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Quiz about Fascinating Moments in Musical Theatre History
Quiz about Fascinating Moments in Musical Theatre History

Fascinating Moments in Musical Theatre History Quiz


There have been many moments in Musical Theatre History that have been full of coincidence and irony, or just plain extraordinary. Let's explore some of these fascinating facts that prove that fact can be stranger than fiction!

A multiple-choice quiz by Lost_Player_47. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
296,419
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
447
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Question 1 of 10
1. What was ironical about Beatrice Lillie being cast as Madame Arcati in the musical, "High Spirits"? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Carol Channing understudied Eve Arden in the musical "Let's Face It!" in 1941. What else is true of the two performers? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What was so unusual about Constance Towers being cast as Julie in the 1966 Lincoln Center revival of "Show Boat"? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Hollywood composer Roger Edens wrote two songs to bolster the quite weak song of the Ethel Merman musical "Happy Hunting" after it opened on Broadway. Why was his work initially credited solely to his friend Kay Thompson? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. In 1954, Shirley MacLaine went on for the lead dancer Carol Haney in the musical "The Pajama Game." That evening, Hal Wallis, a Hollywood Producer was in the audience and signed her to a motion picture contract. What is so ironical about this incident? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Two Off-Broadway musicals that were based on the same play opened within two weeks of each other in 1968. What play was it? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Believe it or not, Mary Martin was considered for which role? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which Broadway songwriting team had fathers with the same first name, wives with the same first name, and went to the same University? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The part of "Yente, the Matchmaker" got smaller and smaller during the tryout period of "Fiddler on the Roof" because of what reason? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. "Say, Darling" was a musical about which of the following? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What was ironical about Beatrice Lillie being cast as Madame Arcati in the musical, "High Spirits"?

Answer: Noel Coward had written the part for her over twenty years ago.

Noel Coward wrote the comedy "Blithe Spirit" in 1941 and wrote the part of the zany medium Madame Arcati for Beatrice Lillie. However, Miss Lillie was unavailable to play the role at the time. She finally got to essay the role in the play's musical version, "High Spirits," in 1964.
2. Carol Channing understudied Eve Arden in the musical "Let's Face It!" in 1941. What else is true of the two performers?

Answer: Eve Arden replaced Carol Channing in the Chicago company of "Hello, Dolly!"

In 1967, Eve Arden replaced Carol Channing in the Chicago company of "Hello, Dolly!" so Miss Channing could go to Hollywood and do the film "Thoroughly Modern Millie."
3. What was so unusual about Constance Towers being cast as Julie in the 1966 Lincoln Center revival of "Show Boat"?

Answer: She had auditioned for a different role.

Constance Towers had originally auditioned for Magnolia for the 1966 Lincoln Center revival of "Show Boat."

Somebody suggested putting a dark wig on her, and having her audition for Julie, and she was cast in that role. Barbara Cook was cast as Magnolia in that production.
4. Hollywood composer Roger Edens wrote two songs to bolster the quite weak song of the Ethel Merman musical "Happy Hunting" after it opened on Broadway. Why was his work initially credited solely to his friend Kay Thompson?

Answer: Because he was under exclusive contract to MGM.

At that time, Roger Edens was under a very tight exclusive contract to MGM and couldn't work elsewhere, so his friend Kay Thompson took the credit for these two songs.

During that same period, Mr. Edens also worked on the "Born in a Trunk" number for the Judy Garland movie "A Star is Born." Since this was a Warner Brothers production, he likewise received no credit.

Mr. Edens was actually a close friend of Ethel Merman and had accompanied her when she sang at nightclubs as far back as the early 1930s.
5. In 1954, Shirley MacLaine went on for the lead dancer Carol Haney in the musical "The Pajama Game." That evening, Hal Wallis, a Hollywood Producer was in the audience and signed her to a motion picture contract. What is so ironical about this incident?

Answer: She was going to resign from the show that very night.

The VERY NIGHT Miss MacLaine went on for Miss Haney, she went to the theatre with the intent to resign from "The Pajama Game" Company. (She had an offer to understudy Gwen Verdon, the lead dancer in the Broadway musical "Can-Can.")

"The Pajama Game" was her second Broadway musical; "Me and Juliet" was her first.
6. Two Off-Broadway musicals that were based on the same play opened within two weeks of each other in 1968. What play was it?

Answer: Twelfth Night

"Love and Let Love," a musical version of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," opened on January 3, 1968 and was gone within two weeks.

The far more successful "Your Own Thing" used the same source, opened ten days later and ran for nearly 1,000 performances.

There was a musical version of "School For Scandal" entitled "All in Love" which had a brief run Off-Broadway in 1961.
7. Believe it or not, Mary Martin was considered for which role?

Answer: Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl"

Mary Martin was one of the first to be considered to play Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl." Her director from "The Sound of Music," Vincent J. Donohue, was even set to direct. However, the creative term determined that although Miss Martin was a wonderful performer, she certainly wasn't the type to play a Yiddish Comedienne.

Other performers considered before Barbra Streisand was signed include Carol Burnett, Anne Bancroft, and Edie Gorme.
8. Which Broadway songwriting team had fathers with the same first name, wives with the same first name, and went to the same University?

Answer: Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein both had fathers named William, wives named Dorothy, and attended Columbia University. Their music publishing company was called Williamson Music.
9. The part of "Yente, the Matchmaker" got smaller and smaller during the tryout period of "Fiddler on the Roof" because of what reason?

Answer: Jerome Robbins, the director, didn't care for the performance of the actress in the role

Jerome Robbins regretted casting Beatrice Arthur as Yente. He found her appearance and mannerisms "too American" for a native of Anatevka, so he cut down the part.

Interestingly enough, when the show was revived in 2004, the role of Yente was expanded and a new song just for her was inserted. Go figure!
10. "Say, Darling" was a musical about which of the following?

Answer: The creation of the musical "The Pajama Game"

Richard Bissell, who wrote the novel "7 1/2 Cents" which was the basis for the musical "The Pajama Game," wrote a novel titled "Say, Darling," which was about is experiences in working on "The Pajama Game."

"Say, Darling" was also turned into a musical--so Broadway audiences could view "Say, Darling," a musical about the making of the musical "The Pajama Game." (It was reported that Robert Morse played a young producer in "Say, Darling" who was just like Harold Prince--a young producer involved with "The Pajama Game."

Well, that's it for fascinating moments in Musical Theatre History! I hope you enjoyed the quiz--please take a moment to rate it! :-)
Source: Author Lost_Player_47

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