On The Scene: Ian Shaw takes on his father’s legacy in Broadway’s ‘The Shark Is Broken’

Actor Ian Shaw is the son of Robert Shaw, who played the shark hunter in "Jaws" while battling addiction and frustrations over long shooting days on a small boat.

Aug 9, 2023, 11:38 AM

Updated 501 days ago

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A story of Hollywood legend has come to the Broadway stage. The real-life tensions on the set of the classic movie "Jaws" inspire the play "The Shark Is Broken."
Actor Ian Shaw is the son of Robert Shaw who played the shark hunter in "Jaws" while battling addiction and frustrations over long shooting days on a small boat. Now, he's portraying his own father in the "Shark Is Broken" on Broadway.
Ian Shaw says while working on the show, he has seen his dad through a new lens. “And my relationship with him has changed. It's strange. We lose somebody but your relationship still keeps going if you love them. And I feel quite peaceful about it in a way,” Shaw said.
Set on a boat as filming drags on for weeks, tensions rise between the established actor, Shaw, and newcomer Richard Dreyfus played by Alex Brightman. Roy Scheider, Chief Robert Brody, is played on stage by Colin Donnell.
A behind-the-scenes story is now center stage. “The Shark Is Broken" is a limited engagement with performances scheduled at Broadway's Golden Theatre through Nov. 19.