Musicals in Other Words Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rent

In a nutshell, "Rent" deals with two guys (one of which is HIV positive) who have to go to great lengths to try to pay the rent to their domineering landlord.

Answer: Grease

"Grease" deals with a smooth bad boy and a clumsy, dorky girl who fall in love over the summer...and then end up at the same school. Sparks fly when their respective peer groups collide as each tries to change to please the other.

Answer: The Sound of Music

"The Sound of Music" is about a young postulant named Maria who leaves the convent to become a governess for a naval captain's seven children. Through music, she relieves some of the heavy discipline forced upon them and eventually falls in love with and marries their father.

Answer: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

Prostitutes, football players, senators, governors, sheriffs, and a whiny girl named Doatsey Mae all run wild in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."

Answer: Man of La Mancha

"Man of La Mancha" can be very confusing: it features a poet thrown in jail for foreclosing on a church, and his assistant. Their fellow prisoners are none too kind and are about to attack, when they come up with a clever diversion: a play about a man who thinks he's a knight who falls in love with an inn's kitchen worker and part time prostitute (he's convinced she's a princess.)

Answer: The Producers

"The Producers" concerns two Broadway producers looking to make some major money off a flop created by a crazed neo-Nazi.

Answer: Les Miserables

"Les Miserables" is the story of Jean Valjean, a man who goes from prisoner to factory owner to parent all in the same show. It's hardly as bright as it sounds, however. All along the way we come across several poor, desperate people, a police inspector who doesn't know when to quit and some very, very stupid school boys.

Answer: Wicked

"Wicked" is the "Wizard of Oz" told from the Wicked Witch of the West's point of view. A young girl who was born with green skin named Elphaba gets herself mixed up in a gigantic political argument, taking herself so far that she loses her friends, family, and lovers, whilst she gains the public's hatred.

This story explains the origins of several things in the "Wizard of OZ" and also demonstrates that the Wizard is not so wonderful.

Answer: Fiddler on the Roof

"Fiddler on the Roof" is about a Jewish family in Russia. The father of the family is dismayed to see all three of his daughters married in a relatively short amount of time and then to see the remainder of the family booted out of their home of Anatevka.

Answer: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" is regarded as one of Broadway's most hilarious musicals. It concerns a slave looking to gain his freedom by finding a bride for his master.

Answer: Carousel

"Carousel" is about a carousel operator who falls in love with a girl...then blows it all by being a downright jerk. After abusing his wife, getting mixed in with a bad crowd, and finally being shot by an old man, he dies. Once in heaven, he is given an opportunity to go back down and see his daughter before divine judgement is cast upon him.

Answer: West Side Story

"West Side Story" shares the plot from Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet". A boy and a girl from rival street gangs fall in love and it causes dire consequences and tragedy for the both of them.

Answer: Ragtime

"Ragtime" tells the story of the son of a fireworks maker who dreams of something bigger. "Ragtime" also features many historical figures such as Harry Houdini and J.P. Morgan.

Answer: Guys and Dolls

"Guys and Dolls" is a highly amusing show wrapped around two gamblers, an "exotic dancer", and a Salvation Army prude. One gambler, desperate for money to host his crap game, bets the other he can't convince the Salvation Army girl to go on a trip to Havana with him.

While he tries to do that, the other gambler (who fears commitment big time) must deal with his demanding fiance of 14 years. All "bets" are off as the plot unfolds!

Answer: Oklahoma

"Oklahoma!" is about farmers and cowboys living together in the region, although it has not yet been joined with the Union. A ranch hand tries to steal the heart of a stubborn girl, although a depressed and angry man is not pleased. "Oklahoma!" also features a girl who can't say no, a man who has visited Kansas, and an amusing Persian salesman.