My Top 50 Broadway Songs... Even More Quiz

Answer: Gypsy

From "Some People", where Mama Rose is badly bitten with the show-biz bug, and is determined to find a way to get her two young daughters into show business - whatever it takes.

Answer: !Hero: The Rock Opera

From "Fire of Love". The cast recording for this obscure rock opera based on the life of Jesus - but taking place in present day New York - hit Christian music stores in November of 2002 and began touring the country then as well. In this song, Hero (the Jesus figure) tries to preach the gospel of love, but high priest Kai isn't too pleased and tries to gather a mob to kill him.

Answer: Little Shop of Horrors

From "Feed Me". In this song, Seymour discovers his unusual plant he bought can talk - and not only that, but this plant likes to eat fresh human blood and wants Seymour to procure it for him. Seymour protests at first, but eventually gives into the plant's coaxing and agrees.

Answer: Sunday in the Park With George

From "Color and Light", a portrait of painter George Seurat and his mistress, Marie. George is painting and Marie is getting ready to go to the Follies. The pair's thoughts fly all around, mostly on themselves and their own projects.

Answer: 42nd Street

From the title song, "42nd Street", which is part of a show within a show. It's the story of a director who is trying desperately to pull together a great show, but the show's star breaks her ankle and a young chorus girl takes her place.

Answer: Cabaret

From "The Money Song", a song originally found not in the Broadway cast, but in the movie version with Liza Minelli, and then also included in the 2001 revival starring Natasha Richardson.

Answer: Wicked

From "I'm Not That Girl". A typical (but beautiful) unrequited love song, "Wicked Witch of the West" Elphaba is in love with someone who already is involved with someone.

Answer: !Hero: The Rock Opera

From "Lose My Life With You". In this song, Hero and his mother Mary sing a touching love song to each other as Hero prepares to leave home to begin his ministry.

Answer: Beauty and the Beast

From "Me", a comical song sung by the egotistical villain Gaston as he proposes marriage to the girl of his choice. He is astounded when she refuses him.

Answer: Wicked

From "As Long As You're Mine". A simple love song sung by Elphaba. She has finally captured the boy of her heart after a lot of heartache and pain.

Answer: Aida

From "Easy As Life". The slave Aida is in love with Prince Radames, but knows that their love can never mean anything because it is forbidden that they marry - so, to do the best thing for her country, she vows to forget Radames and all he meant to her.

Answer: !Hero: The Rock Opera

From "Raised In Harlem". In this song, a poor man (originally played by Christian hip-hop artist T-Bone) asks for Hero to come and heal his daughter, who got caught up in a shooting between a couple of thugs.

Answer: Camelot

From "If Ever I Would Leave You". Lancelot, Knight of the Round Table, professes his love to Guenevere, King Arthur's wife. This secret loves is tearing Lancelot and Guenevere apart because they adore Arthur - Lancelot as a loyal subject and Guenevere as a loving wife - and neither one wants to hurt him.

Answer: Jane Eyre

From "Painting Her Portrait". Jane has been slowly falling in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester, who is reported to be engaged to another girl - a very beautiful girl. To calm her emotions and remind herself that Mr. Rochester feels nothing for her, Jane paints two portraits - one of herself, plain, with every imperfection and fault easy to see; and the other of Mr. Rochester's intended, Blanche, a beautiful young woman.

When she has finished, Jane compares the two portraits and convinces herself that Mr. Rochester would never choose someone as plain as her when he has someone lovely like Blanche hanging around.

Answer: Rent

From the title song, "Rent", which shows several of our key characters facing what seem to be very difficult times in their lives. Nothing's working out for them.

Answer: Chicago

From "All That Jazz", a very catchy cabaret song that is one of the classic themes from this show. It's even sung in a reprise at the end of the show.

Answer: !Hero: The Rock Opera

From "Not In Our House", a tense argument between high priest Kai (originally played brilliantly by John Cooper of the band Skillet) and Hero (Michael Tait, formerly of the band dc Talk) over how the synagogue should be used. Hero argues that Kai is defaming God's holy house, while Kai accuses Hero of being self-righteous.

Answer: Rent

From "Light My Candle". This song (which incidentally made me listen to the show "Rent", as it was incredibly catchy and hard to get out of my head) introduces two key characters of the story to each other: Mimi and Roger. Mimi originally comes in to ask if Roger has a light for her candle, since her heat and electricity are turned off in her apartment.

However, she seems to be interested in him, and the candle "accidentally" keeps blowing out. By the end of the song, the two are obviously attracted to each other.

Answer: The Baker's Wife

From "Meadowlark", the beautiful story of a blind meadowlark who sang so beautifully that the king requested she come and live in his palace so she could sing to him. One day, the god of the sun heard the meadowlark singing and was so pleased with her song that he gave her the gift of sight and asked that she leave the palace and fly away with him instead.

However, knowing how much the king loved her, the meadowlark refused, and the next morning, when the king came to see his meadowlark, she had died.

Answer: Chicago

From "Mr. Cellophane". I first fell in love with this song when I heard it performed by Joel Grey in the new broadway cast. It tells the story of a man who's never been noticed by anyone in his life - "You can look right through me, walk right by me, and never know I'm there".

Answer: Merrily We Roll Along

From "Not a Day Goes By". One of my favorite examples of Stephen Sondheim's brilliant lyrics, "Not a Day Goes By" is sung twice in the show, first by a woman furious with her husband for divorcing her, and then later by the same woman, singing about how she really did love her husband.

Answer: Wicked

From "Defying Gravity". In this very powerful song, Elphaba decides to take a stand for her own personal convictions and do what she thinks must be done even if it means social rejection and hatred.

Answer: Jekyll and Hyde

From the song "Confrontation", where the good and noble Dr. Jekyll finally confronts Mr. Hyde, the side of him who is pure evil and has been unleashed on the town. It's a very powerful song - the actor singing it has to convincingly alternate between his portrayals of Jekyll and Hyde.

Answer: Chess

From "Pity the Child". In this song, American chess champion Freddie Trumper shares about his unpleasant childhood that made him the champion he is today.

Answer: Rent

From "Will I?", a very simple song that consists of three lines sung over and over, as a round, by various cast members. It sums up the fears and hopes and dreams of all the characters we come to care about in the story.