It's Webber or It's Not! Trivia Quiz

Answer: It's Webber

First performed in 1972, but not showing up on Broadway until 1985, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is one of Webber's earliest musical hits and one of his key Tim Rice collaborations. Following the character of Joseph from the Book of Genesis from the Bible, the musical-- start-to-finish-- is sung-through (ie. all of the dialogue is song).

The Broadway iteration of the show, debuting thirteen years after it started making the rounds in the UK, was nominated for six Tony Awards. Today, it has a beloved following and has seen several West End revivals.

Answer: It's Webber

"Jesus Christ Superstar" found quick success, debuting on stage in 1970 and hitting Broadway the year after, to become Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's first big hit despite being Webber's third major work. Featuring the roles of Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot, and Mary Magdalene amongst others, the musical was a rock opera following the events of the Passion of Christ, leading to his crucifixion, from a contemporary angle.

The show would recur on Broadway into the twenty-first century and become one of the longest-running West End musicals of all-time.

The original run would be nominated for five Tony Awards as well.

Answer: It's Webber

Following the life of Argentinean First Lady Eva Perón from 1934 to her death in 1952, the musical of "Evita" debuted to audiences in London's West End in 1978 and hit Broadway in the proceeding year, flipping back and forth between tours and revivals for decades after and receiving a 1996 film adaptation starring Madonna.

The Broadway version of the show was lauded and received ten Tony Award nominations in 1980, winning seven (and marking Webber's and Rice's first such accolade). When this musical was released as a film, Webber and Rice would also take home an Academy Award for the song "You Must Love Me" in 1997; it would be Rice's third Oscar in the 1990s after songs in "Aladdin" and "The Lion King".

Answer: It's Webber

Based upon a series of poems by T. S. Eliot, "Cats" perhaps best epitomizes Webber's weird side, setting an entire musical amongst a group of 'Jellicle' cats in London as they strive to win the Jellicle Ball and cross over into the Heaviside Layer (death? rebirth?).

Despite the abject oddness of the production, it became one of Broadway's longest-running musicals after its debut there in 1982. It also received a film adaptation in late 2019 considered by many to be one of the most upsetting musical adaptations ever put to film.

The Broadway musical would go on to win seven Tony Awards and a Grammy in its original Broadway run.

Answer: It's Webber

Perhaps Andrew Lloyd Webber's magnum opus, "The Phantom of the Opera" became the longest-running Broadway musical of all-time. Debuting in 1988 it follows the story of a woman, Christine, who catches the eye of a masked man underneath the Paris Opéra House. Sarah Brightman, who was married to Webber through most of the 1980s, played the role of Christine in the West End and original Broadway versions of the show.

The musical would end up taking eight Tony Awards in 1988 (with ten nominations) and be adapted for film in 2004. Webber would bring a sequel, "Love Never Dies", to the West End in 2010 though it would be critically panned.

Answer: It's Not

Created by Jonathan Larson and having a short off-Broadway stint in 1996, "Rent" made it big as a contemporary musical and shifted to Broadway in the same year, receiving great critical acclaim for its music, story, and impact on gay culture. Winning four Tony Awards it would end up being a launchpad for the careers of stars Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Taye Diggs, and Idina Menzel. "Rent" would also win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama though it would be awarded to Larson posthumously; he passed away days before the premiere of the show at the age of 36.

Answer: It's Not

The 1975 musical "A Chorus Line" was not Andrew Lloyd Webber, but filmmaker Marvin Hamlisch who hit the theatre with this, his first musical, to great acclaim (though he would work on dance arrangements for "Seesaw" two years earlier). The seventies would be a banner year for Hamlisch-- he won Oscars in 1973, Grammy Awards in 1975, and a Tony for "A Chorus Line"; his Emmy wouldn't come until the 1990s. "A Chorus Line", about a cadre of characters auditioning for a Broadway musical, took home nine Tony Awards, became the longest-running Broadway show of all-time (until "Cats" beat it in the 1990s), and had an Oscar-nominated film adaptation, directed by Richard Attenborough, released in 1985.

Answer: It's Not

Created by John Kander and Fred Ebb and directed by Bob Fosse, "Chicago" ended up being one of the longest-running shows on Broadway and one of the most enduring musicals of all time, eventually receiving a film adaptation that would claim Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Debuting on Broadway in 1975, the show saw the likes of Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, and Jerry Orbach in the lead roles.

It would go on to be nominated for ten Tony Awards in 1976 but get shut out in all categories ("A Chorus Line" won Best Musical).

Its 1996 Broadway revival, however, would win six (and a Grammy).

Answer: It's Not

Though this Broadway musical (based on the Disney film of the same name) did feature frequent Andrew Lloyd Webber collaborator Tim Rice (who shared the music-and-lyric responsibilities with Elton John), it was not a Webber musical. "The Lion King" was immensely popular. Debuting on Broadway in 1997, it quickly became the highest-grossing Broadway show of all-time, winning six Tony Awards (though it was nominated for eleven). Elton John and Tim Rice would become awards darlings for their work on "Lion King" media of all sorts, picking up not only Tony Awards, but Oscars, Grammy Awards, and Golden Globes.

Answer: It's Not

Based on the cult classic John Waters film of the same name, "Hairspray" was adapted for Broadway by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, both of whom had a long career in film scoring and music. Opening on Broadway in 2002 it would go on to collect eight Tony Awards out of twelve nominations and become a beloved theatre staple, even getting a film adaptation of the stage adaptation (starring John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, a role popularized by Harvey Fierstein in the stage show and drag queen Divine in the original film).

Not bad for the story of a young girl growing up and making it big in Baltimore!