Wordwise Songs from Musicals Trivia Quiz

Answer: Seasons of Love

Based on the 1896 opera "La Boheme" by Puccini, "Rent" premiered one hundred years later in New York in 1996. It relates the story, with a heartbreak or two along the way, of poor struggling young people in the entertainment business trying to survive from day to day, while hoping to make it in the big time one day. "Seasons of Love" opens the second act of this production - a song affirming that life is all about love in the final analysis.

Answer: One Day More

"Les Miserables", which premiered in Paris in 1980, relates a stirring heart-wrenching tale set in the turbulent days of the French Revolution . The two pronged aspect to this musical sees Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for many years, who breaks his parole attempting to start a new life of service to his community, only to be pursued relentless by the officer Javert.

The second part of the musical is built around the struggles of young idealist students and the poor against the corrupt government of the time. Throw in a love story or two, and you have a winner. Brilliant songs in this musical include "One Day More" which is sung at the close of the First Act, set on the evening prior to the failed revolution.

Answer: Anything Goes

Taken from the musical of the same name, the song "Anything Goes", with words and music by the great Cole Porter, hit the stage running on Broadway in 1934, and has continued to be revived many times ever since by various musical groups, professional or amateur.

The cast of characters on an ocean liner bound for New York, include Billy, a love smitten stowaway; an heiress (the object of his affection) who is engaged to another; Public Enemy Number 13; and a nightclub songstress who is an ex-evangelist smitten with our stowaway.

This musical is pure light-hearted fun, and includes a scene where hair is shaved off an indignant Pomeranian to make a false beard for Billy. "Anything Goes", sung at the end of the first act, is all about love moving on quickly to another object of desire.

Answer: Send in the Clowns

"Send in the Clowns" is from the musical "A Little Night Music", which premiered on Broadway in 1973. With the book by Hugh Wheeler, and words and music by Stephen Sondheim, it is based on an earlier 1955 film, "Smiles of a Summer Night". The haunting and lovely song "Send in the Clowns", which has remained popular with audiences ever since, gives a nod in turn to the wonderful Mozart's "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" piece.

This is a comical musical for the most part, dealing with the romantic machinations of various couples.

It has a somehat sorrowful ending, but ultimately reaffirms that love, in spite of everything, is worth it.

Answer: My Girl Back Home

The 1958 musical film by Rogers and Hammerstein, which was based on "Tales of the South Pacific" by James Michener, features some wonderful song and dance routines right throughout - but also heavily leans on the societal problem of racism in a two pronged attack. The first is the love story between an American nurse (Mitzi Gaynor) stationed on an island in the South Pacific who falls in love with a French plantation owner (Rossano Brazzi), but then struggles distressingly with her conditioned feelings about racism, when she discovers that he has mixed race children from a previous relationship.

The secondary theme to this centres around a US Marine Lieutenant (John Kerr), also based there, who falls deeply in love with a native woman (France Nuyen), but fears the social consequences back home should he marry her. "My Girl Back Home" and "You've Got to be Carefully Taught" are two numbers from the film that directly deal with these issues. Sadly, for one of the conflicted Americans in the film, it doesn't end happily. Being a musical, however, this film also features much lighter, livelier and happier numbers - and the overall message that love can conquer all.

Answer: Big Spender

"Sweet Charity" was a 1966 musical by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields, based on a novel by Neil Simon. It stars unlucky-in-love Charity (Shirley MacLaine), who works as a taxi dancer (oh dear) at the Fandango, a sleazy ballroom. When we are first introduced to Charity, her married boyfriend shoves her off a bridge and steals her savings. As her rather amusing run of bad luck continues, she meets a famous movie star who has recently split from his girlfriend, but unfortunately she then has to spend the night hidden in his closet when the girlfriend suddenly returns.

