Musical Locations Trivia Quiz

Jerry Bock wrote the music with Sheldon Harnick providing the lyrics. The storyline was based on a novel called 'Tevye and his Daughters', written by Sholem Aleichem. Set in the early part of the twentieth century in what was, at the time, Imperial Russia, the musical is based on the character Tevye, a Jewish patriarch, who is trying to arrange marriages to other Jews for his three oldest daughters.

The musical was first performed on Broadway in 1964 with Zero Mostel playing the role of Tevye. Well known songs from the show include 'Matchmaker, Matchmaker', 'Sunrise, Sunset' and 'If I Were a Rich Man'.

Ben Elton set the words to Andrew Lloyd Webber's music for this show, set in Northern Ireland. The title refers to the nickname given to football (soccer) with the plot revolving around the players in a team run by a Catholic priest. The main issue covered is the divisions between Catholics and Protestants and the dreadful consequences.

The show wasn't particularly successful and was never staged on Broadway. Lloyd Webber reworked it, giving it the new title of 'The Boys in the Photograph' and a happier ending than the original version. Songs from the show include 'Let us Love in Peace' and 'If This is What We're Fighting For'.

Inspired by the novel 'Don Quixote', written by Miguel de Cervantes, the musical 'Man of La Mancha' was first staged on Broadway in 1965. The music for the show was created by Mitch Leigh while Joe Darion wrote the lyrics. The setting is a prison where Cervantes is awaiting trial by the Spanish Inquisition alongside his servant. He stages a play with the other prisoners taking on the roles of various characters from the original story.

The musical's first performance featured Richard Kiley in the lead role with Keith Michell playing the part in London's West End production in 1968. The best known, and much performed, song from the show is 'The Impossible Dream', recorded by numerous artistes including Elvis Presley.

The first performance of this stage musical was in 1966 on Broadway with the music created by John Kander and the words by Fred Ebb. The idea came from Christopher Isherwood's semi-autobiographical novel 'Goodbye to Berlin' and the subsequent play 'I Am a Camera' based on the novel. The setting is Germany, as Hitler is about to come to power.

The setting is primarily a night club where the star performer is Sally Bowles. The emcee was memorably portrayed by Joel Grey in the original Broadway cast. The show has several well known musical numbers including 'Wilkommen', 'Mein Herr' and the title song itself.

The story was created by Catherine Johnson who wrote a story around the songs of ABBA - the men from the band, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, gave their blessing to the show and were actively involved. The story is set on a Greek island where the lead character of Donna has settled with her daughter, whose father could be one of three different men. ABBA's songs are woven into the narrative at appropriate moments.

The show was originally staged in London's West End in 1999 and only COVID interrupted it. Broadway hosted it beginning in 2001, although San Francisco was the first US city in which it was performed, in 2000. As for the music, think of an ABBA song and it's probably included. 'Dancing Queen', 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', 'The Winner Takes it All' and the title song are all covered.

Unlike most of the shows in this quiz, 'Billy Elliot' was a film before it became a stage musical - usually, the films are later than the stage shows. The stage version dates from 2005 with the music written by Elton John and the lyrics by Lee Hall, the scriptwriter from the film. It was first performed in London's West End in 2005 and on Broadway three years later.

The story is about a young boy, living in County Durham in the north east of England, who secretly begins taking ballet classes, a move which goes against the grain for his strongly working class family. The miners' strike also provides a background and Billy has to do much soul searching before following his dreams. Probably the best known song from the show is 'Electricity', sung by Billy to explain his feelings while dancing.

This musical was created by Stephen Sondheim who was inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film 'Smiles of a Summer Night', hence the Swedish setting. The storyline involves several couples who are with the wrong partners and the ensuing complications, only some of which are satisfactorily resolved.

The musical had its premiere on Broadway in 1973 with Glynis Johns playing Desiree, a fading actress. She performs the best known song from the musical, 'Send in the Clowns', an ode to missed opportunities. The song was popularised by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Judy Collins.

Before it became a film, 'The Sound of Music' was a stage musical created by Rodgers and Hammerstein, who based it on a book written by Maria von Trapp about her life. Various changes were made for dramatic effect, including the escape from Austria which was rather less risky than depicted in the show. The gist of Maria's story is there, though, from her wish to become a nun, her marriage to her employer and the danger caused by his opposition to the Nazis in Austria.

The first performance of the show starred Mary Martin as Maria and took place on Broadway in 1959. Among the famous songs from the musical are 'My Favorite Things', Edelweiss' and 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain'.

Created by Lerner and Loewe, the title refers to a village in Scotland which only appears once every hundred years and for one day only. Two Americans happen to be in the area on that day, with one of them falling in love with a girl from the village - his love, eventually, enables him to find her again and stay in Brigadoon.

The first performance took place in 1947 on Broadway with the West End premiere following in 1949. Songs you will recognise include 'Almost Like Being in Love' and 'The Heather on the Hill'.

This Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical is set in Paris and was performed for the first time in 1989. The show was based on a short novel written by David Garnett. Writing of the lyrics for the songs was shared by Charles Hart and Don Black.

Staged at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London and then at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre in 1990, Michael Ball played the leading role of a man who reminisces about his past loves and the different kinds of love he has experienced. Ball also released a single of the best known song from the show, called 'Love Changes Everything', which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart.