One Word Musicals Trivia Quiz

Answer: Grease

"Grease" first opened on Broadway on February 14th, 1972. Barry Bostwick played Danny Zuko, and Carol Demas played Sandy Dumbrowski. Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey wrote the music and lyrics.

The show opens with the school's "Alma Mater", followed by the "Alma Mater Parody". It then goes back in time to 1959.

Danny Zuko is the leader of the Burger Palace Boys. Over the summer, he met and had a romantic relationship with Sandy Dumbrowski. He believed she had gone back to Australia. There was a change of plans, and she is also at Rydell High. Sandy has become friends with Frenchy, one of the Pink Ladies. The girls learn that Sandy dated Danny over the summer. They bring her over to see Danny, but Danny is not nice to her, because he wants to look cool in front of his friends.

Meanwhile Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies, does not particularly care for Sandy because she thinks she's too pure. Rizzo has problems of her own; she is dating Kenickie, one of the Burger Palace Boys, and their relationship is often rocky.

"Grease" initially ran for 3,388 performances, closing on April 13, 1980.

Answer: Oliver!

"Oliver!" first opened on Broadway on January 6, 1963. The musical was based on the novel "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens. Lionel Bart wrote music, lyrics, and libretto. The original cast included Bruce Prochnik as Oliver Twist and David Jones as The Artful Dodger. A few years later, the latter would be known as Davy Jones when he became one of The Monkees.

Oliver Twist was an orphan under Mr. Bumbles' care. The orphans were eating gruel, and Oliver went up and asked for more. He was then sent to live somewhere else, but he ran away and met the Artful Dodger. He moved in with Fagan and his boys, who were trained in picking pockets.

The original performance closed on November 14, 1964 after 774 performances.

Answer: Annie

"Annie" opened on April 21, 1977. Andrea McArdle played Annie and Reid Shelton played Oliver Warbucks. Annie grew up in an orphanage, but when she was ten years old Oliver Warbucks had her stay at his house for two weeks as part of a promotion to make himself look good as a millionaire. The original production closed on January 2, 1983, after 2,377 performances.

Answer: Rent

"Rent" opened on Broadway on April 29, 1996. The original cast included Anthony Rapp as Mark Cohan, Adam Pascal as Roger Davis, Taye Diggs as Benjamin Coffin the 3rd, William Jermaine Heredia as Angel Schunard, Jesse L Martin as Tom Collins, Idina Menzel as Maureen Johnson, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Mimi Marquez, and Fredi Walker as Joanne Jefferson.

Mark videotapes their lives for a year, tapes that he aspires to make into movies. He used to date Maureen, who was an actress, but she left him for Joanne, who is a lawyer. Roger is Mark's roommate, and he ends up dating Mimi. Roger was a heroin user but quit after he and his girlfriend, April, months ago got AIDS. April committed suicide after she left a note to let Roger know about the AIDS. Tom Collins is a philosophy professor at MIT. He used to live with Mark, Benny, and Maureen. He meets and then dates Angel, a drummer and drag queen. Both Collins and Angel also have AIDS. Benny married a wealthy woman named Allison, also, known as Muffy, and became Roger and Mark's landlord; he is now forcing them to pay rent or be evicted.

"Rent" closed on September 7, 2008 after 5,123 performances.

Answer: Cats

"Cats" opened on Broadway on October 7, 1982, having been playing in London's West End since 1981. It starred Betty Buckley as Grizabella the Glamour Cat and Ken Page as Old Deuteronomy. "Cats" was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with most of the lyrics coming from poems in T. S. Eliot's book, "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats". Trevor Nunn wrote some other songs.

"Cats" tells us the story of cats trying to get to the heavy-side layer to be reborn. They all tell stories of other cats trying to make themselves look good so that they will be chosen to be reborn. However, Grizabella the Glamour Cat does not put on any airs, and sings the song "Memory". The other cats originally dislike her, but by the end, they are supporting her.

