Singing Along the Great White Way (since 2000) Quiz

Answer: Seussical

The title 'Seussical' came from combining the name of Dr Seuss (whose stories form the basis of the show) with musical, which it was. the original Broadway version opened in 2000 to poor reviews, and closed in 2001 at a major loss. However, a revised tour version, later licensed under the title of 'Seussical, the Musical', had more success, and has been a favourite production for schools and amateur theatre groups around the world.

'Oh, the Thinks You Can think!' is both the opening number and the finale; in between is a range of Thinks based on Dr Seuss's books, especially those featuring Horton, who is a central character. His quest to protect the Whos manages to incorporate many familiar stories in passing reference, in addition to the three that form the central plot: 'Horton Hears a Who!', 'Gertrude McFuzz', and 'Horton Hatches the Egg'.

Answer: Mamma Mia!

Although 'Mamma Mia!' opened in the West End in 1999, it did not reach Broadway until 2001. It is an example of a jukebox musical, one whose music is drawn from existing songs published purely as pieces of music; the show then sets up a pretext to work them in. While the term jukebox musical is recent, this concept of using currently (or formerly) popular songs and building a show around them is a move back to the roots of the musical genre, before it became the done thing to have new music written for the show. The title of the show tells anyone familiar with pop music in the 1970s what to expect - an ABBA extravaganza!

The plot is pretty flimsy, but offers opportunity for a fun visit to the '70s. Sophie is getting married, and discovers that her unknown father is probably one of three men. She invites all three to the wedding, hoping that one of them will be identified as her father, and walk her down the aisle. That doesn't work out and she recognises she is not ready to get married, but one of the men does marry her mother, as they both realise they had always loved each other.

The encore to the show features the company singing a reprise of 'Mamma Mia', then a reprise of 'Dancing Queen' (with Sophie and her friends in ABBA-styled outfits) and finally 'Waterloo' (with the three putative fathers also showing off their ABBA finery).

Answer: The Producers

Mel Brooks made his writing and directorial movie debut in 1967 with 'The Producers', and adapted it to the stage for a 2001 opening. It's simple, really: a producer and an accountant work out that it is possible to arrange things so as to make a large profit from producing a flop show, and set out to create the worst musical ever, 'Springtime for Hitler'. Unfortunately, they accidentally create a hit, and the fraud is uncovered. Don't worry, things end happily despite some rocky bits along the way.

At the 2001 Tony Awards, 'The Producers' was nominated 15 times, with 12 wins. Since there were two people nominated as Best Actor, and three as Best Featured Actor, this means they won all 12 possible awards, a record number.

Answer: Hairspray

'Hairspray' was based on John Waters's 1988 film about Tracy Turnblad, a young overweight Baltimore girl who seeks stardom on a local television show as a dancer. The original movie featured Divine as her mother, and the musical continued the tradition of having a man play that role. Harvey Fierstein won the Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, one of eight wins from thirteen nominations. 'Hairspray' was also decreed the Best Musical at the 2003 Tony Awards.

'Good Morning Baltimore' is the opening number of the show, introducing us to Tracy and her world. It is full of the energy and optimism that are her hallmark, and carry her through in her fight for an end of racial segregation on the dance show. The show's finale, 'You Can't Stop the Beat', reviews the themes of sizeism and racism, as well as encouraging progress towards a better world.

Answer: Wicked

In 2003, Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzmann adapted Gregory Mcguire's 1995 novel 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West', itself based on both L. Frank Baum's 1900 book 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' and incorporating elements from the 1939 film 'The Wizard of Oz', starring the inimitable Judy Garland as Dorothy. 'Wicked' is a kind of prequel, showing the familiar Ozian characters in earlier stages of their lives, and adding multiple layers to the original work. (Can you tell that I adored McGuire's book, as well as his other re-imaginings of familiar stories, such as 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister'?)

Elphaba, born an unfortunate green colour, and Galinda (later to be Glinda) are witches studying at Shiz University who become friends despite their many points of difference. Elphaba sings 'Defying Gravity' at the end of Act 1, as she leaves the Emerald City after discovering that the wizard is not only a fraud, but also the person behind the suppression of Animals (capitalised, these are talking animals). She is officially declared to be a wicked witch, as she fights for their rights. Glinda and she end up on opposite sides, primarily due to the fact that they both love the same man. Glinda's plan to subdue Elphaba ends up bringing Dorothy into Munchkinland, where Elphaba's beloved sister Nessa is crushed. After multiple twists, the friendship of Glinda and Elphaba is re-established. Elphaba ends up officially dead (but actually leaves Oz with the man she loves), and Glinda is officially the Good Witch in charge of Oz.

