Broadway in the 1920s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rose-Marie

Mounties, miners, snow, and great songs. The Canadian setting of "Rose-Marie" seemed exotic to Broadway audiences in the 1920s. Lyricists Oscar Hammerstein II (from New York City) and Otto Harbach (born in Utah) traveled to Quebec to steep in local culture by attending the annual "ice sculpture festival" - and found there was no such thing. Undeterred, they teamed with composers Rudolph Friml (a Czech emigre) and Herbert Stothart (from Wisconsin; he should have known better) to create an improbable but ultimately pleasing operetta.

Answer: The Vagabond King

Composer Rudolph Friml's second hit in two years (after "Rose-Marie") was based loosely on a 1901 novel about 15th century French poet and rascal François Villon, which in turn was based very loosely on the defeat of Burgundian forces besieging Paris. The risque "Love for Sale" was balanced by the romantic "Only a Rose."

In 1930, "Vagabond King" was filmed in two-color Technicolor (and with sound, of course). Long thought to have been lost, a Technicolor print was discovered and restored in the 1990s. It starred Dennis King, who originated the role on stage. Despite the interpolation of some new songs, the movie offers a rare insight into the style of the 1920s musical.

Answer: The Student Prince

While attending college, the hero, Crown Prince Karl Franz of the fictional kingdom of Karlsberg, falls in love with a virtuous beerhall waitress. The royal family arranges his betrothal to a princess. In an unexpected plot twist ... sorry, no spoilers here. "The Student Prince" was an echo of earlier times on Broadway.

It was based on a German melodrama, "In Old Heidelberg," dating from 1901. Composer Sigmund Romberg's music likewise harkened back to the lush harmonies of turn-of-the-century operetta.

Answer: The Desert Song

Composer Sigmund Romberg followed his success in "The Student Prince" with an even more exotic locale: Morocco during the Rif rebellion against French rule. The hero, Pierre Birabeau, is the son of a French General. As "The Red Shadow," Pierre leads a band of caricature Arab rebels across the dunes, while romancing his best friend's fiancee. Romberg's music - "The Rif Song," "Eastern and Western Love," "French Marching Song," "Blue Heaven" - transcends the silly plot, and was more contemporary (for the '20s) than his score for "Student Prince."

Answer: Edna Ferber

"Show Boat" (1927) is regarded as composer Jerome Kern's masterpiece - "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man," Why Do I Love You?," "You Are Love." The plot addresses themes of racism in ways seldom seen in the 1920s. The role of Joe ("Ol' Man River") was expanded from a minor character in the novel to a featured part, written for the gifted actor Paul Robeson.

However, Robeson - already a star - was unavailable for the premiere. He did play Joe in several subsequent productions and in the 1936 film version.

Answer: No, No, Nanette

"No, No, Nanette" seemed to avoid New York. The show's enduring hit songs - "Tea for Two" and "I Want to Be Happy" - were not in the first version of Vincent Youmans' score. Both were added shortly before the show's Chicago tryout in 1924. After a year's run there, the show premiered in London while touring companies performed in the U.S. "Nanette" finally came to Broadway in September 1925.

"The Curse of the Babe" was a hex on the Boston Red Sox for having sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1919. It supposedly prevented the Sox from winning a championship for the rest of the 20th century. Urban legend has it that the producer of "Nanette," Harry Frazee, funded the show with the money from the sale of Ruth's contract. Frazee owned the Red Sox, and he did sell Ruth to the Yankees, but that was five years before "Nanette." He used the money to finance a straight play, "My Lady Friends," which premiered in December 1919. And yet ... the book (story line) of "Nanette" is based loosely on "My Lady Friends."

Answer: Show Boat

Ziegfeld (1867-1932) took several risks with "Show Boat." It was the second show to play at the sumptuous Ziegfeld Theater - which he built with a loan from William Randolph Hearst. (Ziegfeld hedged his bet by opening the theater with the forgettable but profitable "Rio Rita.") The plot was controversial for the time.

