‘THE SHARK IS BROKEN’: (left to right) Colin Donnell, Ian Shaw & Alex Brightman. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

THE SHARK IS BROKEN
Written by Ian Shaw & Joseph Nixon
Directed by Guy Masterson
Through November 19, 2023
John Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.thesharkisbroken.com

By David NouNou

You don’t have to be a film aficionado or a movie buff to enjoy the thoroughly delightful and entertaining comedy The Shark Is Broken. It is so concise in its writing that it immediately immerses one in the narrative.

I will say that it helps if you have seen the 1975 mega blockbuster Jaws at least once to fully appreciate the brilliance and simplicity that unfolds in this 90-minute show. The time is 1974, during the filming of the movie Jaws. It is set on the boat the Orca on the open ocean east of Martha’s Vineyard. It consists of the three leads: Robert Shaw playing Quint (Ian Shaw) owner of the Orca, Roy Scheider playing Police Chief Martin Brody (Colin Donnell) ,pursuing the shark; and Richard Dreyfuss playing Matt Hooper (Alex Brightman) trying to capture the shark.

The action takes place in the cabin of the Orca on a particular scene where Quint retells the tale of him being in the navy in World War II where his boat sank and 1,100 men were thrown into the sea, forming a link together to ward off the sharks that left only 316 survivors. If one is familiar with that one scene in the movie, it makes the narrative much easier to follow. Because that is the final scene of the movie that has to be filmed.

This scene is one aspect of the play; the rest is about the shark’s mechanical problems breaking down and these three actors wait for weeks until the shark is in working condition. During this interim, they question their acting abilities, their talents, their excess drinking, whether the movie be a success or a dud, and what possible projects they may have lined up after this picture is done. Naturally, there is the conflict of the older actors having to deal with temperaments and insecurities of the youngest.

Within a few minutes you are sucked into the plot due to the exact resemblances and the brilliant performances of the three actors, alphabetically: Alex Brightman, Colin Donnell, and Ian Shaw. Ian Shaw co-wrote the play and is the son of actor Robert Shaw; his resemblance to his father is uncanny. You’d swear Robert Shaw was up on the stage. Ian Shaw delivers a sterling performance with all the gruffness, steeliness, and alcohol imbibing his father possessed.

Colin Donnell beautifully underplays Roy Scheider with no drama or histrionics. In all the movies or shows that I’ve seen Mr. Scheider in, he is always low-keyed, level-headed, and evenly centered. Mr. Donnell captures all that as wells as Mr. Scheider’s cool good looks and plays the mediator between his two hot-headed co-stars.

Alex Brightman is a force of nature. If you saw him in the musicals Beetlejuice and School of Rock, he took two iconic movie roles played by Michael Keaton and Jack Black and recreated them in his own vision. To watch him play Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper is like sitting in a  master class of acting. He has captured every laugh, twitch, tic, hysteria, mannerism, self-effacement that Mr. Dreyfuss himself would be wowed by seeing his younger self again.

To add authenticity to the proceedings, one must mention the gorgeous ocean visual designs by Nina Dunn for Pixellux, the hued lighting by Jon Clark, and one can’t leave out the boat, the Orca designed by Duncan Henderson.

If you enjoyed Jaws or any movie and wondered what happened behind the scenes during filming, The Shark Is Broken is a definitive play to answer your questions about the different things can go wrong on a set or the fragility of egos of your favorite actors during filming, before a movie reaches the screen and becomes a blockbuster.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published August 13, 2023
Reviewed at August 11, 2023 press performance.

‘THE SHARK IS BROKEN’: (left to right) Alex Brightman, Ian Shaw & Colin Donnell. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘THE SHARK IS BROKEN’: (left to right) Colin Donnell & Alex Brightman. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘THE SHARK IS BROKEN’: (left to right) Colin Donnell, Alex Brightman & Ian Shaw. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

The post ‘The Shark is Broken’: Insider comedy a delight appeared first on StageZine.

‘STEAKS AND SIDES’: Mouth-watering steaks and various sides at Hawksmoor Edinburgh. Photo: Hawksmoor Edinburgh.

