FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Sondheims Follies
Quiz about Sondheims Follies

Sondheim's "Follies" Trivia Quiz


A quiz on the classic Sondheim musical about a revival of former Follies performers and the confrontation between their past glory and present realities. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by jouen58. Estimated time: 6 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Humanities Trivia
  6. »
  7. Musicals A-G
  8. »
  9. Follies

Author
jouen58
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
127,373
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
20
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
11 / 20
Plays
512
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 20
1. This show underwent a long period of gestation before arriving at its final state. Its original title was "The Girls Upstairs", and it was conceived as this type of story. Hint


Question 2 of 20
2. Director Hal Prince took his inspiration for the basic tone of the show from a photograph of what famous Hollywood star of the past? Hint


Question 3 of 20
3. Near the beginning of the play, former "Follies" impresario Dmitri Weisman greets his former performers and welcomes them to their first - and last - reunion. What is the occasion of this reunion? Hint


Question 4 of 20
4. The show's principal characters are two couples, Phyllis and Ben Stone and Sally and Buddy Plummer. They met years before; Ben and Buddy were close friends, as were Sally and Phyllis, who were in the Follies together as chorus girls. Which of the four, according to the script, has changed the most drastically since then? Hint


Question 5 of 20
5. Although Sally eventually married Buddy and Phyllis eventually married Ben, Sally and Ben were once in love. Sally, in fact, still loves Ben and wishes she had married him. Buddy realizes this, and has started having an affair with a younger woman. What is her name? Hint


Question 6 of 20
6. Which couple sings the duet "Rain on the Roof"? Hint


Question 7 of 20
7. In the song "Broadway Baby", what are the only three things in the girl's flat? Hint


Question 8 of 20
8. Which two songs form a counterpart to each other (they begin with the same music and are performed in close proximity to each other)? Hint


Question 9 of 20
9. Which song from the show, choreographed by Michael Bennett, is still recognized as a watershed moment in Broadway choreography? Hint


Question 10 of 20
10. One song written for the show, "Can That Boy Foxtrot!", was dropped when the singer (Yvonne de Carlo, a.k.a. Lily Munster), was unable to make it work. What now legendary song was written to replace it? Hint


Question 11 of 20
11. Which of the Follies veterans performs a duet with her younger self? Hint


Question 12 of 20
12. In the love duet "Too Many Mornings", what color dress does Sally wish she had worn? Hint


Question 13 of 20
13. Which number is sung by the "ghosts" of Ben, Phyllis, Sally, and Buddy's younger selves? Hint


Question 14 of 20
14. "Losing My Mind", sung by Sally, is probably the best-known song from the show. What composer's style did Sondheim imitate in this song? Hint


Question 15 of 20
15. What is "Buddy's Blues" also known as? Hint


Question 16 of 20
16. What is the song "The Story of Lucy and Jesse", sung by Phyllis, about? Hint


Question 17 of 20
17. Sondheim has said that this song was inspired by the music of Ravel. Hint


Question 18 of 20
18. Which song culminates in a nervous breakdown (Ben's)? Hint


Question 19 of 20
19. The song "Beautiful Girls", to which the former Follies girls make their entrance, and which is sometimes reprised at the end of the show, is written in the style of this composer. Hint


Question 20 of 20
20. What year did the original "Follies" open on Broadway? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This show underwent a long period of gestation before arriving at its final state. Its original title was "The Girls Upstairs", and it was conceived as this type of story.

Answer: A murder mystery

The book for "Follies" was written by James Goldman ("The Lion in Winter"), who started off writing it as a a murder mystery. However it never really came off and eventually, at the instigation of director Hal Prince, it evolved into a story about some former "Follies" performers (and their spouses) reflecting on their past lives while attempting to come to terms with the present.
2. Director Hal Prince took his inspiration for the basic tone of the show from a photograph of what famous Hollywood star of the past?

