The Shark is Broken: a must-see play in Portsmouth

Portsmouth has a bit of a theatrical treat running at the moment: CCADS, the Central Coast Arts Development Society, is staging 'The Shark is Broken', a play that's been quietly winning over audiences. It's written by David Greig and adapted from the novel by John Banville, and it's being described as a deep-dive play that's a must-see in Portsmouth and a great theatrical plan for a night out. If you're after something with a bit more weight than your usual night at the theatre, this is a strong contender.

The story is dark, funny and moving in equal measure. It follows a man who has lost his wife and is trying to rebuild his life, set in a small town in Ireland, and it works its way through grief, loss and the search for meaning without ever becoming wallowing. It's the kind of piece that stays with you after the curtain, and a 2024 review called the production well acted and well directed, which gives you a good idea of the standard on offer.

It's worth knowing where the material comes from, because it's a pedigree production. The novel it's based on, 'The Sea', won the Booker Prize in 2005, with the award handed over on 10 October at a ceremony in the Guildhall in London. Banville, who has also written as Benjamin Black and B. W. Black, was knighted in Italy and elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2007, and he spent over a decade as literary editor of The Irish Times. That literary weight carries through into the play, which manages to be both a sharp piece of writing and a genuinely human story.

And the man who brought it to the stage is no lightweight either. David Greig, born in Edinburgh in 1969, trained at the University of Bristol, where he shared a flat with Sarah Kane, and went on to co-found the Glasgow drama collective Suspect Culture in 1993. His work has played at the Royal Lyceum, the Traverse, the National Theatre of Scotland and the National Theatre, as well as on Broadway and around the world, with around fifty works to his name. 'The Shark is Broken' sits comfortably alongside his other well-known plays, like 'Midsummer', 'Dunsinane' and 'The Events', which won him the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award. He was the first dramaturg for the National Theatre of Scotland when it formed in 2006 and later became artistic director of the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh, a role he held until the end of the 2024/2025 season.

For a local production, there's a lot of pedigree behind this one, from a Booker Prize-winning novel to a playwright who's worked at the highest levels of British theatre. It's a dark, funny and moving piece that doesn't shy away from the harder parts of life, and it's proving to be a hit with audiences here in Portsmouth. Whether you're a regular theatre-goer or just looking for something a bit different for your next night out, CCADS has put together a production that's well worth the price of admission.