mannered peacemaker, though even he isn’t above being frustrated by the working conditions. Shaw (Jeff Magnuson) is the Brit who drinks like a fish and tries to modify his lines to his liking. Dreyfuss (Kameron Going) is the newcomer whose bravado masks a desperate insecurity. Predictably, Shaw and Dreyfuss wind up at each other’s throats. Dreyfuss loathes Shaw but respects his craft and craves his approval, while Shaw sees the younger actor as an arrogant little nobody.

All three actors are compelling to watch. Going nails Dreyfuss’ fidgety mannerisms, and Maguson all but disappears into Shaw. Palmer makes a great straight man who just wants to finish making a movie.

The fantastic performances are bolstered by a witty script chock-full of meta humor. Since it takes place in 1974, there are obligatory references to the Watergate scandal, and the trio of actors mock the idea that “Jaws” could have sequels. However, the biggest laugh from the audience came from Shaw’s incredulous reaction to Spielberg’s plans for a new film about aliens: “What’s next? Dinosaurs?”

Well, Spielberg may have had the last laugh, but “The Shark Is Broken” is more than a must-see for “Jaws” fans. It reminds us how much blood, sweat and tears go into creating Hollywood hits. And, as we all know, that broken shark was a blessing in disguise. If it had worked properly and had been shown more in the film, we all would have noticed from the beginning how fake and silly it looked, and all the cast and crew’s efforts to produce a thoroughly scary horror movie would have been for nothing. So, at least something good came out of the insanity, even if the end product made all of us afraid to step foot in the water.