Musical Melodies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rent

"Seasons of Love" is from the musical "Rent", written by Jonathan Larson, and first performed in 1994. The show is based on the opera "La Boheme" by Puccini, but updated and set in Greenwich Village, New York in the 1980s. "Seasons of Love" is first sung by the entire cast at the opening of the second act, detailing the past and foreshadowing the future.

Answer: Man of La Mancha

The musical "Man of La Mancha" was written by Dale Wasserman, with music and lyrics by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion. The work was based on "Don Quixote", the novel by Cervantes, published in 1605. The play depicts Cervantes in jail, and we then watch him transform into his character, Alonso Quijano. Quijano is a delusional gentleman who thinks he is the knight, Don Quixote, tilting at windmills and saving damsels in distress. One of these damsels is Aldonza, a barmaid he thinks is his 'lady', Dulcinea.

When Aldonza questions his "quest", he sings the stirring and poignant song, "The Impossible Dream".

Answer: Guys and Dolls

From a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, Frank Loesser created the wonderful, upbeat "Guys and Dolls" in 1950, based on the short stories of Damon Runyon. It presents characters like high-rollers Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit, who operate in New York City's "seamy underbelly", playing craps and betting on horses. "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat", sung by Nicely-Nicely Johnson, tells us about his dream involving gamblers on a boat, being saved from eternal damnation by going to a prayer meeting.

Answer: Cats

"Memory" is a hit song from the 1981 musical "Cats", composed by the amazing Andrew Lloyd Webber. The show was based on "Old Possum's Book on Practical Cats", by T.S. Eliot. The character, Grizabella, first sings "Memory", as she recalls her glory days as a glamour cat before turning into a shadow of her old self.

The haunting and nostalgic tune also represents hope, as she sings "Daylight I must wait for the sunrise/I must think of a new life/And I mustn't give in/When the dawn comes/Tonight will be a memory too/And a new day will begin".

Answer: Annie

Unlike many Broadway shows, "Annie" was based on the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie", created by Harold Gray, and first published in 1924; the title was from an 1885 poem by John Whitcomb Riley, called "Little Orphant Annie". The musical opened on Broadway in 1977, depicting an eleven year old orphan in 1933 during "The Great Depression". Annie sings about her "hard knock life" at the orphanage, and her bright hopes for "Tomorrow".

Answer: Phantom of the Opera

Another Andrew Lloyd Webber creation is "Phantom of the Opera", based on the 1909 novel by Gaston Leroux. First performed in London in 1986, the story is about singer Christine Daae who has become the obsession of the disfigured musical genius who lives in the bowels of the opulent opera house, i.e., Palais Garnier.

The Phantom sings "The Music of the Night" after he has lured Christine to his lair. The song is an attempt to tell Christine of his love, and to seduce her into staying with him.

Answer: Annie Get Your Gun

The great songwriter Irving Berlin wrote the rousing song,"There's No Business Like Show Business", for the 1946 musical "Annie Get Your Gun". "Annie Get Your Gun" was based on the book of the same name, written by Dorothy and Herbert Fields. The plot revolves around Annie Oakley, a sharpshooter in the days of the Old West, who won a shooting contest against famous marksman Frank Butler.

The song, sung by the entire cast, is to induce Annie to join "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show".

Answer: A Chorus Line

"A Chorus Line" opened at the Schubert Theater in New York City on July 25, 1975. From a book by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, with music and lyrics by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban, respectively, the show became an immediate hit. The plot is a simple one, i.e., Broadway dancers auditioning for a spot in the chorus line. What makes the play so appealing is that we get to know these characters, their inner thoughts and dreams.

There is irony in the song, "One", in that, after we get to know the dancers as individuals, at the end, all dressed the same and doing the same steps, they merge into an undifferentiated 'one'.

Answer: The King and I

The iconic writing team of Rodgers and Hammerstein II wrote their fifth musical, "The King and I", which premiered on Broadway on March 29, 1951. The story was based on Margaret Landon's novel, "Anna and the King of Siam", which was derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens.

In the early 1860s, Leonowens became the governess for the children of King Mongkut of Siam (now Thailand). The song comes after Anna and the King have a disagreement about love, i.e., she thinks it is real, while he believes it to be a "fairy tale", leading to "Shall We Dance?".

Answer: Fiddler on the Roof

Harnick and Bock wrote the music and lyrics for "Fiddler on the Roof", from a book by Joseph Stein which, in turn, was based on the stories of Sholem Aleichem. It is set in the "Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia" (Anatevka) in 1905. The musical opened on Broadway on September 22, 1964. We are introduced to Tevye, a pious, hard working milkman with a wife (Golde) and five daughters, forced to change with the times. "If I Were A Rich Man" is written in klezmer style, i.e., a type of upbeat music with a lot of horns, originally played by the Ashkenazi Jews.

In the song, Tevye is dreaming about what it would be like to be rich, with servants and luxuries, and a big house with a third staircase "leading nowhere, just for show".