One of the best movies ever gets wonderful tribute in hit stage show

The Shark is Broken is running at the Gaiety from 13 - 17 May.

It was impossible to train and use a great white shark, so three full-size pneumatically powered prop sharks were built. Yet they kept malfunctioning once they interacted with the salt water.

That is because Spielberg decided to film Jaws on the ocean for added realism, which caused a whole variety of other tech and weather problems, leading to the scheduled 55-day shoot to nearly triple in time to 159 days.

Spielberg is reported to have said that during the 12-hour daily work schedule, on average, only four hours were actually spent filming.

So, what did the actors do during this time? Well, they were frequently seasick. Stars Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw were at each other's throats, while Shaw - who struggled with alcoholism - frequently binge drank on-set.

It's almost surprising that there hasn't been a movie or show about the making of Jaws (like how The Offer chronicled the making of The Godfather). Perhaps, though, a film or series about Jaws being shot would require replicating all the circumstances that created all the problems in the first place.

Realistically, the best we can hope for is a play about the situation. Thankfully, we have this with the excellent The Shark is Broken, written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon.

The former is the son of Robert Shaw, who also acts on-stage playing his dad, perfectly capturing his wild-eyed, gruff manner, as well as his wit.

The play takes place over a couple of days towards the end of the Jaws shoot. It consists almost entirely of Richard Dreyfuss (Ashley Margolis), Roy Scheider (Dan Fredenburgh), and Robert Shaw bored and waiting around on-set for the shark to be ready.

To pass the time, the trio plays bar games and bets with each other. They trade stories. They give their thoughts on acting and life. And they talk about Jaws.

On the latter, they wonder if there is any deeper meaning to their characters' battles with the shark and if the Spielberg flick will be a hit or a flop.

Of course, none of them actually thinks it will be taken seriously. "It's hardly Citizen Kane," Shaw quips at one point.

Aided by three excellent performances, all dead ringers for the famous actors they are playing, The Shark Is Broken is catnip for cinephiles, exploring a vital piece of film history through a clever, unexpected, witty vantage point.

In particular, the scenes where the tortured artist Robert Shaw and the fame-hungry neurotic Dreyfus clash are a blast, thanks to the energetic performances and crackling dialogue.

That said, even people who have never seen Jaws will likely find Ian Shaw's evocation of his father extremely moving.

The coastal surroundings bring back memories of Robert Shaw's difficult childhood growing up in the Orkney Islands in Scotland, something which may be driving him even more to drink.

And there is a real poignancy and melancholy to the moment when the legendary actor weighs up his mortality, describing how he is fast approaching the age his own alcoholic father was when he died, and a real joy when he finally nails Quint's big iconic monologue.

It's Ian Shaw's brave central turn that elevates The Shark Is Broken from a loving Jaws tribute into something deeper.

The Shark is Broken is running at the Gaiety from 13 - 17 May.