Not Every Musical Can Be "Cats" Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which musical is this? * It is set in New York City. * It is based on a 1977 movie that starred Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss. * It includes the line "Elliot, I want you to play Richard [III] as a man, playing a woman, playing a man."

Answer: The Goodbye Girl

"The Goodbye Girl" opened on March 4, 1993 and closed after 188 performances. It starred Bernadette Peters as Paula and Martin Short as Elliot. The book was by Neil Simon, the music by Marvin Hamlisch, and the lyrics by David Zippel.

2. Which musical is this? * It is set during the California Gold Rush. (What would you do before you left?) * It was created by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. * It includes the songs "They Call the Wind Maria" and "Wand'rin' Star".

Answer: Paint Your Wagon

"Paint Your Wagon" opened on November 12, 1951 and closed after 289 performances. It starred James Barton as Ben Rumson, Olga San Juan as Jennifer, and Tony Bavaar as Julio. Lerner wrote the book and lyrics and Loewe wrote the music.

The 1969 movie version starred Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood. The plot is radically different, but it is fun seeing the climax of the movie when the town sinks into the ground.

3. Which musical is this? * It is set in Lancaster County, PA and features the Amish. (How do the Amish and outsiders compare? Hmm.) * The second act begins with a barn being raised onstage. * It includes a song where a young character recites an A-Z list of plants grown in Pennsylvania.

Answer: Plain and Fancy

"Plain and Fancy" opened on January 27, 1955 and ran for 461 performances. It interluded in its cast Barbara Cook as Hilda. The book was by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman, the lyrics were by Arnold B. Horwitt, and the music was by Albert Hague.

The song with the plants is "Plenty of Pennsylvania" and only cheats twice ("X-plants" and "unions" for "onions").

4. Which musical is this? * It is based on a novel by Charles Dickens. * The book, music and lyrics are all by the same person. * The audience votes on the ending. (Why would the audience need to vote?)

Answer: The Mystery of Edwin Drood

"The Mystery of Edwin Drood" opened on December 02, 1985 and closed after 608 performances. It was retitled "Drood" partway through its run. It starred George Rose as William Cartwright, the Chairman and Betty Buckley as Edwin Drood. It was advertised as "The Solve it Yourself Broadway Musical."

Book, music, lyrics were all written by Rupert Holmes. He is also known for writing and performing the 1979 hit "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)".

5. Which musical is this? * It is based on a comic strip by Al Capp. (What's that strip called?) * It is largely set in a rural part of the southern US. * It included in its cast Charlotte Rae, Tina Louise, and Julie Newmar.

Answer: Li'l Abner

"Li'l Abner" opened on November 15, 1956 and closed after 693 performances. It starred Peter Palmer as Li'l Abner and Edith Adams as Daisy Mae. The book was by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, the music by Gene de Paul, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

The secondary cast included Charlotte Rae as Mammy Yokum, Tina Louise as Appassinata Von Climax, and Julie Newmar as Stupefyin' Jones.

6. Which musical is this? * It is based on a 1941 play by Noel Coward. (Could the name be a little different?) * It includes several spirits/ghosts in the cast. * One character sings a song about the joys of riding a bicycle.

Answer: High Spirits

"High Spirits" opened on April 17, 1964 and closed after 375 performances. It starred Beatrice Lillie as Madame Arcati, Tammy Grimes as Elvira, and Edward Woodward as Charles Condomine. The book, music, and lyrics were written by Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray.

"High Spirits" was based on Noel Coward's 1941 play "Blithe Spirit." Madame Arcati led the cast in the singing of "The Bicycle Song."

7. Which musical is this? * It is based on the stories of Sherlock Holmes and multiple scenes are in his flat. (Hey! That sounds important.) * It included a young Christopher Walken as a chorus dancer. * Advertising for the show claimed that Sherlock Holmes taught James Bond everything he knew.

Answer: Baker Street

"Baker Street" opened on February 16, 1965 and closed after 313 performances. The cast included Fritz Weaver as Sherlock Holmes, Inga Swenson as Irene Adler, Martin Gabel as Professor Moriarty, and Peter Sallis as Dr. Watson. The book was by Jerome Coopersmith and the music and lyrics were by Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessell.

8. Which musical is this? * It is based upon a play by Edmond Rostrand. * It includes a song where the main character insults his own nose. * Unlike the movie adaptation of "The Sound of Music," Christopher Plummer was actually singing.

Answer: Cyrano

"Cyrano" opened on May 13, 1973 and ran for 49 performances. It starred Christopher Plummer as Cyrano de Bergerac, Leigh Berry as Roxana, and Mark Lamos as Christian de Neuville. The lyrics were by Anthony Burgess and the music by Michael J. Lewis. The book was based on Burgess's adaptation of Rostrand's "Cyrano de Bergerac."

9. Which musical is this? * It is set in Europe in the period 1772-1818. * It tells the story of a family of bankers. (Which family?) * One character refers to another character as "a Jewish Joan of Arc."

Answer: The Rothschilds

"The Rothschilds" opened on October 19, 1970 and closed after 505 performances. The cast included Hal Linden as Meyer Rothschild and Keene Curtis who played four roles. The book was by Sherman Yellen, the music by Jerry Bock, and the lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.

In the show, Nathan Rothschild refers to his future wife, Hannah Cohen, as "a Jewish Joan of Arc."

10. Which show is this? * It mostly takes place on a train traveling between Chicago and New York in the early 1930s. * One of its female stars, later known for the movie "Clue", left the cast less than three months after it opened. * It includes the song "Life is Like a Train," sung by a quartet.

Answer: On the Twentieth Century

"On the Twentieth Century" opened on February 19, 1978 and closed after 460 performances. It starred John Cullum as "Oscar Jaffee, Madeline Kahn as Lily Garland, and Imogene Coca as Letitia Primrose. The book and lyrics were by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and the music was by Cy Coleman.

By the time that Madeline Kahn left the cast, her understudy had already played the part in nine performances.

Source: Author bernie73

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Some musicals are huge hits. Others, for what ever reason, are not. While many of these musicals were not flops, they all ran for less than 1,000 performances. Based on the clues, name the show.

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