Musicals of the Twentieth Century Quiz

Answer: "Babes in Toyland"

The original "Babes in Toyland", which had music by Victor Herbert and a libretto by Glen MacDonough, is more correctly described as an operetta, but its fairy-tale based subject and popular musical numbers led to numerous revivals during the decades following its first production in 1903.

The "Babes" of the title are a pair of orphans who endure a serious of misadventures in a land populated by various nursery-rhyme characters such as Contrary Mary, Little Bo-Peep and Tom-Tom (the piper's son).

A number of film adaptations were also made, including one in 1934 featuring Laurel and Hardy, and a Walt Disney feature in 1961.

Answer: "Chu Chin Chow"

The musical comedy "Chu Chin Chow" was written by Oscar Ashe (libretto) and Edward Norton (music), and had its first performance at His Majesty's Theatre in London in 1916, at the height of the First World War. It notched up 2,238 performances during its five-year run (unprecedented at the time), becoming a popular distraction for troops home on leave from the war.

Its plot was roughly based on the well-known Arabian Nights story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves", which gave plenty of scope for choruses of scantily-clad chorus girls.

Answer: "Show Boat"

Historians of music theatre generally agree that "Show Boat" was a major milestone in American musicals. The musical numbers were an integral part of the story, which dealt with serious topics such as racial prejudice, poverty, alcoholism, and true love.

The music is by Jerome Kern, with book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, and was based on a novel by American writer Edna Ferber. Its official New York première took place on 27 December 1927, ran for 572 performances, and has been regularly revived since.

Answer: "Anything Goes"

"Anything Goes" is a 1934 musical by Cole Porter (who wrote both the music and the lyrics), and is a light-hearted romp set on board an ocean liner sailing from London to New York. The "book" went through various re-writes even before the opening night, and has been regularly tweaked for the musical's many revivals.

It's probably true to say that its continuing success has been largely due to Cole Porter's tuneful music and witty lyrics. As well as the well-known title song, it includes other popular Porter songs such as "I Get a Kick out of You" and "You're the Top".

Answer: "Oklahoma"

"Oklahoma" was an immediate success when it opened on Broadway in 1943, and ran for five years. It was the first collaboration by Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein (lyrics), who went on to become one of the most successful partnerships in American musical history, writing other classics including "Carousel", "South Pacific", "The King and I" and "The Sound of Music". "Oklahoma", like "Show Boat" (which also had lyrics by Hammerstein), was hailed as an integrated musical which used the songs to develop the story and characters, and in 1944 was awarded a special Pulitzer prize in recognition of its artistic achievements.

Answer: "My Fair Lady"

Irish-born writer George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play "Pygmalion" was adapted into the musical "My Fair Lady" by Alan Jay Lerner (words) and Frederick Loewe (music) in 1956. At its Broadway première, the leading roles of Professor Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle were played by Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews. That production ran for over 2,000 performances, as did the London production which opened in 1958. Rex Harrison repeated his role in the 1964 film version, with Audrey Hepburn as Eliza.

It has been regularly and successfully revived on many occasions since then.

Answer: "Cabaret"

John Kander and Fred Ebb's 1966 musical "Cabaret" had a slightly complicated origin. It was based on the 1951 play "I Am a Camera" by John Van Druten, which was itself derived from Christopher Isherwood's semi-autobiographical work "Goodbye to Berlin" (1939). Set in Berlin in the early 1930s during the rise of the Nazi party, it comments on the political situation of the time through the characters surrounding the decadent cabaret known as the Kit Kat Club.

The musical was adapted into a successful film in 1972, starring Liza Minnelli as the cabaret singer Sally Bowles - a role played in the London première by Judi Dench.

Answer: "The Rocky Horror Show"

"The Rocky Horror Show" began life in 1973 in the somewhat unlikely surroundings of the 83-seat studio theatre attached to London's Royal Court theatre, better known as the hub of socially-aware dramas by writers such as John Osborne, Edward Bond and Arnold Wesker. Both music and lyrics were written by Richard O'Brien, who also played the role of Riff Raff. Parodying 1950s and 60s science fiction movies, the musical tells the story of a clean-cut young American couple who get lost in a storm and find themselves in a castle owned by a transvestite mad scientist by the name of Frank N. Furter (memorably played in the original production, and subsequent movie version, by Tim Curry).

Answer: "The Phantom of the Opera"

With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe and Charles Hart, "The Phantom of the Opera" opened in London in 1986, and became one of the most successful musicals in West End history. It was equally successful when it opened in New York 18 months later, and eventually amassed over 10,000 performances in both cities. Both the original West End and Broadway productions starred Michael Crawford as the masked Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine, the young singer whom he takes under his wing and grooms for stardom.

It is also unusual for a musical in having a sequel - "Love Never Dies" (2010) - also composed by Lloyd Webber.

Answer: "The Lion King"

"The Lion King" was a stage musical based on the 1994 animated film from the Walt Disney studios, one of several full-length Disney cartoons to make this transition. It incorporates the five songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice for the original film, while adding many new songs and choruses.

When it opened, critics admired the way the director (Julie Taymor) and the costume designers had used giant puppets and masks to represent the characters. Unlike many musicals, it did not employ star performers to attract audiences, but relied on the quality of the production itself, and the performances of the ensemble as a whole.

It opened on Broadway in 1997 and in London in 1999, with dozens of productions subsequently opening around the world.