Musical Genres Trivia Quiz

Answer: rock

The Who released "Tommy" as their fourth studio album in 1969. It was adapted to a musical which debuted on Broadway in 1993.

Pete Townshend, trying to keep the band current and active, imagined a rock opera. "Pinball Wizard" was written by Townshend but he later lamented that it was "the most clumsy piece of writing [he'd] ever done".

"That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball"

Answer: rap

This musical that tells a story about Alexander Hamilton and other founding fathers, exploded on Broadway after a very successful off-Broadway start. Its musical numbers are full of references to other current music, along with sampling from both contemporary and classical sources, in typical rap style. The music and lyrics were created by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Answer: gospel

The musical began as a college drama project by the students at Carnegie Mellon University. The musical presents a series of parables inspired by the Gospel of Matthew. The choice to present the music in Gospel just makes sense for a show based on gospel events!

Answer: blues

This revue brings us some classic African-American songs, with the title clearly referencing the show's setting in the black Parisian expatriate society between World War I and World War II. The songs included such Blues classics as "Am I Blue?" and "St. Louis Blues".

Answer: jazz

Ah, a musical set in the roaring twenties. The music and lyrics were created by John Kander and Fred Ebb, respectively. The opening number, "All That Jazz", promises a boisterous show.

Answer: ragtime

Set before World War I, the story of this musical was inspired by a novel written by E. E. Doctorow. The music was created by Stephen Flaherty with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.

Answer: country

The musical story, written by Larry L. King, was based on the real-life illegal brothel called the Chicken Ranch in La Grange, Texas. The music and lyrics were created by Carol Hall.

Answer: operetta

Gilbert and Sullivan, the creators of "H.M.S. Pinafore" preferred to refer to their shows a comic operas. This, their fourth show, premiered in 1878 and continues to be popular with audiences today.

Answer: blue grass

This musical was inspired by a true story made famous by the folksong "Iron Mountain Baby". The musical, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, was written and composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell who had previously collaborated on the 2013 bluegrass album "Love Has Come for You".

Answer: doo wop & rock and roll

Often referred to as a jukebox musical, the songs of The Four Seasons are presented to tell their history. The story is told from several of the band members' perspectives, with the songs highlighting some of their various successes and failures.