Mule Bone
Encyclopedia
Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life is a 1930 play
by American
authors Langston Hughes
and Zora Neale Hurston
. The process of writing the play led Hughes and Hurston, who had been close friends, to sever their relationship. Mule Bone was not staged until 1991.
.
Dave Carter: A dancer and Baptist
. He is Jim's best friend.
Daisy Taylor: A domestic servant and Methodist.
Joe Clarke: The mayor, a Methodist.
Elder Simms: Methodist minister.
Elder Childers: Baptist minister.
, on a Saturday afternoon with Jim and Dave fighting for Daisy's affection. The two men come to blows, and Jim picks up a hock
-bone from a mule and knocks Dave out. Jim is arrested and held for trial in Joe Clarke's barn.
On Monday, the trial begins in the Macedonia Baptist Church. The townspeople are divided along religious lines: Jim's Methodist supporters sit on one side of the church, Dave's Baptist supporters on the other. The issue to be decided at the trial is whether Jim has committed a crime. Jim admits he hit Dave but denies it was a crime. Elder Simms argues on Jim's behalf that a weapon is necessary to commit a crime, and nowhere in the Bible does it say a mule bone is a weapon. Elder Childers, representing Dave, says that Samson
used a donkey's jawbone to kill 3,000 men (citing Judges 18:18), so the hock bone of a mule must be even more powerful. Joe Clarke declares Jim guilty and banishes him from town for two years.
Act III takes place some time later, with Daisy encountering Jim outside of town. She tells him that she's been worried about him, but he's skeptical. She demonstrates the sincerity of her affection and Dave comes upon the couple. The two men engage in a war of words
to try to show which of them loves Daisy more. The contest ends when it becomes clear that Daisy expects her man to work for the white people who employ her. Jim and Dave are reconciled, and neither is interested in courting Daisy. The two men return to Eatonville.
Hurston had collected in Florida during one of her anthropological
field trips. The two writers dictated their work to Louise Thompson, who typed it.
Their work was almost completed in June, when Hurston went away for the summer. She took her notes and said she would return in the fall and they could finish the play. When Hurston came back, she wouldn't return telephone calls from Hughes. She felt that he wanted Thompson to be considered a third collaborator in the project, a proposal to which she strongly objected.
Hughes was in the process of severing his relationship with their common literary patron
, Mrs. Rufus Osgood Mason. Hurston may have been trying to protect her own relationship with Mason by shunning Hughes.
Hurston submitted Mule Bone for copyright in October 1930 listing herself as the only author. In January 1931, Hughes found that a copy of Mule Bone had been sent to the Gilpin Players, an all-black theatre company in Cleveland, for their consideration—bearing only Hurston's name. Hurston told Hughes she hadn't sent them the play, an assertion that was true, but Hughes was furious. He sent a copy for copyright under both their names.
In the meantime, the Gilpin Players wanted to stage the play. The play was still somewhat rough, but Hughes was in Cleveland and he offered to help rewrite portions of the play. Hurston sent a telegram advising that she refused to allow the production. A day later, she sent another telegram authorizing the production on the condition that she be allowed to work with Hughes on changes. That same day, Hughes received a letter from Hurston saying that no part of the play had been written by him.
In light of all the off-stage drama, the Gilpin Players decided not to proceed with their production. The copy of Mule Bone in the Langston Hughes papers at Yale University has a hand-written notation by Hughes: "This play was never done because the authors fell out".
on Broadway
on February 14, 1991, to generally negative reviews.
Reviewing Mule Bone for The New York Times
, Frank Rich
wrote that it was "an evening that can most kindly be described as innocuous". He described it as a "broad, often bland quasi-musical". Also writing in The New York Times, David Richards said of Mule Bone that "it's just not a very good play". Both critics suggested that the play might have been much better had Hughes and Hurston finished their collaboration.
The production closed on April 14, 1991, after 68 performances.
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 American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
authors Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
and Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance...
. The process of writing the play led Hughes and Hurston, who had been close friends, to sever their relationship. Mule Bone was not staged until 1991.
Characters
Jim Weston: A guitarist and MethodistMethodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
.
Dave Carter: A dancer and Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
. He is Jim's best friend.
Daisy Taylor: A domestic servant and Methodist.
Joe Clarke: The mayor, a Methodist.
Elder Simms: Methodist minister.
Elder Childers: Baptist minister.