"Cats" closed on September 10, 2000, after 7,485 performances.

Answer: Aladdin

Aladdin opened on March 20, 2014. It starred James Monroe Inglehart as the Genie, Adam Jacobs as Aladdin and Courtney Reed as Jasmine. Aladdin was a street urchin who lived by stealing food. He meets Genie and a princess named Jasmine, falls in love with Jasmine and enlists Genie to help him.

As of November 6, 2022, Aladdin has run 2,938 performances.

Answer: Seussical

"Seussical" opened on November 30, 2000. It starred Kevin Chamberlain as Horton the Elephant, Anthony Blair Hall as JoJo, and David Shiner as the Cat in the Hat.

Horton the Elephant, in the Jungle of Nool, hears a strange noise coming from a speck of dust. He believes that people live on that speck of dust and protects them; others, including the Sour Kangaroo, pick on him. Gertrude Mcfuzz, however, admires his compassion, while Mayzie LaBird is so stuck on herself she doesn't care about anything else. Horton learns that that speck of dust is where Whoville, populated by the Whos, is located. JoJo, who is the son of the mayor of Whoville, keeps getting in trouble for having "Thinks". As a result, JoJo is sent to a military school run by Genghis Khan Schmitz, who is currently at war with people who "eat their bread with the butter side down." JoJo and Horton become friends as they both feel like they are "alone in the universe."

"Seussical" closed on May 22, 2001, after 198 performances.

Answer: Fiorello!

"Fiorello!" opened on November 23, 1959, with Tom Bosley as Fiorello LaGuardia. The first act of the musical follows the life of La Guardia during World War I. The second act takes place ten years later when LaGuardia is the mayor of New York City.

In 1960, "Fiorello!" tied with the "Sound of Music" for Best Musical at the Tony Awards. "Fiorello!" closed on October 28, 1961, after 795 performances.

Answer: Camelot

"Camelot" opened on December 3, 1960. It starred Julie Andrews as Guenevere, Richard Burton as King Arthur, and Robert Goulet as Lancelot du Lac. "Camelot" is based on "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White. The musical was written by Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, and Moss Hart.

King Arthur marries Guenevere and decides he wants to rule his kingdom differently, using "might for right," not "might is right." Arthur sets up his round table with his knights, of whom Lancelot is closest to him; unfortunately, Guenevere and Lancelot soon have an affair. Eventually, King Arthur finds out and has Guinevere sentenced to death; however, Sir Lancelot escapes. Guenevere is sentenced to death via burning at the stake. But Arthur cannot watch his wife being burned because he still loves her. Arthur hopes that Sir Lancelot will come and rescue her, which he does. He has to kill some other knights in order to save her. And now, Arthur must wage war against Lancelot.

"Camelot" closed on January 5th, 1963, after 873 performances.

Answer: Gypsy

Gypsy opened on May 21, 1959. The musical starred Ethel Merman as Mama Rose and Sandra Church as Louise.

At the beginning of the show, Mama Rose is with her daughters, June and Louise. Louise is trying to get into vaudeville, and they sing the song "Let Me Entertain You". Mama Rose is a stage mother who never made it big herself and therefore is pushing her children to do what she could not do. As the children get older, they start to resent their mother. June runs off and gets married and is not seen after Act One.

In Act Two, with June gone, Louise is now the one Rose uses to make it big; Louise ends up performing in a burlesque house. Rose accidentally booked a gig there not knowing what it was. Louise is taught from three other performers (Tessie Tura, Electra, and Mazeppa) that you "Gotta Have a Gimmick" to be a good stripper. Rose is not happy when Louise takes up the name Gypsy Rose Lee and becomes a stripper. She is upset about how her own life has turned out, and during the song "Rose's Turn" Mama Rose has a breakdown.

"Mama's goin' strong
Mama's movin' on
Mama's all alone."

By the end of the number Rose is getting stronger again, and telling everyone that "Everything's Coming up Roses!"

Gypsy closed on March 25, 1961, after 702 performances.