Answer: Gloria Swanson

Prince was inspired by a photograph of Swanson standing, with outstretched arms, amid the rubble of the demolished Roxy Theater (the Roxy had opened in the twenties with a film starring Swanson entitled "The Loves of Sunya").
3. Near the beginning of the play, former "Follies" impresario Dmitri Weisman greets his former performers and welcomes them to their first - and last - reunion. What is the occasion of this reunion?

Answer: The theater is being demolished.

Weisman tells them that, since the Follies ended, the theater "...has been a home to ballet, rep, movies, blue movies, and now, in a final burst of glory, it's to be...a parking lot!"
4. The show's principal characters are two couples, Phyllis and Ben Stone and Sally and Buddy Plummer. They met years before; Ben and Buddy were close friends, as were Sally and Phyllis, who were in the Follies together as chorus girls. Which of the four, according to the script, has changed the most drastically since then?

Answer: Phyllis

Sally and Buddy haven't fundamentally changed much. Ben has changed somewhat from his younger, more idealistic self and is undergoing a severe midlife crisis. However Phyllis, once a vulnerable, sweet, and romantic girl, has become hard-bitten and cynical, largely because of her unhappy marriage to Ben.
5. Although Sally eventually married Buddy and Phyllis eventually married Ben, Sally and Ben were once in love. Sally, in fact, still loves Ben and wishes she had married him. Buddy realizes this, and has started having an affair with a younger woman. What is her name?

Answer: Margie

Buddy sings about Margie in both of his songs, "The Right Girl" and "Buddy's Blues". In both these songs, it is clear that he really still loves Sally.
6. Which couple sings the duet "Rain on the Roof"?

Answer: Emily and Stuart Whitman

"Rain on the Roof", a brief, lighthearted number about a couple getting romantic while stuck indoors during a rainstorm, is sung by husband and wife duo Emily and Stuart Whitman. It is the first of a group of three numbers which are performed together; the other two are "Ah, Paree!" and "Broadway Baby".
7. In the song "Broadway Baby", what are the only three things in the girl's flat?

Answer: Her cat, a bed, and a chair.

"Broadway Baby", a song about a young hopeful starting on the rough road to fame and fortune, is sung by a sixtyish veteran performer named Hattie Walker. She sings "At my tiny flat, there's just my cat, a bed, and a chair. Still, I'll stick it 'til I'm on a bill all over Times Square!"
8. Which two songs form a counterpart to each other (they begin with the same music and are performed in close proximity to each other)?

Answer: "The Road You Didn't Take" and "In Buddy's Eyes"

In "The Road You Didn't Take", Ben tries to convince himself, and Sally, that he is happier living his rather empty, materialistic, and shallow life than if he had stayed the same idealistic, romantic person that he once was. Sally, likewise, sings "In Buddy's Eyes" to convince herself, and Ben, that she is happier in her loveless marriage to the adoring Buddy than if she had married Ben.
9. Which song from the show, choreographed by Michael Bennett, is still recognized as a watershed moment in Broadway choreography?

Answer: Who's That Woman?

In this number, sung by Stella Deems, the women attempt (with some difficulty) to perform one of the Follies' more difficult dance numbers while, in the background, the "ghosts" of their younger selves effortlessly perform the difficult choreography. This devastating contrast between age and youth was unparalleled in the history of Broadway choreography and was a high point in Michael Bennett's distinguished career.
10. One song written for the show, "Can That Boy Foxtrot!", was dropped when the singer (Yvonne de Carlo, a.k.a. Lily Munster), was unable to make it work. What now legendary song was written to replace it?

Answer: I'm Still Here

This song, detailing the ups and downs in the life of a star, has become a theme song for a number of show business legends, including Shirley McLaine, Barbra Streisand, Ann Miller, Polly Bergen, Elaine Stritch, and Carol Burnett. Incidentally, the "Foxtrot" number later took on a life of its own in various Sondheim retrospectives and concerts and makes a surprise appearance in the 1996 movie "The Birdcage", where Nathan Lane is heard singing a snatch of it as part of his "drag queen" act.
11. Which of the Follies veterans performs a duet with her younger self?

