A hilarious and heartfelt show that had us laughing nonstop – a clever take on ‘What if sharks have feelings too
We know the story of Jaws, big scary man-eating predator that will eat you given a chance. BUT, what if they are sensitive souls? Written by Leo Thomas and directed by Thomas and Gude Yue, this piece seeks to uncover what happened on that fateful day on Amity Island.
Is it possible for a fish and a human to love? Following a string of gruesome deaths on the island, a teary shark confides in Eillen. Despite her support, even she questions if he is behind the deaths. With tension between husband and wife and the deaths mounting up, Cherif Broady reluctantly hires Quint to investigate. Shark. The level-headed oceanographic Hooper, who wrote The Giant Pop-Up Book of Sharks seems to believe that shark is not behind this and “you’re more likely to die being crushed by a vending machine.” But, when Cherif’s motives for wanting shark become clear, both Quint and Hooper realise, they too have lost wives to the sensitive fish.
With David Attenborough style narration of the opening scene, introducing shark and all the myths around this apex, is not only humorous but informative too, which was prevalent throughout the piece. Cultural references as well as lines from the film brought Jaws into 2025. The beach/underwater set which was simple, blue tarp, a beige rug and two chairs with seaweed on the back and the all-important boat were used well and even the actors on occasion joked about things “what is this land doing in my boat” which brought a fun acknowledgment to a minimal set, in a way a lot of other small theatre shows don’t.
I’m not a fan of audience participation, but this piece got the balance right. Engaging with the audience enough that props were handed to them to look after or to hold whilst the set was changed, without it feeling awkward. And at times when the cast were saying the lines, acknowledging the audience member that had been asked their name. Likewise acknowledging that “there’s a big wave” and repeating the line when we didn’t make enough of a wave, obviously followed by laughs from the audience.
Overall, the actors were humorous and engaging. Great White Lies in an interesting piece, seeking to dispel the myths around sharks in a light-hearted and informative manner, with banter between the characters and audience alike. A very different story perspective and one which you should catch if you can.