Plot synopsis
The play begins in Eatonville, FloridaEatonville, Florida
Eatonville is a town in Orange County, Florida, six miles north of Orlando. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee metropolitan statistical area. The population was 2,432 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S...
, on a Saturday afternoon with Jim and Dave fighting for Daisy's affection. The two men come to blows, and Jim picks up a hock
Hock (zoology)
The hock, or gambrel, is the joint between the tarsal bones and tibia of a digitigrade or unguligrade quadrupedal mammal, such as a horse, cat, or dog...
-bone from a mule and knocks Dave out. Jim is arrested and held for trial in Joe Clarke's barn.
On Monday, the trial begins in the Macedonia Baptist Church. The townspeople are divided along religious lines: Jim's Methodist supporters sit on one side of the church, Dave's Baptist supporters on the other. The issue to be decided at the trial is whether Jim has committed a crime. Jim admits he hit Dave but denies it was a crime. Elder Simms argues on Jim's behalf that a weapon is necessary to commit a crime, and nowhere in the Bible does it say a mule bone is a weapon. Elder Childers, representing Dave, says that Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
used a donkey's jawbone to kill 3,000 men (citing Judges 18:18), so the hock bone of a mule must be even more powerful. Joe Clarke declares Jim guilty and banishes him from town for two years.
Act III takes place some time later, with Daisy encountering Jim outside of town. She tells him that she's been worried about him, but he's skeptical. She demonstrates the sincerity of her affection and Dave comes upon the couple. The two men engage in a war of words
Wolf ticket
Wolf ticket is an African-American slang term meaning a verbal threat, criticism, or insult. The term originates from woofing, meaning aimless talk, an onomatopoeic reference to the sound of dogs barking...
to try to show which of them loves Daisy more. The contest ends when it becomes clear that Daisy expects her man to work for the white people who employ her. Jim and Dave are reconciled, and neither is interested in courting Daisy. The two men return to Eatonville.
Writing Mule Bone
Hughes and Hurston began writing Mule Bone in March 1930. They wanted to write a comedy about African American life that didn't consist of racial stereotypes. They decided to base the plot on a folktaleFolklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
Hurston had collected in Florida during one of her anthropological
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
field trips. The two writers dictated their work to Louise Thompson, who typed it.
Their work was almost completed in June, when Hurston went away for the summer. She took her notes and said she would return in the fall and they could finish the play. When Hurston came back, she wouldn't return telephone calls from Hughes. She felt that he wanted Thompson to be considered a third collaborator in the project, a proposal to which she strongly objected.
Hughes was in the process of severing his relationship with their common literary patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
, Mrs. Rufus Osgood Mason. Hurston may have been trying to protect her own relationship with Mason by shunning Hughes.
Hurston submitted Mule Bone for copyright in October 1930 listing herself as the only author. In January 1931, Hughes found that a copy of Mule Bone had been sent to the Gilpin Players, an all-black theatre company in Cleveland, for their consideration—bearing only Hurston's name. Hurston told Hughes she hadn't sent them the play, an assertion that was true, but Hughes was furious. He sent a copy for copyright under both their names.
In the meantime, the Gilpin Players wanted to stage the play. The play was still somewhat rough, but Hughes was in Cleveland and he offered to help rewrite portions of the play. Hurston sent a telegram advising that she refused to allow the production. A day later, she sent another telegram authorizing the production on the condition that she be allowed to work with Hughes on changes. That same day, Hughes received a letter from Hurston saying that no part of the play had been written by him.
In light of all the off-stage drama, the Gilpin Players decided not to proceed with their production. The copy of Mule Bone in the Langston Hughes papers at Yale University has a hand-written notation by Hughes: "This play was never done because the authors fell out".
1991 production
Mule Bone was produced for the first time in 1991, more than 60 years after it was written. It opened at the Ethel Barrymore TheatreEthel Barrymore Theatre
The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 243 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan, named for actress Ethel Barrymore....
on 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...
on February 14, 1991, to generally negative reviews.
Reviewing Mule Bone for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Frank Rich
Frank 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...
wrote that it was "an evening that can most kindly be described as innocuous". He described it as a "broad, often bland quasi-musical". Also writing in The New York Times, David Richards said of Mule Bone that "it's just not a very good play". Both critics suggested that the play might have been much better had Hughes and Hurston finished their collaboration.
The production closed on April 14, 1991, after 68 performances.