"The Shark is Broken"
Tipping Point Theatre
Northville, Mich.
Sept. 28, 2025
The movie “Jaws” turns 50 this year, and with it is Tipping Point Theatre’s season-opening production “The Shark is Broken,” a comedic play about the making of Steven Spielberg’s classic thriller.
Written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, “The Shark is Broken” focuses on the relationships among the movie’s three lead actors during the complicated and often-delayed filming of the major ocean scenes in the second half of the movie.
The story of “Jaws” is about a giant killer shark who attacks beachgoers and fisherman with a vengeance, eventually destroyed by police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw). The story behind the story has its own level of drama and victory, as filmmakers had to overcome the technical and logistical struggles of managing a massive – often breaking – mechanical shark and filming live on the ocean.
Tipping Point’s production stars Drew Parker as Scheider, Connor Allston as a young Dreyfuss and Brian Sage as Shaw, directed by Bill Simmons. The entire play takes place on Quint’s fishing boat where the men – in frequent isolation and growing frustration – are forced to face their inner demons while waiting for filming to resume.
All three men nail their portrayals – both emotionally and physically – of the three actors, sideburns and all. As Scheider, a tanned and toned Parker is a laid back, level-headed, all-around good guy, most often trying to keep the peace between Dreyfuss and Shaw.
The meatiest roles, however, are Shaw and Dreyfuss. Shaw – the most established of the three – was a pretentious British Shakespearian actor with a drinking problem. Dreyfuss was an impatient, emerging actor desperate for fame and wealth, struggling with self-confidence. Together, they brought out the worst in each other, leaning into each other’s vulnerabilities resulting in near constant fighting throughout the show.
Sage soars as Shaw, capturing the complexity of a man who never resolved his childhood trauma, now in denial of his alcoholism. He transitions effortlessly among ruthless bully, fun-loving friend, raging maniac and serious artist – all in varying states of inebriation and arrogance. His attack on Dreyfuss after the latter threw out his alcohol revealed the depth of a man incapable of coping with his emotional suffering. His monologue of his character’s poignant recounting of his survival aboard the torpedoed USS Indianapolis cruiser during World War II closes the show with resonance, offering a deeper appreciation of the complexity of what could be considered a simple horror movie.
Allston brings Dreyfuss to life. You feel his growing frustration, anger and fear as an ambitious young man battling self-doubt and anxiety, culminating in a full-fledged panic attack that draws the audience in to the full depth of his struggle.
Despite the serious subject matter explored in the play, “The Shark is Broken” is a solid comedy. In addition to the snarky bickering among the characters, there are frequent references to realities of the future, usually dismissed by the men living firmly in 1975. With a subtle look to the audience, Scheider comments on how former President Richard Nixon will probably be the country’s “most immoral president ever.” There are also nods to climate change and several popular movies at the time – including “Jaws” – deemed as being insignificant, which we have since known to become cult classics.
The set design is also fantastic. Upon entering the theater, I was notably impressed by the striking replica of the shark hunting boat from the film. The digital projection of the ocean behind it completed the scene, and you felt as if you were both on the water and on the movie set.
There are different layers of appreciation for “The Shark is Broken.” If you’ve never seen “Jaws,” it’s an entertaining and enlightening story of three men forced to deal with their inner turmoil while mostly isolated together. If you’ve seen “Jaws” – my category – it adds a level of interest and appreciation for the technological and emotional feat it took for this film to happen.
If you are a “Jaws” fan or a movie buff, you probably already know all the behind-the-scenes drama and will enjoy an additional storyline and added dimension for a beloved film. Baby Boomers can add a level of nostalgia, with frequent references to actors, films and politics from their youth. And if you’re a combination of these things, well, this is the play for you.
