Fractured Musicals Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kiss Me, Kate

"Kiss Me, Kate" opened on Broadway on December 28, 1948 with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and enjoyed a healthy run of 1,070. There have been two revivals of "Kiss Me, Kate," most recently in 1999 starring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie.

Interesting Fact: "Kiss Me, Kate" won the first ever Tony Award offered for Best Musical in 1949.

Answer: My Fair Lady

"My Fair Lady" opened in 1956 starring Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews and ran for 2,717 performances. A movie version was made in 1964 starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.

Interesting Fact: For the movie version, Rex Harrison's singing was recorded using one of the first examples of wireless microphones. Because of Rex Harrison's unique way of half-speaking his songs, prerecording and lip-synching them would have proved nearly impossible.

Answer: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and opened on Broadway on November 18, 1981 and ran for 747 shows. A short-lived revival ran for six months in 1993-1994.

Interesting Fact: Although "Joseph..." opened more than a decade after "Jesus Christ Superstar," the former was written first. It began as a 15-minute short written for a London prep school in 1968.

Answer: The Sound of Music

"The Sound of Music" opened on Broadway in 1959 starring Mary Martin as Maria. "The Sound of Music" tied with Fiorello! for the Tony Award for Best Musical that year and ran for 1,443 performances until 1963. A movie version was made in 1965 starring Julie Andrews.

Interesting Fact: Lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II was very ill during the writing of "The Sound of Music" and died shortly after the musical opened. The last lyrics he ever wrote were to "Edelweiss."

Answer: The Music Man

"The Music Man" opened on Broadway in 1957 starring Robert Preston as Professor Harold Hill and Barbara Cook as Marian "the librarian" Paroo. "The Music Man" has since been made into a movie in 1962 starring Robert Preston and Shirley Jones and a TV-movie in 2003 starring Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth.

Interesting Fact: In the original movie version, the song "My White Kinght" from the show was replaced with an original song titled "Being in Love." However, the 2003 TV-movie included the original "My White Knight" in place of "Being in Love."

Answer: The Phantom of the Opera

"The Phantom of the Opera" began as a novel by French author Gaston Leroux and was almost forgotten until a 1925 silent movie version starring Lon Chaney in the title role propelled it into the limelight. Several more movie versions ensued, most famously a 1943 version starring Claude Rains. The Broadway version opened on January 26, 1988 and is still running (as of October 2004). It is the second longest-running Broadway musical, only behind "Cats."

Interesting Fact: The role of Christine Daae was written specifically for Sarah Brightman, who, at the time, was Mrs. Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Answer: Les Miserables

I know the "fractured" clue leads to a highly-contrived pronunciation (the way people who don't know how pronounce "Les Miserables" pronounce the title), but writing fractured clues are hard enough in English, not to mention French.

Anyway, "Les Miserables" opened in London on October 8, 1985 and opened on Broadway on April 12, 1987 and closed on May 18, 2003, at the time the second longest running musical, behind "Cats." It has since been passed by "The Phantom of the Opera."

Interesting fact: The role of Jean Valjean was originally written for a baritone. It was only after tenor Colm Wilkinson (London and Broadway's original Valjean) gave a stunning audition, that the role was re-written for a tenor and Colm Wilkinson was cast in the part.

Answer: Guys and Dolls

"Guys and Dolls" opened on Broadway on November 28, 1950, starring Robert Alda, Vivian Blaine, Sam Levene, and Isabel Bingley and ran for 1,200 performances. "Guys and Dolls" won the second Tony award ever given for Best Musical (the first was "Kiss Me, Kate"). A movie version was made in 1955 starring Marlon Brando, Vivian Blaine, Frank Sinatra, and Jean Simmons.

Interesting Fact: One of Broadway's funniest shows, "Guys and Dolls" was originally planned as a serious romantic story.

Answer: Hello, Dolly!

"Hello, Dolly!" opened on January 16, 1964 starring Carol Channing in the title role and ran for 2,844 shows. "Hello, Dolly!" held the title of longest-running musical for less than a year, when it was overtaken by "Fiddler on the Roof." A movie version was made in 1969 starring Barbra Streisand.

Interesting Fact: Michael Kidd, who choreographed the movie, broke his leg during filming while demonstrating a routine.

Answer: Little Shop of Horrors

"Little Shop of Horrors" opened off-Broadway on July 27, 1982 and ran for 2,209 performances starring Lee Wilkof as Seymour and Ellen Greene as Audrey. A movie starring Rick Moranis as Seymour, Ellen Greene reprising her off-Broadway role, and Steve Martin as Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. (Audrey's semi-sadistic dentist boyfriend) was made in 1986.

Interesting Fact: The movie version of "Little Shop of Horrors" is the only movie (as of 2004) where Steve Martin has played a character that dies.

Well, I hope you liked my quiz. Please feel free to comment and rate. If I get a positive response, I would like create a series of "Fractured Musicals" quizzes. Thanks for playing.