Moose Murders
| Moose Murders | |
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| Written by | Arthur Bicknell |
| Date premiered | February 22, 1983 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Mystery farce |
| IBDB profile | |
Moose Murders is a play by Arthur Bicknell, self-described as a mystery farce.[1] An immediate flop, it is now widely considered the standard of awfulness against which all Broadway failures are judged,[2] and its name has become synonymous with those distinctively bad Broadway plays which open and close on the same night.[3] It had its single performance (excluding previews) at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on February 22, 1983.[4]
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[edit] Plot
The Holloway family arrives at the "Wild Moose Lodge", which they have recently purchased, in the Adirondack Mountains. They soon find themselves trapped there during a storm, along with Snooks and Howie Keene, failed entertainers who had worked at the lodge before the Holloways arrived, and Nurse Dagmar, who cares for Sidney Holloway, the pater familias and an apparent vegetable. They pass the time playing a murder mystery game. During the night, one Holloway son attempts incest with his mother and several murders take place. Reviews describe a scene in which a mummified paraplegic rises from his wheelchair to kick a man dressed as a moose in the crotch,[2] but this episode does not appear in the original script.
[edit] Original production
The original Broadway production at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre was marred by problems even before it opened. Eve Arden in the lead role was seeking a return to Broadway after 40 years, but dropped out after the first preview — her role was then filled by veteran star Holland Taylor.[2] The complete cast was as follows:
- Snooks Keene – June Gable
- Howie Keene – Don Potter
- Joe Buffalo Dance – Jack Dabdoub
- Nurse Dagmar – Lisa McMillan
- Hedda Holloway – Holland Taylor
- Stinky Holloway – Scott Evans
- Gay Holloway – Mara Hobel
- Lauraine Holloway Fay – Lillie Robertson
- Nelson Fay – Nicholas Hormann
- Sidney Holloway – Dennis Florzak
The production was directed by John Roach.[5]
[edit] Reception
Moose Murders is legendary among flops on Broadway. Eleven years after reviewing the play, New York Times theater critic Frank Rich referred to Moose Murders as "the worst play I've ever seen on a Broadway stage".[6] Rich's original review stated, "I won't soon forget the spectacle of watching the mummified Sidney rise from his wheelchair to kick an intruder, unaccountably dressed in a moose costume, in the groin."[7] Critic John Simon wrote in a review of the play, "Selective patrons cannot even imagine what horrors reviewers are exposed to, night after nightmarish night."[8]
Moose Murders has even become a touchstone of reference to be used in other reviews; a review of the television sitcom Encore! Encore! described the show as "the 'Moose Murders' of sitcoms -- it won't be here past Halloween, but the recollection of its awfulness will give you untold delight for years to come."[9] A production of the play Dracula in Philadelphia has been described as having "taken on legendary-turkey status [among Philadelphia critics] on a par with Moose Murders".[10]
[edit] Revivals
Despite (or perhaps because of) the play's reputation, it has occasionally received other productions. In 2007, it was produced at Repertory Philippines, an English-language theater company in Makati City, Philippines.[11] Numerous community theatre groups have staged it, and in 2008, John Borek, a Rochester "part-time conceptual artist," began holding staged readings of the play, hoping that it will find a new life "as a work of art".[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Bicknell, Arthur (1984). Moose Murders: A Mystery Farce in Two Acts. New York: Samuel French. ISBN 0573619387. http://books.google.com/books?id=qyBWXP7YWOIC&dq=%22moose+murders%22&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ a b c d Campbell Robertson (2008-04-21). "'A Broadway Flop Again Raises Its Antlers". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/theater/21moos.html. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
- ^ "'Moose Murders' Closes". The New York Times. 1983-02-24. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E0DF133BF937A15751C0A965948260&scp=2&sq=%22moose+murders%22&st=nyt. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ Moose Murders at the Internet Broadway Database.
- ^ Moose Murders, Samuel French, Inc., 1984
- ^ Rich, Frank (1994-02-13). "After 13 years of drama and farce. . . Exit the Critic . . . humming the music and settling the scores". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DE1D61139F930A25751C0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ Rich, Frank (1983-02-23). "Stage: 'Moose Murders,' a Brand of Whodunit". The New York Times. http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9400E3DF133BF930A15751C0A965948260. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ Schillinger, Liesl (2006-01-08). "Notes of a Hanging Judge". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/books/review/08schillinger.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ Rutenberg, Jim (2003-09-21). "Hunting for a Sitcom Hit Among the Misses". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F07E6D6113AF932A1575AC0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ Warner, David (November 30-December 7, 1995). "Exile on Walnut Street". Philadelphia City Paper. http://www.citypaper.net/articles/113095/article050.shtml. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ "Moose Murders". Show Details. Repertory Philippines. 2007. http://www.repertory-philippines.com/show.asp?showid=25. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
