THE SHARK IS BROKEN to Open At Vagabond Players in January

Vagabond Players will continue their historic 110th Season— and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic film JAWS—with the Baltimore premiere of THE SHARK IS BROKEN, written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon and directed by Vagabond veteran Stephen Deininger. Fresh off acclaimed runs in London's West End and on Broadway, this behind-the-scenes look at one of the most iconic films ever made is as hilarious as it is heartfelt.

Return to the waters where it all began: three actors, two fragile egos, and one very uncooperative shark. This could be the biggest disaster in recent Hollywood history, helmed by a director that no one thinks can pull it off. In between swilling Tab and tanning on deck, Roy Scheider runs interference between neurotic Richard Dreyfus and the acid drunk wit of Robert Shaw as they navigate endless filming delays and screw-ups on a rickety lobster boat.

Starring returning Vagabond Players actors, Doug Krehbel, Andy Belt and Matthew Lindsay Payne, THE SHARK IS BROKEN offers a delicious insider's look at the bickering, brawling and back stabbing among a trio of soon-to-be legendary actors who just happen to be making a monster movie that will change the course of cinema history. Frustrations, petty rivalries and no-so-secret vices all come to the surface in a comedy that also contains a deeper story of fathers and sons, their mortality, and the legacy they leave.

THE SHARK IS BROKEN runs January 9 – February 1, 2026, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. And check out a special “Thursdays on Broadway” performance January 29 at 8 p.m. when all tickets are just $12. 

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Best Musical - Top 3

1. DISASTER: THE MUSICAL (Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre)

9.8% of votes

2. HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (Maryland Ensemble Theatre)

6.5% of votes

3. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (September Song)

5.9% of votes

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