Musicals Matchup Trivia Quiz

Answer: Anything Goes

"Anything Goes" first debuted in 1934 at the Alvin Theatre in New York City. It tells the story of passengers on the SS American, an ocean-liner bound for London from New York. The song "I Get a Kick Out of You" is sung by the lead female character, Reno Sweeney, a nightclub owner who was originally played by Ethel Merman. In "I Get a Kick Out of You", Reno expresses her love to Billy Crocker, a Wall Street broker. The song is later reprised at the end of the show, and has been famously covered by Frank Sinatra in 1954 and Tony Bennett in 1957.

"I get no kick from Champagne,
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all,
So tell me why should it be true,
That I get a kick out of you."

Answer: Anything Goes

"Anything Goes" has been revived several times on Broadway and in the West End in London. Over the years, as is common with musicals, the show has been reworked and Cole Porter's original music and lyrics were added to, removed, or relocated in the show and given new meaning. In the original 1934 production of "Anything Goes", in the song "You're the Top", the character Billy is trying to convince Reno to help him win the heart of American debutant, Hope Harcourt. In the Broadway revival in 2011, starring Sutton Foster and Colin Donnell, the song was changed to be more of a pep talk from Reno who's trying to lift the spirits of a discouraged Billy.

"You're the top!
You're the Coliseum.
You're the top!
You're the Louvre Museum."

Answer: Gypsy

"Gypsy" first came to the stage in 1959 at the Broadway Theatre. With a powerful score with lyrics by Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, "Gypsy" tells the story of Rose, an overbearing stage mom, and her two daughters June (a child star) and Louise. The show is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, a striptease artist. "Everything's Coming Up Roses" is sung by Rose after June decides to leave the family Vaudeville act and elope with her beau, Tulsa. Rose decides that she needs to turn Louise into a star instead to keep her family in the spotlight. The original Rose on Broadway was none other than Ethel Merman of "Anything Goes" fame!

"You'll be swell! You'll be great!
Gonna have the whole world on the plate!
Starting here, starting now,
Honey, everything's coming up roses!"

Answer: Gypsy

"Gypsy" has been revived both on Broadway and in the West End. The 2015 London revival of the stage show, starring Imelda Staunton as Mama Rose, has even been professionally recorded for posterity. The song "The Strip", sometimes called "Let Me Entertain You", is one of the more well known songs of the show. It's sung by Louise near the end of the show and is a reprise of a song that young June sings as a child star at the very beginning of the musical, called "May We Entertain You?". Rose encourages Louise to go on stage for her first act, telling Louise she doesn't actually need to strip, just "tease" the audience a bit. Louise walks out on stage and, while singing "The Strip" directly to the audience, removes a single glove.

"Let me entertain you.
Let me make you smile.
Let me do a few tricks,
Some old and then some new tricks.
I'm very versatile."

Answer: Godspell

"Godspell" opened at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York in 1976 after appearing off-Broadway and in London in 1971. The show is a series of parables acted out by non-Biblical characters and set against a brilliant score composed by Stephen Schwartz. It originally started as a drama school project by students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. An abbreviated one-act version of the show has been created for performers under the age of 18. "Bless the Lord" appears in Act I and is the story of a man who spent his life acquiring everything he could only to die before he could enjoy it. It's sung by the character Joanne in the original production. In later productions the character who sings "Bless the Lord" goes by different names.

"He clothes thee with his love,
Upholds thee with his truth,
And like an eagle he renews
The vigor of thy youth."

Answer: Godspell

"Godspell" has been revived on numerous occasions, and has had productions and tours on four continents. The songs that are included in each production vary, with the prologue often being skipped, and songs appearing in different orders. "All Good Gifts" is typically performed as the second-to-last song of Act I. It's the parable of the Sower of the Seeds in which the character playing Jesus tells the cast that the seeds are the Word of God.

"He sends the snow in winter,
The earth to swell the grain...
The breezes and the sunshine,
And soft refreshing rain..."

Answer: Into the Woods

"Into the Woods" first opened on Broadway in 1987 with performances at the Martin Beck Theatre. Another Stephen Sondheim show, "Into the Woods" is a collection of Brothers Grimm fairy tales and intertwines their stories as the characters meet and pass each other in the woods. Characters are taken from the stories of "Cinderella", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Jack and the Beanstalk", and "Rapunzel", among others. "On the Steps of the Palace" is sung by Cinderella. In an attempt to keep her from running away from him, Cinderella's Prince puts pitch on the stairs so she'll stick to them when she attempts to flee after a ball. She escapes but leaves her glass slipper behind.

"This is more than just malice.
Better stop and take stock
While you're standing here stuck
On the steps of the palace."

Answer: Into the Woods

"Into the Woods" typically includes a disclaimer to parents that the second half of the show may not be suitable for children. While Act I is all familiar fairytales, Act II of the show takes a very dark turn as we see that all "happily ever afters" aren't all that happy afterall. The second half the show sees the deaths of the Giant, the Giant's Wife, Little Red Riding Hood's mother and grandmother, Jack's mother, the Baker's wife, the Witch, and Rapunzel. "No One is Alone" is the final song before the Finale, and is a quartet between Cinderella, the Baker, Jack, and Little Red Riding Hood, as they console each other after the loss of their friends and family.

"Things will come out right now.
We can make it so.
Someone is on your side.
No one is alone."

Answer: Mean Girls

"Mean Girls" played at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway from 2018 until permanently closing its doors when Broadway went dark in March 2020. The stage show is based on the movie of the same name created by Tina Fey. Theatre-goers who are fans of the movie will be pleased to hear the same dialogue in the musical. The story follows Cady Heron, played by Erika Henningsen in the original production, as she returns to the US for high school after growing up in Kenya with her naturalist parents. "More is Better" is a duet between Cady and her crush, Aaron Samuels. Cady reveals to Aaron how she's been attempting to get his attention and he walks out on her when he realizes she's been lying to him. He tells her he liked her better before she tried to fit in and become one of the popular girls.

"You say more is always better
But there is less of you than there was before.
So, if more is always better,
Then you should have thought it through a bit more."

Answer: Mean Girls

"Mean Girls" has an overall positive message encouraging young people who may feel different to just be themselves. Several songs throughout the show emphasize that just being you is the most important thing. It's not important to be one of the popular kids, especially if it means becoming something you're not and hurting those around you. In her "rise to the bottom" Cady uses and walks over people who thought she was their friend. Janis, an outcast at their school, thought Cady was her friend, but was disappointed by Cady on several occasions and was treated very poorly by her. In "I'd Rather Be Me", Janis lets everyone know that she doesn't need Cady and is perfectly fine and comfortable with herself alone.

"Everybody has opinions, but it doesn't make them true.
What's true is being me
And I'd rather be me.
I'd rather be me than be with you!"