"Showboat" was a two act musical based on a novel by Edna Ferber. The two most familiar songs from the musical are "Ol' Man River" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man". Jerome Kern wrote the music and Oscar Hammerstein II the book and lyrics. Florenz "Flo" Ziegfield produced the original stage version and it premiered at his theater on December 27, 1927.
It has been revived several times over the years to critical acclaim.
2. Carousel
Answer: Rodgers and Hammerstein
After the success of their first effort, "Oklahoma", the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II began work on "Carousel". Rodgers wrote the music and Hammerstein the book and lyrics. The show was based on a play by Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnar called "Lilliom". Rodgers and Hammerstein acquired the rights and rewrote the ending of the story since the original was sad.
The show opened on Broadway on April 19, 1945 and ran for 890 performances.
3. West Side Story
Answer: Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim
"West Side Story" is essentially a modern version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". Bernstein composed the music and Sondheim wrote the lyrics with Arthur Laurents supplying the book (plot and dialogue). Instead of two rival families the story centers around two rival street gangs.
The male and female lead roles are named Tony and Maria, with Maria being the sister of one of the gang leaders and Tony the best friend of the rival gang leader. The original story by Laurents centered around conflicts between an Irish-Catholic family and a Jewish family on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and was therefore titled "East Side Story". That plot was eventually changed because of its similarity in theme to the popular play "Abie's Irish Rose".
4. Cats
Answer: Andrew Lloyd Weber
CATS opened May 11, 1981 at the New London Theater in London, England. It is based on T.S. Eliot's book of poetry "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats". It's the story of a tribe of cats known as "The Jellicles" and how they choose which of their number will ascend into their version of Heaven, known as the "Heaviside Layer", and be able to return to a new life. Following its London debut it ran for 21 years there.
Its original Broadway run lasted 18 years.
5. The Lion King
Answer: Sir Elton John and Tim Rice
The stage musical of "The Lion King" was based on the highly popular and successful 1994 Disney movie. Other composers contributed songs for the show but it was the work of Sir Elton and Tim Rice that achieved the most recognition and popularity with songs like "The Circle of Life", "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and "Hakuna Matata" resonating strongly.
The original Broadway production was directed by Julie Traynor who also designed the costumes. The original 1997 Broadway cast recording is the only one that contains "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", which was also used in the movie.
6. Little Johnny Jones
Answer: George M. Cohan
"Little Johnny Jones" was George M. Cohan's first full length musical. The two best known songs from the show were "The Yankee Doodle Boy" (more commonly known as "Yankee Doodle Dandy") and "Give My Regards to Broadway". The show was inspired by the real life story of Tod Sloan, who went to England to race.
It debuted on Broadway in 1902 after a test run in Hartford, Connecticut. The original Broadway production ran for 52 performances followed by a national tour.
7. Babes In Arms
Answer: Rodgers and Hart
Richard Rodgers wrote the music and Lorenz Hart the lyrics for "Babes In Arms", with both collaborating on the story and dialog. The movie version starred Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, with a plot that is radically different from the original stage musical.
The show tells the story of talented teenagers from show business families who set out to prove themselves as entertainers. Key songs from the original stage show include "Where Or When", "My Funny Valentine" and "The Lady Is A Tramp", all of which have become a part of the "Great American Songbook".
8. Wicked
Answer: Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for "Wicked". Winnie Holzman provided the story line and dialog which tells the story of "The Wizard of Oz" from the perspective of the witches. It's based on the novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of The West" by Gregory Maguire.
It premiered on May 28, 2003 in San Francisco for a trial run on May 28, 2003 before moving on to Broadway in October of the same year.
9. Smokey Joe's Cafe'
Answer: Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
"Smokey Joe's Cafe'" celebrates the music of one of the most successful songwriting teams in the history of pop, R&B and rock music: Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The title is a Leiber and Stoller song, but it is never actually performed in the show. A small portion of it is played instrumentally during a scene transition. The show received mixed reviews from critics.
10. Hamilton
Answer: Lin-Manuel Miranda
"Hamilton" is the story in song and rap of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's founding fathers. Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspired after reading Ron Chernow's biography of Hamilton. After a trial run at the Vassar College workshop the show officially premiered Off-Broadway at the Public Theater in New York City on February 17, 2015.
After a six month sold out run it moved to the Rodgers Theater on Broadway.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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