In the 2004 Tony Awards, both Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth were nominated for Best Actress in a Musical, with Idina Menzel's Elphaba victorious over Kristin Chenoweth's Glinda. While critic reviews were somewhat mixed, the show was a massive box office success, not only on Broadway, but also in touring and international versions.

Answer: Spamalot

Eric Idle, of Monty Python fame, constructed this musical based on their 1975 film 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', a spoof of Arthurian legends. The original production, directed by Mike Nichols, won three Tony awards (out of 14 nominations), including Best Musical. The less-than-serious plot includes many humorous bits from the earlier movie, but adds on a quest to have Arthur put on a successful Broadway musical. The Grail is finally found, hidden in the audience, and things wind up successfully for all concerned.

'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' was actually written by Eric Idle for the 1979 film 'Monty Python's Life of Brian', where it is sung at the end of the movie by 140 people being crucified alongside Brian. The song gained great popularity as an affirmation of optimism, so by the time of 'Spamalot' its use at the start of Act II, after Arthur and his nights have been scattered by the French soldiers throwing their Trojan rabbit back at them to end Act I, marks a new focus on setting off on their quest. And, of course, the reprise for the Finale gives the audience a chance to join in for a rousing singalong.

Answer: Mary Poppins

'Mary Poppins', based on a combination of events from the original series of books by P. L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film starring Julie Andrews in the title role, opened in the West End in 2004, and hit Broadway in 2006. Although it didn't win many awards for either production, it had great popular success in national tours and international productions. The show has become a staple for schools and community theatres, where it is guaranteed to bring in an audience wanting to see and hear the familiar songs.

In the film, 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' was sung by Mary Poppins and Bert the chimney sweep (played by Dick van Dyke) when she takes Jane and Michael on an excursion to the park. For the musical, it is first sung when Mary takes the children to visit Mrs. Corry so they can buy some conversation. She only has single letters, so they select some, and then try to put them together to form a word. Hey presto!

Answer: The Book of Mormon

Trey Parker may be more familiar as one of the creators of the cartoon 'South Park', and he brought some of that same irreverence to the writing of a stage musical about missionaries trying to attract people to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Two young men head off to Uganda, where things do not go so well; one of them starts inventing stories to gain acceptance from the villagers who found his expounding from the official sacred texts, including 'The Book of Mormon' to be boring and culturally incomprehensible. Of course, this leads to outrage when church authorities find out. But, of course, his conversions are ultimately successful.

'All American Prophet' is sung soon after the arrival in Uganda, when the two are still full of high expectations about their mission. It starts by describing Joseph Smith, the American who founded their church, as the newest, hippest, all-American prophet, describing his discovery of plates at the direction of the angel Moroni and subsequent establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; by the end, it is declaring that the singer himself is actually the latest all-America prophet.

Answer: Kinky Boots

The 2005 film 'Kinky Boots', based on real events, was the inspiration for this musical, which opened on Broadway in 2013. The show won a number of Tony awards, including Best Musical and Best Score, which made Cyndi Lauper the first woman to win that award as a solo composer. The book was written by another established name, Harvey Fierstein, who had already won a number of Tony awards as an actor and author.

Charlie Price takes over the family business, a shoe factory on the verge of bankruptcy, and tries to find a way to save it. When he meets a drag queen named Lola, the pair decide to work together to produce a stylish shoe that will carry a man's weight in comfort. The song 'Sex is in the Heel' is performed as they work together to develop their design. Their boots are a wild success in Milan, and the factory is saved, but only after the necessary complications and confrontations.

Answer: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Opening in 2014, this jukebox musical tells the story of the early career of the writer and singer, mostly using the music of the songs she wrote. The show opens with 'So Far Away', a number from her most famous album, 'Tapestry', before going back to the moment when she sold her first song at the age of 16. We follow her personal and professional relationship with Gerry Goffin through Act I; Act II sees their marriage breaking down, and Carole moving from being solely a writer to also performing. The show culminates with a Carnegie Hall performance following the success of 'Tapestry'.

'You've Got a Friend' was on 'Tapestry', and is performed in the show while she is leaving New York and heading to Los Angeles to record that album. Carole King apparently got the inspiration for the song from a line in the song 'Fire and Rain' by James Taylor. Both artists recorded it at almost the same time, and both had hits.