Simon, Allen, or Shepard Trivia Quiz

Answer: Shepard

Sam Shepard's "True West" was set in San Gabriel Valley in California. The story of two brothers, Lee and Austin, and their sibling rivalry was the heart of the gritty story. One was a screenwriter, the other a drifter, and their lives changed dramatically after each went for their piece of the American Dream.

The play premiered at the Magic Theater in San Francisco in the summer of 1980.

Answer: Allen

"God" was not one of Woody Allen's plays that got a major motion picture adaptation. "God" was released in 1975 and was set in an ancient Greek amphitheater where an actor and writer were debating the best ending for their story. The play "God" was released as a one act play and therefore subtitled "A Comedy In One Act".

In the play, Woody Allen is a character in the story and the play broke the "fourth wall" and got the audience involved.

Answer: Allen

Woody Allen's "Don't Drink The Water" premiered on Broadway in 1966. The plot involved an innocent American family that was traveling behind the Iron Curtain in Europe (the country wasn't identified). Suddenly, they were caught up in an espionage tale as local police believed they weren't as innocent as they looked.

The comedy was later adapted in a Hollywood motion picture in 1969 starring Jackie Gleason.

Answer: Shepard

Many of Sam Shepard's work were set in the American West and "Fool For Love" followed suit. This time the play took place in the Mojave Desert. Two lovers, May and Eddie, reunite at a desert hotel. Written in the early 1980s, "Fool For Love" was part of a quintet of plays by Shepard that included "Buried Child" and "A Lie Of The Mind".

Answer: Simon

Neil Simon wrote a trilogy of plays about his life. "Biloxi Blues", "Brighton Beach Memoirs", and the final piece, "Broadway Bound". The latter play premiered on Broadway in 1986. The play described two brothers, Eugene and Stanley, working toward their dream of becoming television comedy writers.

The two men were in their twenties and found their parents were cheating. The brothers found a way to incorporate their family drama into the fictional stories they were writing for work.

Answer: Simon

"Plaza Suite" is one of Neil Simon's most famous plays. The story of the crazy happenings in the New York City Plaza Hotel in Suite 719 became a major motion picture comedy in 1971. Many of Simon's works were set in New York and "Plaza Suite" brought that same big city charm to the story. Four different couples went to Suite 719 and each of their individual stories collectively set the tone for the play.

Answer: Simon

"Barefoot In The Park" was written by Neil Simon in 1969. The play's production became one of Broadway's longest running non-musicals in history. The story described Paul and Corie Blatter, two newlyweds in a small apartment in New York City. Paul was a conservative lawyer and Corie was more of a wildcard, but together their love story was unforgettable.

Answer: Allen

Who can you turn to for advice after getting divorced? In Woody Allen's "Play It Again, Sam", the male lead called on the ghost of Humphrey Bogart for suggestions on his love life. The play ran on Broadway with Woody Allen playing the lead role of Allan Felix. This play set the stage for Allen as not only a playwright but also as a leading man.

Answer: Simon

"Lost In Yonkers" won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1991 for Neil Simon. The play was set in Brooklyn, New York in 1942. After the death of his wife, Eddie Kurnitz took on a new job as a traveling salesman. With him gone, his two sons, Jay and Arty, are being raised by mother and their quirky aunt. When it premiered on Broadway, Kevin Spacey and Mercedes Ruehl starred.

Answer: Shepard

"Buried Child" was written in 1978 by Sam Shepard and was part of a series of five plays. "Buried Child" was the second in the series. This one earned Sam the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Once again the "American Dream" was called into question when the play described the dysfunctional family life of a Midwest farm family.

Infidelity, incest, murder, and guilt were all key to the story line.