Musicals on the Menu Trivia Quiz

Answer: Honey Bun

In one of the funniest moments of this show Nellie Forbush dresses in drag as a sailor and sings about her sweetheart 'Honey Bun' who is represented by Luther Billis, also in drag, during a Thanksgiving cabaret performance.

'South Pacific' debuted on Broadway in 1949 and was a huge commercial and critical success. It is loosely based on the book 'Tales of the South Pacific' by James A. Michener, including elements of several of Michener's original stories. The show takes place in the Pacific theatre during World War II and interlaces several stories involving American service personel stationed there and their interactions with local residents. Two of the major stories focus on the relationship between American nurse Nellie Forbush and wealthy plantation owner Emile De Becque and the doomed love affair between Marine Lieutenant Joe Cable and a young Tonkinese woman called Liat. While there are many light moments in the play it does also deal with the serious issues of racism as well as focusing on some of the darker aspects of war.

Answer: My Favourite Things

'My Favorite Things' is perhaps one of the best known songs from 'The Sound of Music' and is performed on several separate occasions throughout the show. 'The Sound of Music' was another smash hit for the musical goliaths Rodgers and Hammerstein, spawning an Oscar-winning film version.

It is loosely based on the real-life exploits of the Austrian von Trapp family as recounted in Maria von Trapp's memoir 'The Trapp Family Singers'.

Answer: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

This somewhat gruesome Sondheim musical opened in 1979 and was based on the 1972 play of the same name by Christopher Bond. The murderous barber Sweeney Todd originally appeared in a Victorian 'penny dreadful' entitled 'The String of Pearls' but the 'demon barber' has taken on a life of his own, becoming something of an urban legend and inspiring a number of books, plays and films.

In Sondheim's musical, Sweeney Todd joins forces with local pie-maker Mrs. Lovett, who is struggling to find meat to put in her pies while he is looking for effective ways of disposing of his victims. I am sure you can guess what mutually beneficial arrangement they reach!

Answer: Wouldn't It Be Loverly

This enormously popular Lerner and Loewe musical is based on the play 'Pygmalion' by Irish writer George Bernard Shaw and tells the tale of Eliza Doolittle, a poor cockney flower-girl who is taken in by Professor Henry Higgins, an austere phoneticist, whose friend, Pickering, bets him that he cannot turn Eliza into a lady.

Answer: Beauty and the Beast

Based on the classic 1991 Disney animated feature of the same name (which was, in turn, based on the traditional fairy tale), this show opened on Broadway in 1994. The show tells the story of a young woman, Belle, who is forced to live with a beast in order to protect her father.

The beast is a prince who has been cursed, along with all of his servants, a curse which can only be broken by true love. While the prince was transformed into a beast, all of his servants were turned into animated household objects such as Cogsworth (who takes the form of a clock), Mrs. Potts (who appears as a teapot) and Lumiere (who is a candlestick).

The song referenced in the question is 'Be Our Guest' in which the servants attempt to cheer Belle and make her feel more at home.

Answer: Company

'Company' made its Broadway debut in 1970 and features a series of vignettes telling the stories of various couples, and their complicated and often intertwined relationships. As with much of Sondheim's work, there is an intimate and understated feel to the show, eschewing big flashy show-stopping numbers in favour of more subtle pieces which helps make the show more compelling and more convincing.

In 'Company' Sondheim had apparently attempted to write a musical which was closer to real-life, with all its depressing truths, than most of the glitzy, uplifting musicals that had gone before. 'The Ladies Who Lunch' is sung by a drunken Joanne and is a withering criticism of wealthy women, like herself, who she believes are wasting their lives.

Answer: Gigi

'Gigi' was based on the novel of the same name by Colette. The film version of the musical, which was released in 1958 and performed well at the Oscars, was released some years before the stage version opened in 1973. The show follows the travails of the titular teenager who is being prepared by her mother and grandmother to enter the family profession of courtesan.

However, she attracts and subsequently falls in love with a wealthy young man called Gaston, whom she marries.

Answer: A Spoonful of Sugar

The stage version of 'Mary Poppins' debuted in 2003 and was based on the 1964 Disney film starring Julie Andrews which was, in turn, based on the books by P.L. Travers. 'Mary Poppins' tells the story of a magical nanny who comes to work for the Banks family, bringing magic and wonder into the lives of the whole family.

It is said that the author, P.L. Travers, was very disappointed with the original Disney version of her books and that it was many years before she could be convinced to agree to the staging of the new musical.

Answer: Chicago

'Chicago' debuted on Broadway in 1975 and is set during America's prohibition period. It is loosely based on real-life crime cases recounted in the 1926 play of the same name by crime reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins. The show satirises the cult of the celebrity criminal as well as the criminal justice and legal systems in general.

The original production was choreographed by legendary choreographer Bob Fosse.

Answer: Oliver!

Based on the novel 'Oliver Twist' by Charles Dickens, 'Oliver!' made its West End debut in 1960 and was made into an Oscar-winning film in 1968. 'Oliver!' tells the tale of a young orphan and his adventures in Victorian London including becoming part of an infamous group of pick-pockets. 'Food Glorious Food' is sung by the boys in the orphanage as they lament over the meagre portions of gruel they are given for sustenance and dream of richer and more plentiful fare.