THE SHARK IS BROKEN Comes to Duluth Playhouse This October
The behind-the-scenes Jaws comedy will run October 16–November 2.
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 23, 2025
Duluth Playhouse Underground will stage The Shark is Broken, a wickedly funny and unexpectedly moving comedy co-written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, running October 16–November 2, 2025, in The Lab. Directed by local favorite Justin Peck, the West End and Broadway hit dives into the chaotic, off-camera story behind Jaws, the film that almost sank before it hit theaters.
It’s 1974. The ocean is wild, the film is over budget, and the mechanical shark refuses to cooperate. Starring Chris Ibarra, John Pokrzywinski, and Zachary Stofer, the play traps audiences aboard the Orca with Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, and Robert Shaw as tempers flare and egos clash. Between the long days and endless waiting, the three men drink, gamble, argue, and pray for the shoot to end—unaware that they are making cinema history.
As the world marks the 50th anniversary of Jaws, The Shark is Broken offers a hilarious and poignant look at the personalities behind the blockbuster, proving that sometimes the greatest drama happens off-screen.
Ticketing Information
The Shark is Broken runs October 16–November 2, 2025, in The Lab at Duluth Playhouse.
Tickets are available at the NorShor Theatre box office (Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.), by phone at 218-733-7555, or online at duluthplayhouse.org/shows/the-shark-is-broken.
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