HAWKSMOOR
23 W. Register St., Edinburgh
EH2 2AA, United Kingdom
Menu: thehawksmoor.com
Phone: +44 131 526 4790
Reservations: thehawksmoor.com, opentable.co.uk, quandoo.co.uk

By Scott Harrah

EDINBURGH, UK—Planning to spend a few days in Edinburgh for the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (August 4 to August 28, 2023) and not sure where to have a great meal before or after a show? Look no further than Hawksmoor Edinburgh, located on St. Andrew Square, near all the theatres in the Scottish capital.  Hawksmoor is a chain of upmarket British steakhouses with many locations in London as well as one in Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin and a restaurant in New York. The Edinburgh Hawksmoor is located in the former headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland and is spacious and roomy, the perfect place to relax after walking around the hills and cobblestones of this medieval city. Americans often think of haggis when Scottish food is mentioned, but one won’t find any here. Instead, diners can choose entrees ranging from the finest Scottish beef to fresh local seafood. We’ve been to two of the Hawksmoor locations in London—both outstanding—and the Edinburgh Hawksmoor is also excellent. Whenever we are in the UK, eating at a Hawksmoor at least once is always a must.

The restaurant offers a limited “Edinburgh Express Menu” for anyone wanting a pre- or post-theatre meal, with two to three courses ranging from  £25 to £28.

We decided to enjoy the full Hawksmoor experience after a long day in Edinburgh. Hawksmoor has an extensive menu of various cocktails, but I enjoyed a couple glasses of Braida “Hawksmoor Blend” Barbera/Merlot 2019 which went great with the gluttonous amount of meat I ate that evening. We were served by the excellent Heather and general manager Thiago.

I  started with the half native lobster with garlic butter while my dining partner chose the Isle of Mull scallops, roasted with white port and garlic. British lobster tastes similar to Maine or Nova Scotia lobster but has a slightly different consistency and a lighter taste, yet is brilliant nonetheless. My partner said his scallops were light and fresh. Both appetizers were not too heavy, and that’s important when one is about to indulge in Hawksmoor’s world-famous steaks.

Edinburgh Hawksmoor has an impressive menu of sides, from triple-cooked chips to beef-dripping fries, mash and gravy, macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach, Hawksmoor Caesar salad, buttered lettuce and herb salad to maple bacon. We chose the triple-cooked chips, macaroni and cheese and creamed spinach. The chips and creamed spinach were amazing. The macaroni and cheese was good too, but not as creamy as what one finds back in the USA.

The Hawksmoor is famous for its steaks, and you can choose from bone-in prime rib, porterhouse, T-Bone and Chateaubriand (all three of which are big portions, so sharing is recommended). Also available are the fillet (275g), rib-eye (350g), sirloin (350g) and rump (300g), served with a selection of sauces, ranging from  béarnaise, peppercorn, bone marrow gravy to anchovy hollandaise or Stilton hollandaise.

The large cuts of Chateaubriand, Bone-in Prime Rib, Porterhouse and T-Bone are huge indeed—strictly for true carnivores. As the menu says, “These steaks are priced per 100g and are dependent on what we have in stock. They are big and don’t generally come any smaller than 500g. Good if you’re hungry or for two to share.”

I had the Chateaubriand—probably way too much Scottish beef for one person—but it was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had, cooked medium rare the way I like it, with Hawksmoor’s amazing peppercorn sauce on the side. The steak was so good; however, I really didn’t need much sauce. My dining partner said his T-bone was superb as well, cooked medium, and he had trouble finishing it because the steak was so big.

Although we were already stuffed, we could not resist sharing the Hawksmoor’s famous sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream. Most Americans have only seen this standard dessert in the British Isles on TV cooking shows from the U.K. because it is almost never found in American restaurants.  We’re fans of the fattening treat and have tried it in many British restaurants, but nobody does sticky toffee pudding like Hawksmoor. It consists of steamed sponge cake filled with chopped dates and sultanas (golden raisins) and covered with a toffee sauce. We asked our friendly waitress Heather whether the dessert is better with vanilla ice cream on top or clotted cream. She kindly offered to bring us both vanilla ice cream and clotted cream.

Clotted cream, for Americans who have never tried it, is sometimes called Devonshire or Cornish cream and is made by heating full cow’s milk cream and then leaving it to cool, and it eventually forms “clots.” We tried the pudding with both the ice cream and clotted cream. When Heather asked us which we preferred—ice cream or clotted cream?—we had no definitive answer as Hawksmoor’s sticky toffee pudding is a sinful delight either way.

Whether you are in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival in August or just visiting Edinburgh as a tourist, Hawksmoor Edinburgh is a definite “must” on your restaurant list as they have some of the best steaks in Scotland.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 15, 2023
Reviewed on June 13, 2023 in London

Isle of Mull scallops. Photo: Scott Harrah.

Half native lobster. Photo: Hawksmoor Edinburgh.

T-bone at Hawksmoor Edinburgh. Photo: Scott Harrah.

Chateaubriand at Hawksmoor Edinburgh. Photo: Scott Harrah.

Hawksmoor’s famous sticky toffee pudding with both clotted cream and vanilla ice cream on the side. Photo: Scott Harrah.

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