Once is Not Enough Trivia Quiz

Answer: Joel Grey and Alan Cumming

Based on the John Van Druten's play "I Am a Camera", which was based on Christopher Isherwood's book "Goodbye to Berlin", the musical "Cabaret" debuted in 1966 with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, respectively. The story took place in 1930s Berlin, with most of the scenes set around a nightclub called the Kit Kat Klub, and the role for which both Grey and Cumming won the Tony Award was for the Master of Ceremonies (Emcee) at the club. Grey won the Tony for his role in 1967 and then picked up an Academy Award for the same role in the 1972 Bob Fosse film "Cabaret". Alan Cumming first played the role in a 1993 London revival of the musical and then again on Broadway in 1998 where he picked up his Tony. When Grey won his award, it was for "Best Featured Actor in a Musical", the equivalent of the "Best Supporting Actor" Academy Award. Cumming, however, received the award for "Best Actor in a Musical", which reflected the change in the status of the character in the revival.

Just a note: The lists of winners in this quiz are not definitive. As Broadway continues to revive plays, there will likely be other winners who portray these characters.

Answer: Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, and Patti LuPone

Loosely based on the memoirs of ecdysiast Gypsy Rose Lee, the 1959 musical "Gypsy" featured music and lyrics by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, respectively, and was the source of the songs "Everything's Coming up Roses" and "Let Me Entertain You". The story followed a showbiz mother, Mama Rose, pushing her daughters into a life onstage. Ethel Merman was the original Mama Rose, and she received a Tony nomination but didn't win.

In 1973, Angela Lansbury starred in a revival of the show, first in London and then on Broadway and picked up the Tony for her work in 1975. Tyne Daly assumed the role in the 1989 revival, picking up the Tony in 1990.

In a 2008 revival, Patti LuPone took over the role and picked up the Tony the same year.

Answer: Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, and Nathan Lane

Written by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" was inspired by the stories of Roman playwright Plautus. In the comic musical, Pseudolus was a slave who was trying to get his freedom by helping his master get a girl. Zero Mostel was the original Pseudolus, a role he also played in the film version of the show, and he won the Tony in 1963. Phil Silvers had been the original choice to portray Pseudolus, and he turned down the role, but he later had a change of heart, and when the show was revived in 1972, he starred as Pseudolus, picking up the Tony.

A 1996 revival resulted in a Tony for Nathan Lane when he took his turn at the role. Although it wasn't in the same musical, Jason Alexander also portrayed Pseudolus in one scene of the 1989 show "Jerome Robbins' Broadway", and he also picked up the Tony. So all four portrayals of Pseudolus on Broadway in the 20th century won Tony awards!

Answer: Audra McDonald and Sophie Okonedo

Written by Lorraine Hansberry, "A Raisin in the Sun" told the story of a working class black family who clashed over how to spend an insurance check. The play debuted on Broadway in 1959 and featured Ruby Dee as the stoic Ruth Younger, a role she also played in the 1961 film version of the same name.

A revival of the play in 2004 earned Audra McDonald a Tony for Best Featured Actress; she received an Emmy nomination for playing the same role in a TV film version of the play in 2008. In a 2014 Broadway revival, Sophie Okonedo also picked up the Tony for Best Featured Actress for the role.

Answer: Robert Morse and Matthew Broderick

Based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" had music by Frank Loesser and was written by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert. It was the story of a young window washer who used a self-help book to rise to the position of Chairman of the Board of the World Wide Wicket Company. Robert Morse portrayed the original J. Pierrepont Finch when the show opened on Broadway in 1961, winning the Tony in 1962, and he reprised his role in the 1967 film of the same name. Matthew Broderick took over the role in a 1995 revival, picking up the Tony the same year.

Answer: Fredric March and Brian Dennehy

Written by Eugene O'Neill, the Pulitzer Prize winning "Long Day's Journey into Night" told the story of a tense day in the life of the dysfunctional Tyrone family. In the 1956 Broadway debut, Fredric March portrayed James Tyrone, Sr., a miserly, past-his-prime actor, and March won the Tony in 1957.

The play has been staged on Broadway several times, with Jack Lemmon and Gabriel Byrne among those who have portrayed James Tyrone, Sr. In a 2003 revival of the play, Brian Dennehy took his turn at the role and picked up the Tony for his work the same year.

Answer: Glynis Johns and Catherine Zeta-Jones

Based on the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film "Smiles of a Summer Night", "A Little Night Music" was written by Hugh Wheeler with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and it may be best known for the song "Send in the Clowns", which Sondheim wrote specifically for Glynis Johns. Hal Prince, who directed the Broadway debut, wanted a song for Johns, but she wasn't really a singer, so Sondheim had to create a song that could almost be spoken.

The story followed the romances of a few couples, with Desiree Armfeldt being a glamorous, and melancholy, has-been actress. Johns picked up the Tony for playing Desiree in the 1973 original Broadway production, and Catherine Zeta-Jones took on the role in a 2009 revival, winning the Tony in 2010.

Answer: James Earl Jones and Denzel Washington

Written by August Wilson, the Pulitzer Prize winning 1985 play "Fences" explored the turmoil in a family torn apart by a larger-than-life, dominant patriarch. The character of Troy Maxson was a bitter, former Negro League baseball player who was too old to play when baseball became integrated; he ended up working as a garbage collector. James Earl Jones originated the role on Broadway in 1987, winning the Tony the same year.

In the first Broadway revival of the play in 2010, Denzel Washington took over the role, also winning the Tony the same year. Washington then played the character in the 2016 film version of "Fences", picking up an Academy Award nomination.

Answer: Joe Mantegna and Liev Schreiber

Another Pulitzer Prize winning play, "Glengarry Glen Ross" was written by David Mamet and opened on Broadway in 1984. The play followed two days in the lives of four shady real estate agents, with the title referring to two properties. Ricky Roma was the sleazy, top salesman in the office - "a shark in a sharkskin suit" as a "New York Times" review stated. Joe Mantegna was the original Ricky Roma on Broadway, and he picked up the Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1984. Liev Schreiber took on the role in the 2005 revival, winning the Tony the same year.

Answer: Judith Anderson, Zoe Caldwell, and Diana Rigg

The only really-old play in this quiz, "Medea" was written by Euripides and first performed in 431 B.C.E. The story followed the conniving Medea as she enacted revenge on her unfaithful husband. Poet Robinson Jeffers adapted the play for Broadway in 1947, with Judith Anderson winning the Tony for her performance the following year. Zoe Caldwell portrayed the character in a 1982 revival, picking up the Tony the same year. Anderson also appeared in the 1982 production, portraying the character of Nurse. Both Caldwell and Anderson reprised their roles on a TV movie of the play the following year.

In a 1994 adaption by Alistair Elliot, Diana Rigg received the Tony for her performance of the character.