Play-Right Trivia Quiz

Answer: Eugene O'Neill

Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953), the son of an Irish immigrant, was born in New York City, United States of America, in Longacre Square (now better known as Times Square). The others were all born in Dublin, Ireland. Seán O'Casey, in particular, was greatly influenced by his homeland and was known for his plays about Dublin's working-class poor, including "The Shadow of a Gunman" (1923), "Juno and the Paycock" (1924), and "The Plough and the Stars" (1926).

Answer: Molière

Born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, Molière (1622-1673) is acclaimed for writing farces. He suffered from tuberculosis and, while performing the title role in "The Imaginary Invalid" (the title of which has alternatively been translated as "The Hypochondriac"), began having seizures of coughing and hemorrhaging. He was transported to his home, where he died that same night.

Answer: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

The award-winning "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" was written by Edward Albee. A movie version, released in 1966, starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as the dysfunctional couple Martha and George, who freak out their houseguests with their complicated mindgames.

Answer: Tennessee Williams

The official cause of the death of Thomas Lanier Williams III, better known as Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) was ruled asphyxiation by choking on the cap of a bottle of eye drops or nasal spray. However, some now believe that the medical examiner invented this cause of death in an attempt to save William's reputation and that he more likely died due to an overdose of Seconal.

Of the incorrect answers, Tennessee Ernie Ford was a singer, Georgia O'Keeffe a painter, and Michigan J. Frog a cartoon character.

Answer: Eugène Ionesco

Born Eugen Ionescu in Romania, Eugène Ionesco (1909-1994) spent much of his childhood in France and wrote his plays in French. He is known as an exemplar of Theatre of the Absurd, which used absurdism and surrealism to address existentialist themes. His most famous play, "Rhinoceros", inspired by the rise of fascism in Romania, involved the transformation, one by one, of a town's residents into rhinoceroses.

Answer: Bertolt Brecht

Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (1898-1956), better known as Bertolt Brecht, was best known for "The Threepenny Opera", his adaptation, with Kurt Weill, of John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera". He wrote the lyrics and Weill the music, including "Mack the Knife", which was later covered by Bobby Darin. Brecht and Weill also collaborated on other works, including "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny", which gave us "Alabama Song", later covered by such artists as The Doors and David Bowie.

Answer: Noël Coward

The witty, prolific, and versatile Sir Noël Peirce Coward (1899-1973) wrote many comedies, such as "Blithe Spirit" and "Fallen Angels". His dramas include "Peace In Our Time", which depicts an alternative history in which the Nazis won World War II. In addition, he has hundreds of songs to his credit, including "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" and "Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans".

Answer: Václav Havel

Václav Havel (1936-2011) gained fame initially as a playwright with his critiques of the communist regime of Czechoslovakia, including such works as "The Garden Party" and "The Memorandum". Blacklisted due to his participation in the Prague Spring protests, he increased his political activism and became a key figure in the Velvet Revolution that toppled the communist government.

Answer: William Shakespeare

The exceedingly prolific William Shakespeare (1564-1616) wrote the tragedy "Titus Andronicus", the comedy-romance "The Winter's Tale", and the history "Pericles, Prince of Tyre", although he is better known for many other works, such as "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", "King Lear", and "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

His tragedy "Macbeth" is commonly known in theatrical circles as "The Scottish Play", as it is considered bad luck to say its name in a theatre. William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616, which is believed to have been his 52nd birthday (although no birth records have been located, he is known to have been baptized on April 26, 1564).

Although some scholars believe that at least some of Shakespeare's works were written by Christopher Marlowe or Francis Bacon, they represent a small minority.

Answer: Waiting for Godot

Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), a Theatre of the Absurd playwright, wrote "Waiting for Godot", in which two characters wait for a third who never arrives. Beckett's wish that his tombstone be "any colour, as long as it's grey" (a wish that, upon his death, was honored) was in keeping with the bleak style of his works.

All of the incorrect answers were written by David Mamet (born 1947).