Special Sub-Topic: Original Or Not? II Click Here To Play: Original Or Not? II

We all know how many different versions there are of "Beauty and the Beast", but which one was the first?

The French fairy tale. In 1991, Disney released the cartoon version, and in 1995, the Broadway musical opened.

Although there were many historical events incorporated into the show, what was the musical "Ragtime" mainly based upon?

A novel. "Ragtime" is based upon a 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow, and opened in January of 1998.

Which of the following was "Miss Saigon" mainly based upon?

An opera. "Miss Saigon" is immediately based on the Puccini opera "Madame Butterfly", and came to Broadway in 1991, after opening in the West End two years prior.

"Once on this Island" was based on...

A novel. The musical was based on the novel "My Love, My Love" by Rosa Guy. It opened in October 1990.

Ok, I am a HUGE "Spring Awakening" freak! Tell me, where did the story come from?

A play. Yes, the show was based on a controversial 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind that was frequently banned for sexual content. It opened in December 2006 and won the 2007 Best Musical Tony.

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" was inspired by which of the following?

The writings of Plautus. Plautus was a Roman playwright who penned many farces, and many of the gags in the show were actually directly based from his works. "...Forum" opened on Broadway in 1962.

What was "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" taken from?

Real events. There was actually a place down in Texas called the Chicken Ranch, and in 1973, a Houston reporter forced its closing after he ran a week-long special on it. The show opened in 1978.

"The Sound of Music" is very famous. Can you tell me what it was based on?

A memoir of Maria's life. The Captain did write a memoir. However, it was based upon his WWI experiences that earned him the highest military honor in Austria. Two movies were also made based on Maria's memoir, prior to the musical. There have also been several memoirs by the children.

Ok. Let's switch it up. The musical "Dreamgirls" is based off of a novel.

False. Technically, some aspects of the show are based upon true-life success stories of African-American artists of the time period. But all the characters and the basic points of the plot were made up! The musical originally opened in 1981, and the musical movie opened around Christmas of 2006.

"Wonderful Town" was taken from a ...?

Play. "Wonderful Town" is based upon a play called "My Sister Eileen", which was based on a series of short stories. The original production opened in 1953, and was revived in 2003.

Is "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" original?

No. The musical was actually based on an original play called "C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E" (which was one of the final words spelled in the musical) and starred Dan Fogler and Sarah Saltzburg, who then reprised their respective roles in the musical when it opened in 2005.

Fill the blank with 'Original' or 'Not' "The Drowsy Chaperone" is ______.

Original. The show started at a stag party for the wedding of Robert Martin and Janet Van De Graff (That's where the names for the two main characters came from). The couple were fans of the old musicals from the 20's, so their friends made them a spoof, which eventually developed into the musical, which opened in 2006.

The infamous Sondheim musical "Anyone Can Whistle" - What was it based on?

Original. The original production opened in 1964 and only lasted for nine days!

Ok, was "The Wedding Singer" based on...?

A movie. The 1998 movie starred Adam Sandler as the title character and Drew Barrymore as Julia. The musical opened in March of 2006 and closed on New Year's Eve of that year.

Fill in the Blank with "Original" or "Not". "Nunsense" is ________.

Original. The creators of the show claim they found their inspiration from a series of greeting cards featuring nuns, often including some clergy-related joke. The show opened in December 1985.

Fill in the blank with "Original" or "Not", based on whether the show we know is the first version of itself. "Grease", the musical, is _______.

Not. The show was originally a 1971 play, and all those famous tunes were incidental music in the background. A producer suggested that it be turned into a musical, which opened Valentine's Day, 1972.

"Bye Bye Birdie" was inspired by which rock 'n roll artist?

Elvis Presley. This show became so popular, it spawned a 1981 sequel: "Bring Back Birdie".

"Hair" was original.

True. "Hair" opened in 1968 and had many firsts. It was the first rock musical. It was the first integrated cast. It also was the first to invite audience members to dance on stage, and the first to include a nude scene.

"Man of La Mancha" was mainly based on a...

Book. There was a movie or two previous to the musical, and there was a play, but the creators only cite the original novel as their inspiration. The musical opened in 1965.

"A New Brain" is actually based on what?

Composer William Finn's illness. William Finn has AVM, which is a disorder between blood vessels in the muscles. The 1998 musical changed the illness to a brain tumor.

"Cabaret" is based on which of the following?

A play based on a book. This 1966 musical was based upon "Berlin Stories" by Christopher Isherwood, which inspired the play "I Am a Camera".

"The Scarlet Pimpernel" was a _____ before it was a musical.

Book. The 1998 musical was based upon the novel by Baroness Orczy, and altough there were play and movie adaptions, they did not influence the musical at all.

The musical "Curtains" was original -- it was the first published version, after all. But who was it who had the original idea?

Peter Stone, but he died before he finished the musical's book.. It actually was based upon an unfinished book by Peter Stone. When he died, Rupert Holmes was hired to finish it. The show opened in 2007.

"Chicago" was original.

False. "Chicago" was based on a play of the same title by Maurine Dallas Watkins. Interestingly, the original 1975 production of the show lasted four years, but the 1996 revival is still running after 10 years, making it the longest running revival on Broadway.

"The Rocky Horror Show" was based upon what?

Nothing! It was original!. The musical opened in 1973, and after its success in London, creator Richard O'Brien started work on the 1975 movie. Well, I hope you had fun with the second installment of Original or Not!