Moose Murders
Encyclopedia
Moose Murders is a play
by Arthur Bicknell
, self-described as a mystery
farce
.
An immediate flop, it is now widely considered the standard of awfulness against which all Broadway failures are judged, and its name has become synonymous with those distinctively bad Broadway
plays which open and close on the same night. It had its single performance (excluding previews) at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre
on February 22, 1983.
. 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, but this episode does not appear in the original script.
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
. The complete cast was as follows:
The production was directed by John Roach.
referred to Moose Murders as "the worst play I've ever seen on a Broadway stage". 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." 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."
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." 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".
, Philippines
. 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 it will find a new life "as a work of art".
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by Arthur Bicknell
Arthur Bicknell
Arthur Bicknell is an American playwright, who wrote the legendary flop Moose Murders.According to an April 21, 2008 article in The New York Times, Bicknell " … was 32 at the time and had written a couple of scripts. … After the show closed immediately, Mr. Bicknell spent a long night drinking with...
, self-described as a mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
.
An immediate flop, it is now widely considered the standard of awfulness against which all Broadway failures are judged, and its name has become synonymous with those distinctively bad Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
plays which open and close on the same night. It had its single performance (excluding previews) at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre
Eugene O'Neill Theatre
The Eugene O'Neill Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 230 West 49th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, it was built for the Shuberts as part of a theatre-hotel complex named for 19th century tragedian Edwin Forrest...
on February 22, 1983.
Plot
The Holloway family arrives at the "Wild Moose Lodge", which they have recently purchased, in the Adirondack MountainsAdirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
. 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
Pater familias
The pater familias, also written as paterfamilias was the head of a Roman family. The term is Latin for "father of the family" or the "owner of the family estate". The form is irregular and archaic in Latin, preserving the old genitive ending in -as...
and an apparent vegetable. They pass the time playing a murder mystery game
Murder mystery game
Murder mystery games are generally party games wherein one of the partygoers is secretly, and unknowingly, playing a murderer, and the other attendees must determine who among them is the criminal...
. During the night, one Holloway son attempts incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
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, but this episode does not appear in the original script.
Original production
The original Broadway production at the Eugene O'Neill theatre was marred by problems even before it opened. Eve ArdenEve Arden
Eve Arden was an American actress. Her almost 60-year career crossed most media frontiers with supporting and leading roles, but she may be best-remembered for playing the sardonic but engaging title character, a high school teacher, on Our Miss Brooks, and as the Rydell High School principal in...
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
Holland Taylor
Holland Virginia Taylor is an American actress of film, stage and television. Her notable television roles include Ruth Dunbar in Bosom Buddies, senator's wife Margaret Powers on Norman Lear's The Powers That Be, Judge Roberta Kittleson in The Practice and Evelyn Harper in Two and a Half...
. The complete cast was as follows:
- Snooks Keene - June GableJune GableJune Gable is an American Character actress, best known for her role as Estelle Leonard of The Estelle Leonard Talent Agency in the American sitcom Friends.-Life and career:...
- Howie Keene - Don Potter
- Joe Buffalo Dance - Jack Dabdoub
- Nurse Dagmar - Lisa McMillan
- Hedda Holloway - Holland TaylorHolland TaylorHolland Virginia Taylor is an American actress of film, stage and television. Her notable television roles include Ruth Dunbar in Bosom Buddies, senator's wife Margaret Powers on Norman Lear's The Powers That Be, Judge Roberta Kittleson in The Practice and Evelyn Harper in Two and a Half...
- Stinky Holloway - Scott Evans
- Gay Holloway - Mara HobelMara HobelMara Hobel is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of young Christina Crawford in the film Mommie Dearest...
- Lauraine Holloway Fay - Lillie Robertson
- Nelson Fay - Nicholas Hormann
- Sidney Holloway - Dennis Florzak
The production was directed by John Roach.
Reception
Moose Murders is legendary among flops on Broadway. Eleven years after reviewing the play, New York Times theater critic Frank RichFrank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
referred to Moose Murders as "the worst play I've ever seen on a Broadway stage". 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." Critic John Simon
John Simon (critic)
John Ivan Simon is an American author and literary, theater, and film critic.-Personal life:Simon was born in Subotica, Bačka, County of Bačka, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later, known as Yugoslavia . He is of Hungarian descent...
wrote in a review of the play, "Selective patrons cannot even imagine what horrors reviewers are exposed to, night after nightmarish night."
Moose Murders has even become a touchstone of reference to be used in other reviews; a review of the television sitcom Encore! Encore!
Encore! Encore!
Encore! Encore! is an American sitcom starring Nathan Lane as an opera singer. On the verge of becoming "The Fourth Tenor", Lane's character injures his vocal cords and must move in with his family, who run a vineyard in Northern California. The series premiered on NBC on September 22, 1998.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." 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".
Revivals
Notwithstanding (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 CityMakati City
The City of Makati is one of the 17 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines and one of the major financial, commercial and economic hubs in Asia...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Numerous community theatre
Community theatre
Community theatre refers to theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community...
groups have staged it, and in 2008, John Borek, a Rochester "part-time conceptual artist", began holding staged readings of the play, hoping it will find a new life "as a work of art".