Moving along, and dejected from being later rejected by even an employment agency, Charity finds herself trapped in a lift with a man with claustrophobia - but it is here that her luck begins to change - for a time at least. Poor Charity. The song "Big Spender" is introduced at the beginning of the movie and takes place in the not so appealing ballroom where Charity earns commission on the dance tickets patrons of the ballroom have purchased in order to dance with attractive dance "hostesses".

Answer: Ease on Down the Road

Featured in the 1978 musical film, "The Wiz", with stars such as Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Richard Pryor and others, this movie is based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Don't imagine for a moment though, that this movie bears much resemblance to the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz" starring Judy Garland. Dorothy in "The Wiz", for example, is a 24-year-old school teacher who won't leave home and start a new life of her own.

There is definitely a dog called Toto in the plot, but the Scarecrow (Michael Jackson) is rescued by Dorothy when he is being assailed by humanoid crows. He and Dorothy then set off together singing "Ease on Down the Road". The Tin Man is found in a derelict amusement park; they travel through a spooky subway that has prostitutes who seduce the Lion; the Wicked Witch of the West runs a sweatshop; the bucket of water has been replaced by sprinklers that polish off the witch; and the Wiz (Richard Pryor) turns out to be a has-been politician from Atlantic City. No matter how good the actors were in "The Wiz", why did they have to go and ruin the wonderful characterisation and plot of the 1939 film, and destroy the magic, the innocence, of its memory? You can't improve on perfection.

Answer: Beauty School Dropout

"Beauty School Dropout" is a song featured in the excellent 1978 musical film "Grease", starring John Travolta (Danny) and the lovely Olivia Newton-John (Sandy). The story of the film winds around different problems teenagers encounter in their lives at Rydell High School, with the major story line featuring the on again, off again, definitely on again romance between Sandy and Danny. One of the minor stories is built around Sandy's friend, Frenchy, who wants to be a beautician and drops out of High School to follow her dream at Beauty School - but then drops out of Beauty School as well. Frankie Avalon has a cameo role in the film as Frenchy's guardian angel who sings this number, advising Frenchy to return to High School.

Answer: The Surrey with the Fringe on Top

The 1955 Musical film "Oklahoma!" which was such a resounding success everywhere it played, was based on an earlier musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1943, and that, in turn, was based on the 1931 play by Lynn Rigg called "Green Grow the Lilacs". It could be described in a way as a child of a parent of a grandparent. Starring the talented Gordon MacCrae and Shirley Jones (her debut on the big screen), and replete with wonderful song and dance routines, it relates a melting pot story of Oklahoma's strivings for statehood, clashes between ranchers and farmers, and of course, one or two love stories as well.

"The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" is presented early in the film as Curly (MacRae) and Laurey (Jones) have a lovers spat because she feels he has taken too long to ask her out, and so rejects him when he does. He then, after having described to her the surrey he would take her out in, becomes annoyed at her rejection. This unfortunately sets off one of the darker themes of the film, that of the outright antagonism between Curly, and Laurey's brooding admirer, Jud (Rod Steiger).

Answer: Falling in Love Again

"Falling in Love Again", sung by the incomparable Marlene Dietrich in a husky and seductive, beautifully accented German voice, is taken from the 1930 film, "The Blue Angel", which, if you're lucky, you may see on late night television some time. It tells the story of a professor at a boys school, who goes to the local cabaret "The Blue Angel", featuring the beautiful Lola Lola (Marlene Dietrich), hoping to catch any of his pupils who have sneaked out to see her perform. He becomes fascinated immediately with Lola, spends a passionate night with her (she is rather free with her favours), falls deeply in love with the songbird, and they marry.

It doesn't end happily. Within a very short time, because he has lost his job over her, he becomes a hopeless and overwhelmingly jealous drunkard who is reduced to selling adults only postcards, and working as a clown. He eventually attempts to strangle Lola, and is put into a straitjacket. On his release, he wanders back to his old classroom, his life destroyed, and dies at the desk from which, as a respected and admired intellectual, he once taught. Basically you can forget all the other overacting performers in that movie, but it still is worth seeing, just to see Dietrich deliver that lovely song.