Following its critically-acclaimed, sell-out run at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, The Shark is Broken is now making its long-awaited premiere in London’s West End at the Ambassador’s Theatre. Produced by Sonia Friedman, the show tells the story about what took place behind the scenes of one of Hollywood’s biggest-ever blockbusters: Jaws. Currently supplying a host of West End productions including The Mirror and the Light, Get Up, Stand Up and Disney’s Frozen, White Light (WL) called upon to supply the lighting on this occasion.
The lighting designer for The Shark is Broken is Olivier Award-winning Jon Clark, who was also nominated for Best Lighting Design in a Play at last month’s Tony Awards. He comments: “I’d never seen the show when it was in Edinburgh, although this actually allowed me to approach it as a brand-new piece. It’s a fascinating play that explores the dynamics between the three main actors from Jaws, Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss, and how their relationship changed over the course of filming. It’s Hollywood folklore that this was quite a difficult film to make, which often involved the actors just sat around on a boat out at sea (where scenes were actually shot due to Spielberg’s desire for authenticity), being forced to wait whilst a mechanical shark was being fixed. It’s a really well written piece that is packed with heart, humour and a few surprising moments. The fact that it is co-written by Ian Shaw, Robert Shaw’s son, also ensures a level of added poignancy and depth”.
Whilst many West End shows are all about the spectacle and making it look as dazzling as possible, the brief for The Shark is Broken was slightly different. Jon explains: “The show only has three actors who spend the entire duration confined to a very limited space. A lot of hard work has gone into making the set look as realistic as possible, as seen with Duncan Henderson’s boat on which they stay and particularly Nina Dunn’s video design. This was very much a case of me working with the visual provocations from Nina, using Duncan’s set and ensuring we all worked together to create one coherent picture”.
Nina’s design includes a wrap-around cyc which fills the back of the entire stage, which works as a background for the ever-changing weather, as well as the floor, which creates the effect that the actors are at sea. Jon was taking the lead from this production design and had to use the light to dramatically make sense of the action taking place within the framework of the video.
He explains: “It was a case of not going overboard (!) and ensuring that each fixture I used had a genuine purpose and helped achieve my specific brief. I decided to draw on six Encore Warms which were positioned in an arc around the top of the cyc. These were then used as key light sources that help signify the changing times of day throughout the play. I also used the Encores to enhance the sun on the screen of the boat during the daytime scenes as well as had a series of Par Scrollers positioned downstage that key in daylight and help give a more warm, tungsten glow”.
The Shark is Broken has now opened and will run until January 2022.
Jon concludes: “This is a really entertaining play that takes audiences on a humorous yet emotional journey; as well as being a love letter to one of the most famous films ever made. A big thanks to the brilliant team of creatives I worked with as well as the team at WL”.
Photos courtesy of Helen Maybanks.
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