Brief Plots of Musicals Trivia Quiz

Answer: Les Miserables

Based on a novel by Victor Hugo, "Les Miserables" the musical had its opening night at Palais des Sports, Paris in 1980. The setting of the musical is during the Paris Uprising of 1832, a time of revolution in France. The storyline depicts the protagonist, Jean Valjean the freed prisoner, and his cohorts striving to oust the government.

Answer: Fiddler on the Roof

"Fiddler on the Roof" had its first performance in New York City in 1964. The musical was adapted from the story "Tevye and his Daughters" written in Yiddish by Sholem Aleichem at the turn of the twentieth century in the Russian Empire. The plot follows Tevye, a devout Jew trying to maintain his family's Jewish heritage during his daughters' pursuit of marriage.

Answer: Cats

"Cats" is a musical first performed in 1981 at the New London Theatre in London, England. It originated from a series of poems by T.S. Eliot titled "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats". Performers dressed up as a group cats known as the Jellicle tribe and, led by Old Deuteronomy, strive to select which of them will return to a new life.

Answer: Oklahoma!

"Oklahoma!" is a 1943 musical adapted from "Green Grow the Lilacs", a 1931 play by Lynn Riggs. The musical was the first collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein and was performed on Broadway in New York City. The story is set in the early twentieth century in the Indian Territory of rural Oklahoma.

The plotline follows the twists and turns of a pair of turbulent romantic relationships.

Answer: South Pacific

"South Pacific" is a 1949 Broadway musical based on James Michener's book "Tales of the South Pacific". The musical takes place on a South Pacific island during WWII, centered around cultural prejudice and romance. Actual observations by Michener when stationed on the Treasury Islands during the war provide a non-fictional base for this musical.

Answer: Evita

"Evita" is a musical first performed in 1978 at the West End theatre in London, UK, although it originated as a rock concept album a few years earlier. The story depicts a poor Argentinian woman's rise to power and fame within the political system of Argentina and her eventual alignment of herself with the working class people.

Answer: Sweeney Todd

"Sweeney Todd" is a 1979 musical based on Christopher Bond's play "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street". The music and lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim and the production is arguably the most horror-filled of all time. Set in London, England during the Victorian era, the tale depicts a formerly exiled vengeful barber and his murderous ways.

Answer: Miss Saigon

"Miss Saigon" is a musical initially performed in London in the West End theatre district in 1989. It is largely based on Puccini's opera "Madam Butterfly". The musical begins during the Vietnam War prior to Saigon's fall to communism. It is a touching love story between an American Marine and a poor Vietnamese prostitute, ending tragically.

Answer: The Phantom of the Opera

"The Phantom of the Opera" is a musical adapted from Gaston Leroux's novel. It is an Andrew Lloyd Webber production which premiered at Her Majesty's Theatre in London in 1986. The plot surrounds a masked man dubbed as "The Phantom", who teaches and falls in love with a budding opera starlet only to fail in his attempt to woo her.

Answer: West Side Story

"West Side Story" is a musical based on William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet". The Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim production opened on Broadway in 1957. The story depicts a pair of rival teenage gangs seeking to control a neighborhood in New York City when a romance develops between two of the opposing members resulting in a tragic ending.