THE SHARK IS BROKEN – Written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon; directed by Tim Muldrew. Produced by Springs Ensemble Theatre (SET) (Fifty-Niner Speakeasy, 2409 West Colorado Boulevard, Colorado Springs) through September 14. Tickets available at Springsensembletheatre.org.
You might think, “What could be entertaining about three grown men sitting around in a boat killing time?” Consider, however, that those three men were actors named Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, and Robert Shaw on a mockup of the Orca killing time while they waited for their mechanical shark named Bruce to be repaired between scenes in the making of JAWS. Now that’s a whole ‘nother thing.
As you would assume, the small talk is not that small and involves the making of movies, the dam shark, the women they’ve known, the dam shark, whether live theatre or making movies is more rewarding, their past good gigs, what they’ve learned, and, oh, the dam shark. At times, exercising the funny bone; at other times, profane, profound, melancholy, bored, or hopeful.
Colin Gregory is nearly a dead ringer for Dreyfuss in looks, voice, and mannerisms. The loose cannon and boy enfante of the group, you never know what tangent is going to come out of his mouth. But you can count on it being thrown into the conversational pool with interest and enthusiasm. At times disappointed by the reviews of his last movie, THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ, which he thought was going to be his star-making role, he’s hooking his hopeful future star on the tail of the shark. His inexperience and insecurity become almost comic at times. His lesson learned seems to be that it’s all going to be OK.
Roy Scheider has a little more experience and seriousness about his business, but the actor’s ego breaks through at times. As played by Matt Radcliffe, his maturity and peacekeeping personality keep the waters (for the most part) calm and on an even keel. But he too has a sense of whimsy about what he does for a living. He learns that he can make it through anything. Even the wrong-sized boat.
The old man of the sea in this instance is Robert Shaw, Irish actor, played with great gravitas by Steve Emily. He moved slowly, talked slowly, but was quick to anger if felt disrespected. He has that perennial elder actor problem of not being able to remember long monologues. He is a beautiful, heartfelt character full of pride, grace, a real man’s man with great stories. But he also learns that he’s not down yet and has a lot to give.
The three of them together recognize that they represent different generations of theatre workers – Dreyfuss, the anxious beginner; Scheider, the confident professional; and Shaw, the experienced elder (even tho he was only in his 40s at the time of this filming).
The comfortable set of the cabin of the boat (designed by David Cook) is enhanced by the off-stage noise of the water and the men working to repair the shark and/or set up the scene to be filmed (created by Kitty Robbins). The lighting design by Eric Bowlby kept us firmly attached to the sea. Director Muldrew got his people on the right path and then let them roll with it.
This is an excellent production of an outstanding script well worth the drive to the Springs for theatre lovers. SET has a sweet little performing space. If you haven’t been there before, this is a good reason to go.
A WOW FACTOR of 8.5!!