Moose Murders

by Arthur Bicknell

Mystery/Farce / 4m, 5f / Unit set The wealthy heirs of a wealthy but ailing old man named Sidney Holloway have purchased the Wild Moose Lodge in the Adirondacks as a place for daddy to live out his last days. During an innocuous game of "murder" suggested by one of the clan, mousey young Lorraine Holloway is murdered for real. Who done it? Could it have been the legendary "Butcher Moose" which haunts the mountains? Or, is it a member (or members) of the eccentric Holloway family itself? Before

Genres: Plays

100 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

A nearly indecipherable play with themes bordering on completely offensive (incest, child-murder, making fun of persons with disabilities). The dialogue sounds like it was created in a bad improv class. This script deserves its bad reputation as a theatrical travesty. However, it is still better than the script for PERFECT CRIME.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

SNOOKS: The Moose! Get it! Oh! And Gay! Gay!
HEDDA: [Somewhat disheveled, she throws open the closet door.] Gay? [She enters the room dragging STINKY who has a firm grasp on her leg.] Let go, Stinky! Not now! Stop it!
STINKY: [Holding tight.] I love you, Momma! Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!

Bicknell’s play Moose Murders is so terrible it opened and closed in one night and has, since, become shorthand for any horrid play. The problem is the play itself. There’s been poor productions of Romeo and Juliet or Streetcar Named Desire, but the underlying material isn’t the root cause. With Moose Murders, we are certain the play’s the rotten thing.

Bicknell attempts humor at the expense of a clumsy blind man and a 60’s hippy constantly ogling and fondling his mother. The play actually ends the moment a twelve-year old Shirley Temple-esque girl is poisoned . What merit did any producer see in this play?

And that’s my take-away from this reading experience: Think of how many aspiring playwrights are out there, hoping to have their plays produced and accepted. And think this one is actually produced—that a troop of actors spent evening after evening preparing this play for an audience. There’s no way they didn’t realize the source of their work was pathetic.

Furthermore, I didn't even get a Plan 9 From Outer Space vibe from this work. It's not so terrible it's campy or interesting. It's just mind-bogglingly terrible.

[Andrew McGill · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a reason this play flopped on Broadway, and just from one read, it's obvious. I think there is a good story behind the blatant racism, sexism, and bad characters. I'd love to take a crack at rewriting this one day, just for fun.

[Mary Bush · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play has a legendary reputation for being terrible. It is. But it's quite fun to read.

[Cara Patel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is this as bad as everyone says it is, yes. I think that's the fun of it though.

Finding out that this is deamed the worst play to every his broadway, lasting only one performance, I read this with a few friends for a laugh.

The characters were one dimentional, there were tremendous plot holes, character motivations didn't make sence, the plot was ridiculous, several depictions of characters were quite racist, there were a couple of unacceptable slurs, and the "plot" was remarkably over convoluted.