ALW's Opening Song Lyrics Trivia Quiz

Answer: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat

These lines are sung by the narrator in the shows prologue as she prepares to tell the audience the story of Joseph.

I say she because it is very rare, though not impossible, for the narrator to be played by a male.

It really is the only significant singing role for a woman in the show as all the major characters are male.

Answer: Jesus Christ Superstar

Sung by Judas Iscariot in "Heaven On Their Minds."

The musical begins just prior to Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem.

Judas is becoming increasingly worried about how popular Jesus has become and is afraid that the large number of followers is gaining too much notice from the authorities which can only mean trouble for them all.

Answer: Evita

Sung by Ché, the social commentator, in "Oh, What a Circus."

"Evita" begins in a cinema in Buenos Aries in 1952. The film is interrupted by the announcement of Eva's death.

While the crowds mourn and sing a requiem in Latin, Ché sings this cynical song questioning the hysterical outpouring of grief.

Answer: Cats

This is from "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats."

"Cats" opens on the scene of a huge junkyard. The Jellicle cats are making their way toward it singing this song.

Jellicle cats are a special breed of cat - they are given three names and every year they have a Jellicle ball and one cat is able to be reborn.

Eliot used the term 'jellicle' in one of his previous poems called "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats".

This was basically a play on words from 'poor little dogs' and 'dear little cats'.

Answer: The Phantom Of The Opera

Sung by Raoul, in the prologue, at the Paris Opera in 1905.

The show begins with an auction of the opera house's contents.

Raoul is now 70 and has just bought the barrel-organ music box with the monkey that belonged to the Phantom.

He is reminiscing how Christine used to speak of the box.

Answer: Aspects Of Love

From "Love Changes Everything" being sung by Alex Dillingham.

"Aspects Of Love" begins at the end of the story at a railway station in Pau, France 1964.

A man and a woman are on stage and he is singing - it is only later in the show that we know they are Alex and Giulietta.

As the song ends we go to Montpellier in 1947 and the story begins.

Answer: Sunset Boulevard

Joe Gillis singing from "I Guess It Was 5 a.m."

This is another show that is told in hindsight.

The show opens at the mansion on Sunset and shows the pool with a man floating face down, the victim of a homicide.

Joe then takes us back six months in time to when the story began.

The twist being that he is the murdered man in the pool.

Answer: Whistle Down The Wind

From "The Vaults Of Heaven".

"Whistle Down The Wind" begins in a church service which all the principal characters are attending. The whole congregation is singing the opening song.

Religion plays a large part in this musical. It is set in a poor Louisiana town just before Christmas in 1959.

Part of the musical revolves around a revival meeting that has come to town and the fear and judgment of the adults when they hear they have an escaped convict in their midst.

This is juxtapositioned quite nicely with the hope and the innocence of the children who find the criminal and, through a misunderstanding, believe he is Jesus and will do anything they can to save him.

Answer: The Woman In White

Anne Catherick sings this in the prologue.

The musical begins at a railway station in Cumberland in 1870.

Walter Cartwright has just arrived to take up his new post as a tutor. He is talking to the signal man when Anne, dressed totally in white, appears from the train tunnel and begins to talk to him of her secret.

Before she can tell him anything of importance a cart approaches and she disappears back through the tunnel.

Answer: The Beautiful Game

The opening song is also entitled "The Beautiful Game" and is sung by all the youth.

The musical opens on a black, empty stage. A group of teenagers appear - the boys kicking an empty can around and the girls just watching them. They sing of their love for football.

The title comes from Pelé's autobiography "My Life and The Beautiful Game."

Pelé (Edison Arantes do Nascimento) is considered by most to be the greatest footballer of all time. He began playing in Brazil in 1956 and retired in 1977. He is the only player in the world to have three gold World Cup medals.