The musical was a major departure from his usual fare. The opening night audience was unimpressed, but favorable newspaper reviews boosted ticket sales. The Ziegfeld Theater and "Show Boat" live on, unlike the many other shows Ziegfeld produced in the '20s.

Answer: The New Moon

"The New Moon" (1928) was the third of Sigmund Romberg's Broadway hits of the 1920s. A portion of "Lover, Come Back to Me" borrowed a melody from Tchaikovsky, much as Romberg adapted motifs from Franz Schubert for his 1921 musical, "Blossom Time." "Softly" was written as a tango, which complements the anger and frustration of the lyrics. It is often adapted as an instrumental jazz piece - notably by John Coltrane, Stan Getz and Miles Davis.

The show had a rocky start, being largely re-written after its Philadelphia tryout in 1927. The revised version debuted in Cleveland before moving to Broadway. Sadly, there is no known original cast recording from the American production.

Answer: Shuffle Along

The title and plot reflected the racial stereotypes of the time, yet "Shuffle Along" (1921) introduced many African-American artists to white Broadway theatergoers. The show played "uptown" at the 63rd Street Theatre, but its success hastened the integration of Broadway audiences. Eubie Blake himself played the piano for the show's initial run, and Noble Sissle had a featured role on stage as well as writing the lyrics.

Answer: Paris

"Penguins in flocks, on the rocks, do it." That's the cleaned-up version. I won't quote the original line.

Cole Porter (1891-1964) was a gifted composer - and independently wealthy, which sometimes took precedence. After modest success as a songwriter prior to World War One, he lived the high life in Europe during most of the 1920s. He wrote "Paris" (1928) for French singer Irène Bordoni, whose husband Ray Goetz convinced Porter to resume composing.

Porter followed this success with "Fifty Million Frenchmen" (1929) and more salacious songs: "You've Got That Thing" and "You Do Something to Me." His greatest years lay ahead ... Broadway in the '30s and beyond.

Answer: Funny Face

"Funny Face" (1927) was the first Broadway musical in which Fred Astaire danced in a top hat and tails. The show's initial out-of-town tryout in Philadelphia was a failure. Writer Robert Benchley withdrew from the project because of extensive revisions to the script, and was not credited when the show finally reached Broadway in November 1927.

The 1957 movie musical of the same name, with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn (seriously?), featured a completely different plot and only four of the show's songs. The 1983 musical, "My One and Only," borrowed its title song and other music from the show.

Answer: This Year of Grace

"This Year of Grace" was a smash hit in London in early 1928. Producer Charles Cochrane didn't want to interrupt the West End run, and so hired different performers for the Broadway production - including Coward himself, who wrote the show. With due respect to the original London cast, we Yanks got the best of it.

Answer: Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

Composer Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) and lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895-1943) met while attending Columbia University in ... Manhattan. They collaborated on the Broadway musical "Poor Little Ritz Girl" in 1920, which was not successful. Rodgers was reportedly so despondent that he considered giving up music to become an underwear salesman.

"Garrick Gaieties" was planned as a two-performance benefit for The Theatre Guild, a Manhattan theatrical society. The show was so popular that the Guild continued it for over 200 performances, and Richard Rodgers remained a composer. Rodgers and Hart wrote the music and lyrics for the 1926 sequel as well.

Answer: Rosalie

Despite the combined talents of Gershwin and Romberg, "Rosalie" had no memorable original songs. Gershwin's "How Long Has This Been Going On?" was composed for his earlier musical, "Funny Face" (1928). The song was interpolated into "Rosalie" to bolster an otherwise undistinguished score.

The 1937 movie version featured new songs by Cole Porter, including "In the Still of the Night" and "Who Knows?" while keeping only a few numbers from the Broadway show.

Answer: Bitter Sweet

"Bitter Sweet" was Noel Coward's homage to operetta. The title well describes the plot and mood of the show. It was also an unintentionally ironic comment on the times. The story unfolds in nostalgic flashbacks. The key events take place during the last quarter of the 19th century. Coward's book and lyrics lacked his customary wit, and his score was lushly romantic.

The haunting "I'll See You Again" and "If Love Were All" seemed a requiem for a vanished era.