THE SHARK IS BROKEN

THE SHARK IS BROKEN – Written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon; Directed by Luke Rahmsdorff-Terry.  Produced by Vintage Theatre Productions (1468 Dayton Street, Aurora) through February 15.  Tickets available at 303-856-7830 or VintageTheatre.org. 

The art of conversation.  Put three men in a room (or a boat) with time to kill and what will they talk about.  What they’ve done in the past – what they want to do in the future – the women they’ve known – the women they would like to know.  Once you get past the superficial, it narrows down to their insecurities, their fears, their desire for legacy, and silly pub games. 

What makes it interesting is when the men are three actors involved in the making of a low-budget movie in various stages of their lives and careers.  During the making of JAWS, the principal actors – Richard Dreyfus, Roy Scheider, and Robert Shaw – are often relegated to the prop boat cabin that had been constructed for the movie. Because of the constant repairs that had to be made to the three mechanical sharks used for the shoot, they ended up spending a lot of time together.   

Dreyfuss was at the beginning of his career (then 28), a little bit in awe of the men he shared time with, and anxious for a big role that would make him a star.  As portrayed by Graham Bryant, he was cocky, yet insecure, all at the same time.  He captured Dreyfuss’ nervousness perfectly by scratching, running his hands through his hair, and talking endlessly about himself.   It’s uncanny how much Bryant looked like Dreyfuss and caught his essence at this time in his life.  The reviews Dreyfuss got mid-shoot for the movie he had just finished bolstered his confidence and made him even more arrogant.  But with good reason.

 Dreyfuss has had a long and successful.  My prediction is that Bryant will as well. 

Evan Marquez as Roy Scheider provided the calming presence needed between the annoying Dreyfus and the hot-headed Irish Shaw.  With a book in his hand and a knowing smile, he would watch the two others spar until he had to step in between them.  This Scheider had already broken through to leading roles such as THE FRENCH CONNECTION a few years before and was secure in a career that led him to featured roles in 61 movies and an equal number of television roles.  Marquez’s Scheider was quiet, calm, willing to contribute to the conversations, but also equally at home on his own. 

Robert Shaw, on the other hand, had had a successful career by this time in both movies and theatre.  He was a prolific writer as well, completing screenplays, theatrical plays, and novels.  He was older (then 48) having worked at his career since he was 24.  He was tired of making films and not willing to put up with much foolishness.  Austin Terrell gave him just the right amount of gruffness and fatigue, both mental and physical.  Shaw actually died only three years later. Terrell brings a hardiness and a confidence to his character born from his own prolific career. 

Director Luke Rahmsdorff-Terry brought the funny out of his actors and found the heart of the script.  The audience genuinely likes all three characters by the end of the evening and wishes them well on their continuing careers.  He is ably supported by Lexi Renfro , who designed and built “a bigger boat” for the show.  Russ Kirby created a sound ambience that greatly enhanced the sense of being on or near the ocean. His use of the creepy clips from the infamous soundtrack brought the whole thing home.  Somehow, the giant oceanic mural, painted by Bernie Richard, combined with the lighting design by Emily Maddox, seemed to gently move behind the boat.   

A fun evening providing a backstage look at a favorite film – who could ask for more? 

A WOW factor of 8.75!!