My Favourite Musicals Trivia Quiz

Answer: I Just Wanna Be A Star

Sister Robert Anne sings "I Just Wanna Be a Star" in the musical "Nunsense". The song is sung during the second act of the show. The nuns are putting on a show to raise money to bury some nuns who died from botulism after eating food cooked by Sister Julia, Child of God.

"Nunsense" opened off-Broadway in 1985, with Christi Marie of Lawrenceville cast as Sister Robert Anne.

Answer: Climbing Uphill

This is from the wonderful Jason Robert Brown one-act musical, "The Last Five Years". It's the story of a troubled marriage told from the perspective of both people involved. Cathy starts at the end of the marriage and works her way back to their first date, while Jamie (her husband) starts at their first date and then moves forward.

In "Climbing Uphill" Cathy is dealing with being rejected for a role in a movie she auditioned for. In the 2001 Chicago premiere, Cathy was played by Lauren Kennedy. When the show went to Off-Broadway in 2002, the role was played by Sherie Rene Scott.

Answer: Poor Jerusalem

"Jesus Christ Superstar" was Andrew Lloyd Webber's second musical. It opened on Broadway in 1971 and the West End in 1972. During Act I, Jesus is surrounded by a huge crowd, and when he doesn't break up the crowd at the insistence of Caiaphas, Simon the Zealot suggests Jesus fight Rome and claim his rightful power. Jesus sings "Poor Jerusalem" as he laments that even his followers do not understand true power.

Jeff Fenholt played Jesus in the original Broadway cast.

Answer: The Winner Takes It All

"Mamma Mia!" is a jukebox musical which opened on Broadway in 2001. A jukebox musical is created from previously released songs, usually of a musical group, rather than having original songs by a composer and lyricist. This musical featured the music of Abba.

In the second act of the show, Donna sings "The Winner Takes It All" as she explains to Sam during their confrontation how her heart was broken when she found out Sam (one of the possible three fathers of her daughter Sophie) was engaged, because she loved him so much.

Louise Pitre played the original Donna on Broadway.

Answer: Betrayed

"The Producers" was originally a movie written and directed by Mel Brooks in 1967. It was not until 2001, that it opened on Broadway as a live stage musical. It starred Nathan Lane as Max Biaystock and Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom.

"Betrayed" is a great number from "The Producers", in which Max recaps the entire show. He sings excerpts from almost every song. Nathan Lane won the Tony Award that year for Best Actor in a Musical. In fact, "The Producers" cleaned up at the Tony Awards in 2001 winning 12 Tony Awards of the 14 they were nominated for.

Answer: It Depends on What You Pay

"The Fantasticks" opened Off-Broadway on May 3, 1960, and closed on January 13, 2002, after 42 years and 17,162 performances. When the show closed, it was the longest-running musical and longest-running uninterrupted show of any type in the United States.

Huckabee, and Bellomy, the fathers of Matt and Luisa forbid Matt and Luisa to see each other. The fathers have a plan that if they act like they are feuding their children are sure to fall in love, which they do, but now they need to end the feud so their children can get married. Huckabee decides to have an actor kidnap Luisa so Matt can rescue her and look like a hero, thereby ending the feud. El Gallo comes up with different plans telling them, "You Get What You Pay For."

The original El Gallo was played by the late great Jerry Orbach.

Answer: Close Every Door to Me

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" was Andrew Lloyd Webber's first musical. It was originally done in 1968 as just a concert; however, there was no "Megamix" at the end. It was performed as a musical on the West End for the first time in 1973. It premiered on Broadway for the first time in 1982.

Near the end of the first act, Joseph is in jail for a crime he did not commit. He sings a song, which is a prayer to God called "Close Every Door to Me". In the song, he says he knows, "we shall find our own peace of mind for we have been promised a land of our own."

The original West End Joseph was played by Gary Bond. On Broadway, he was originally played by Bill Hutton. Three of the most famous men to have played the role are probably Donny Osmond, Jason Donovon, and Michael Damian.

Answer: Giants In the Sky

"Into the Woods" is a Stephen Sondheim musical. It opened on Broadway in 1987.

Jack is from "Jack and the Beanstalk". The show combines fairytale characters as they meet in the woods, and eventually have to deal with a giant in the land when Jack steals too much from a giant who starts killing people trying to find him and seek revenge. In Act One, Jack has just discovered the giants, when he gets beans from a Baker's wife who wants his cow, Milky White, because she and her husband need a white cow to have a baby. They must give the cow to the Witch who cursed the Baker's family so they cannot have kids. Jack is amazed by the giants and sings "Giants in the Sky" to tell his amazement about what he just saw.

Ben Wright played Jack in the original Broadway cast.

Answer: Soliloquy

"Carousel" was Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's second musical together. It opened on Broadway in 1945.

In Act I, Billy Bigelow learns that his wife Julie, is pregnant. Billy was a barker for a carousel and has been known for his cruelty to Julie. Now, told he is going to be a father, he goes off and contemplates what it will be like to have a son, as he sings "Soliloquy". He suddenly gets to the part where his son has to get "around any girl." He then realized, "What if he...is a girl." He is then crushed that his son would be a girl, only because he doesn't know what he could do with a daughter when he "is a bum with no money." He decides it might not be bad, but he has to find a way to get money because he wants to be a good father to her. At the end of the song, he vows that he will get the money he needs to raise her correctly. He foreshadows, "I'll go out and make it, or steal it, or take it, or die!"

John Raitt played Billy Bigelow in the original Broadway cast of "Carousel".

Answer: I Speak Six Languages

"The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee" opened on Broadway in 2005, and ran for 1,136 performances.

The show is a spelling bee and includes audience participation, with four audience members on the stage as part of the bee.

In Act Two, the moderator, Rona, calls Marcy to the microphone and says that Marcy speaks five languages. Marcy gets frustrated, tells Rona she is wrong, and sings, "I Speak Six Languages". She talks about how stressful her life is in the song. She feels like she must always be perfect and is "getting tired."

Deborah S. Craig played Marcy Park in the original Broadway cast of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee".