LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth CAMP Show Queen by Kenn Harris Here's another quiz for all you students of the Golden Age of Broadway musicals. But even if you haven't a clue about show tunes and
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth
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CAMP Show Queen |
| by Kenn Harris |
| Here's another quiz for all you students of the Golden Age of Broadway musicals. But even if you haven't a clue about show tunes and have never bought an original cast album in your life, these Broadway quizzes put together by Kenn Harris will entertain. And you never know when you might be able to dazzle at a cocktail party with this information. This quiz is all about composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheima gay icon if ever there was one.
All Sondheim, All the Time... 1. One of Stephen Sondheim's first jobs was not in the musical theatre, but in the Hollywood television industry. He wrote the first, highly regarded episodes of a TV sitcom. Which one? It had a delectably ectoplasmic performance by theatre star Ann Jeffreys. Identify the show. 2. The following songs come from which Sondheim shows? Who introduced each song on Broadway? a. "I'm Calm" b. "Me and My Town" c. Being Alive" d. "That Dirty Old Man" e. "The Ladies who Lunch" f. "Send in the Clowns" 3. One of Sondheim's most delightful musicals has roles for two leading ladies playing mother and daughter.In the original Broadway company, the women who played these roles throughout the run had a sporadic but vicious feud. Fans who went to the show always hoped that they'd be there when the "Daughter" exclaimed, "Mother, you're so bitchy tonight in tones that were probably heard as far away as Sardi's. Identify the show and the two brilliant actresses involved. 4. Shortly before the opening of this Sondheim hit, the young man who played the central character asked to be relieved of his duties, claiming health problems. Reluctantly, the producers tore up the contract, but asked the actor, a handsome but rather bland performer, whose chief virtue was the way he looked in his jockey shorts, if he would stay on a few weeks until his replacement could be rehearsed. The actor did so, before fading to oblivion in Hollywood. Name the show, the star, and the replacement, who, by the way foundthis role one of the highestpoints of his careerand if you thought the other star looked fantastic in jockeys, you should have seen this boy. Name the musical, the departing star, the replacement, and the role they shared. 5. The production of Saturday Night, Sondheim's first musical intended for Broadway was aborted shortly before the play was to go into production. What happened? What was the eventual fate of the show? 6. Film and TV actress Yvonne DeCarlo had been touring in stock when she got the call to audition for a Sondheim musical, in which she scored a tremendous personal triumph, introducing one of Sondheim's most stunning ballads. Name the show, the song, and the character that Miss DeCarlo portrayed. 7. Who were the performers who introduced these songs in Follies? a. "Broadway Baby" b. "Losing My Mind" c. "The Road You Didn't Take" d. "The Ballad of "Jessie and Lucy" e. "The Right Girl" f. "Paris" 8. In Sweeney Todd what is the delicacy that everyone is singing, dancing, and dying over? Whatis the secret ingredient (you don't wanna know!) 9. Angela Lansbury once confided that the director ofSweeney Todd neglected her during staging rehearsals and that therefore Lansbury directed herself in the roleshe did a pretty decent job, too! 10. How does Mrs.Lovett make her final exit in Sweeney Todd? Answers: 1. Topper, about a couple of ghosts. 2. a. A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum; Jack Guilford b. Anyone Can Whistle; Angela Lansbury. c. Company; Dean Jones d. Forum; Ruth Kobart e. Company; Elaine Stritch f. A Little Night Music; Glynis Johns. 3. A Little Night Music; stars Glynis Johns as Desiree Arnfeldt and Hermione Gingold, the Countess Arnfeldt (the mother)...sparks flew! 4. Company; Dean Jones bowed out, and Larry Kert played Bobby. Dean who? 5. The producer, Lemuel Ayers, died suddenly and the financial backing disappeared. It took almost 50 years until it became a minor hit in London and on Broadway. 6. The show was Follies, the song: "I'm Still Here," and the character was Carlotta Campion. 7. a. Ethel Shutta b. Dorothy Collins c. John McMartin d. Alexis Smith e. Gene Nelson f. Fifi D'Orsay. 8. Mrs. Lovett's Hot Meat Pies were made from (ugh) human flesh! 9. Acclaimed director Hal Prince ignored his leading lady. She rose above it. 10. Sweeney waltzes her into her oven, which he closes and locks while Lovett frantically pounds on the door to get out. No such luck. On film, Johny Depp waltzed Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham-Carter) into the oven. Kenn Harris is a NYC theatre and music critic and author of the biography of opera diva Renata Tebaldi, and The Ultimate Opera Quiz Book. Kenn is both an opera devotee and big time collector of original cast albums from Broadway and around the world. And he loves to dish. Contact him at kharris106@nyc.rr.com |
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LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 18, No. 02 March 07, 2008 |