Answer: Heidi Schiller

Heidi, an eighty year old former operetta soprano, begins singing a Romberg-type number, "One More Kiss". She is joined by her younger, fresher-voiced "ghost" and the song becomes a very touching duet, with the old and young voice intertwining.
12. In the love duet "Too Many Mornings", what color dress does Sally wish she had worn?

Answer: Green

In the middle of this beautiful duet between Ben and Sally, Sally dreamily sings "I should have worn green. I wore green the last time; the time I was happy."
13. Which number is sung by the "ghosts" of Ben, Phyllis, Sally, and Buddy's younger selves?

Answer: You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through

"You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" is a duet between Young Ben and Young Phyllis. "Love Will See Us Through" is a duet between Young Buddy and Young Sally. Both couples are about to start their lives together. Eventually, the two duets merge into a quartet.
14. "Losing My Mind", sung by Sally, is probably the best-known song from the show. What composer's style did Sondheim imitate in this song?

Answer: George Gershwin

Most of the "Follies" numbers in the show are an affectionate pastiche of the styles of past composers. "Losing My Mind" is in the style of such Gershwin standards as "The Man I Love" and "But Not For Me".
15. What is "Buddy's Blues" also known as?

Answer: The 'God, Why Don't You Love Me?' Blues

Buddy has the "God, why don't you love me? Oh you do? I'll see ya later" blues." Basically, he is unable to love Margie, who worships him, and can't stop loving Sally, who is in love with Ben.
16. What is the song "The Story of Lucy and Jesse", sung by Phyllis, about?

Answer: The contrast between Phyllis as she was and as she is now.

"Lucy" is Phyllis' younger self ("Lucy is juicy, but terribly drab.", or "Lucy is lacy, but dull as a smock"), while "Jesse" is Phyllis as she is now ("Jesse is dressy, but cold as a slab", or "Jesse is racy, but hard as a rock"). She would like to reconcile the two and become a happier person.
17. Sondheim has said that this song was inspired by the music of Ravel.

Answer: Could I Leave You?

"Could I Leave You?", sung by Phyllis as she contemplates leaving her unhappy marriage, contains some of Sondheim's most biting lyrics set to a lilting, Ravel-style waltz melody.
18. Which song culminates in a nervous breakdown (Ben's)?

Answer: Live, Laugh, Love!

This starts as a carefree, top-hat-and-tails type number, but gradually turns serious as Ben realizes that his life is meaningless and empty. It ends with him calling out desperately for Phyllis, who had said earlier that she was leaving him.
19. The song "Beautiful Girls", to which the former Follies girls make their entrance, and which is sometimes reprised at the end of the show, is written in the style of this composer.

Answer: Irving Berlin

This song is intended to be the "Weisman Follies" version of "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody", written by Berlin for the Ziegfeld Follies.
20. What year did the original "Follies" open on Broadway?

Answer: 1971

Follies premiered on April 4, 1971, at the Winter Garden Theater, starring (among others) John McMartin (Ben), Alexis Smith (Phyllis), Dorothy Collins (Sally), Gene Nelson (Buddy), Yvonne de Carlo (Carlotta), Ethel Shutta (Hattie), Justine Johnson (Heidi), Fifi d'Orsay (Solange) and Mary McCarty (Stella).
Source: Author jouen58

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ltc717 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
1. "Follies" in Concert Average

Referenced Topics
Music   Movies   History   Humanities   Colors   Names   Cats   Murders   Ghosts   Ballet   Blue   Green   Lions  

Other Destinations
  Explore Other Quizzes by jouen58

  Go to Musicals A-G Quizzes

  More Follies Quizzes

  FunTrivia Homepage

3/29/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us