A Moon for the Misbegotten
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A Moon for the Misbegotten
Moon for the Misbegotten, A (1957), a play by Eugene O'Neill. [Bijou Theatre, 68 perf.] Having buried his mother, the hopelessly dissipated James Tyrone Jr. (Franchot Tone) wanders aimlessly in search of a mother figure. On the wretched Connecticut farm of a seedy Irishman, Phil Hogan (Cyril Cusack), James finds such a figure in Hogan's homely, but warm‐hearted daughter, Josie (Wendy Hiller). Josie and her father plan to trick James into marrying her but instead, during a long night of drunken blather and confessions, James and Josie reach an understanding of each other's fatal instincts. James leaves her, wandering off on his path toward self‐destruction. The play originally failed in a 1947 tryout and was coolly received when it opened on Broadway ten years later. Not until a fine revival by the Circle in the Square in 1968 were its merits fully perceived. The revival featured Mitchell Ryan as Tyrone, W. B. Brydon as Hogan, and Salome Jens as his daughter. A 1973 revival, directed by José Quintero and starring Jason Robards Jr. and Colleen Dewhurst, is recognized as the touchstone performance of the work. Less successful but still commendable were revivals in 1984 with Kate Nelligan and Ian Bannen and in 2000 with Cherry Jones and Gabriel Bryne. While not quite top rank O'Neill, it remains a powerfully moving drama and is closely linked to the even more autobiographical Long Day's Journey into Night by the importance of the Tyrone figure to both works.
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A Moon for the Misbegotten
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A Moon for the Misbegotten
A Moon for the Misbegotten is a play by Eugene O'Neill. The play is a sequel to the O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night, with the Jim Tyrone character as an older version of Jamie Tyrone.
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Contents
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Plot
Set in a dilapidated Connecticut house in early September 1923, the play focuses on three characters: Josie, a domineering Irish woman with a quick tongue and a ruined reputation, her conniving father, tenant farmer Phil Hogan, and James Tyrone, Jr., Hogan's landlord and drinking companion, a cynical alcoholic haunted by the death of his mother.
The play begins with Mike, the last of Hogan's three sons, leaving the farm. As a joke during one of their drunken bouts, Tyrone threatens to sell his land and evict Hogan, which propels the latter to set into motion a scheme that will take advantage of the mutual affection between his daughter and Tyrone. The play ends with Jim Tyrone leaving the farm, apparently to die soon of complications from alcoholism.
Autobiographical aspects
As in Journey, the Tyrone character is based on Eugene O'Neill's older brother, Jamie O'Neill.
Productions
A Moon for the Misbegotten had its world premiere at the Hartman Theatre in Columbus, Ohio in 1947.
The play has been produced five times on Broadway. The original production opened on May 2, 1957 at the now-demolished Bijou Theatre with lighting by Lee Watson, where it ran for 68 performances. The cast included Cyril Cusack, Franchot Tone, and Wendy Hiller. There was a well-reviewed Off-Broadway revival in the late 60's with Salome Jens as Josie.
After four previews, the first Broadway revival, directed by José Quintero, opened on December 29, 1973 at the Morosco Theatre, where it ran for 313 performances. The cast included Colleen Dewhurst who won a Tony Award, Jason Robards, and Ed Flanders. The cast reprised their roles in a Quintero-directed production for television, broadcast by ABC on May 27, 1975. It garnered five Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Special—Drama or Comedy, with Flanders winning the award for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special.
After nineteen previews, the second revival, directed by David Leveaux, opened on May 1, 1984 at the Cort Theatre, where it ran for 40 performances. The cast included Ian Bannen, Jerome Kilty, and Kate Nelligan.
After fifteen previews, the third revival, directed by Daniel Sullivan, opened on March 19, 2000 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, where it ran for 120 performances. The cast included Gabriel Byrne, Roy Dotrice, and Cherry Jones.
A fourth revival, starring Kevin Spacey, began previews on March 29, 2007 and closed on June 10, 2007 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre following a 112 performance run at the Old Vic Theatre in London 15 Sep 2006 - 23 Dec 2006, featuring Eve Best, Billy Carter, Colm Meaney, Eugene O'Hare, and Kevin Spacey.
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Oxford Companion to American Theatre
The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Mentioned in
Richard Horner
(Actor, Children's/Family/Fantasy)
José [Benjamin] Quintero
(American Theater)
Franchot Tone
(American Theater)
Jane Greenwood
(American Theater)
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