Image: The Mirisch Company / Seven Arts Productions
About This Quiz
We all know the feeling: The swell of the orchestra (and your heart) when the hero wins the day. The toe-tapping song stuck in your brain days after the performance. The need to listen to the act one finale on repeat as though your life depends on it. If that describes your experience with musicals, then you'll love this trivia quiz.Â
One of the best things about theater is that nothing is off-limits to sing about, whether it's a man-eating plant, a sweet transvestite from Transylvania or a murderous barber. Many stories are so enchanting that they've captured huge audiences when adapted for the big screen, like "Into The Woods" and "Hairspray." Classics, like "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Grease," are performed time and again, in high school plays and community theater, as well as in Broadway revivals. There is no escaping it, and why would you want to escape? Musical theater abounds, and we couldn't be happier. Start singing those songs to yourself, tap your toes and make plans to pick up tickets to the next musical in town. This quiz will get you in the perfect mood to sing! And the world will know what a musical maven you are!
"We go together, like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong. Remembered forever as shoo-bop sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom."
"Bye Bye Birdie"
"Grease"
These famous lyrics are from "Grease," a popular musical set in 1959 that follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the peer pressures and trials of high school and young love. It starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton John.
"Footloose"
"Hairspray"
"When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way, from your first cigarette to your last dyin' day."
"West Side Story"
"West Side Story" is a classic musical adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet." This song opens the show and sets up the Jets, one of the rival gangs that takes the place of the warring families in the original play.
"Grease"
"The Music Man"
"Wicked"
"You got trouble, folks, right here in River City! Trouble with a capital "T" and that rhymes with "P" and that stands for pool!"
"Annie Get Your Gun"
"The Music Man"
"The Music Man" follows a con man who sells nonexistent musical instruments, but eventually falls in love with the librarian of a town he intended to scam. The musical, which was adapted as a film in 1962, is widely referenced and parodied in pop culture.
"The Pajama Game"
"Oklahoma"
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"Ain't it a fine life, carryin' the banner through it all. A mighty fine life carryin' the banner tough and tall. When the bell rings, we goes where we wishes, we's as free as fishes, sure beats washing dishes. What a fine life, carryin' the banner home-free all!"
"Newsies"
These lyrics are from "Newsies." Both the on-screen original and the Broadway show are based on the true story of the Children's Crusade told through the eyes of newspaper boys in New York.
"Tick, Tick...Boom!"
"In the Heights"
"Jersey Boys"
"You'll be a dentist; you have a talent for causing things pain. Son, be a dentist. People will pay you to be inhumane."
"Repo: The Genetic Opera"
"Little Shop of Horrors"
"Little Shop of Horrors" follows Seymour's attempt to revitalize a struggling flower shop, only for his new plant to grow out of control and demand human blood. With Seymour's help, the plant ends up eating Orin, a sadistic dentist who abuses his patients and girlfriend.
"Avenue Q"
"Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Blog"
"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!"
"The Sound of Music"
"Cabaret"
"My Fair Lady"
The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a language specialist, so that she may pass as a lady. In this song, Eliza has just succeeded in speaking like a proper lady. The show is based on the George Bernard Shaw play, "Pygmalion."
"Man of La Mancha"
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"See my eyes, I can hardly see; see me stand, I can hardly walk. I believe you can make me whole. See my tongue, I can hardly talk."
"Oliver"
"Les Miserables"
"Jesus Christ Superstar"
Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" focuses on the tension between Jesus' teachings of humility, his following, personal celebrity and his destiny to die. In this song, after overturning the money-changers' tables at the temple, he's overwhelmed by a large group of lepers demanding to be healed.
"Cats"
"One singular sensation, every little step she takes. One thrilling combination, every move that she makes. One smile and suddenly nobody else will do."
"A Chorus Line"
"A Chorus Line" is about the audition process for a fictional musical. At the end, we get to see and hear "One," which is the signature number from the show within the show.
"Cabaret"
"Gypsy"
"Hair"
"Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind in this darkness that you know you cannot fight: the darkness of the music of the night"
"The Sound of Music"
"The Phantom of the Opera"
"The Phantom of the Opera" is the longest running Broadway show in history and the best known work by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
"Matilda"
"Kinky Boots"
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"Two Virginians and an immigrant walk into a room, diametrically opposed foes. They emerge with a compromise, having opened doors that were previously closed, bros."
"Hamilton"
"Hamilton" is one of the most acclaimed musicals of the past few decades, winning not only Tony awards, but also a Pulitzer and Grammy. In this song, Aaron Burr laments that he had no role in deciding which city would be the U.S. capital. His frustrations lead him to pursue higher political power, even as it means burning bridges with Alexander Hamilton, his former friend.
"1776"
"Assassins"
"The Book of Mormon"
"He's your guy when stocks are high, but beware when they start to descend. It's then that those louses go back to their spouses; diamonds are a girl's best friend."
"Hello, Dolly!"
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
Originally a Broadway show, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" was made into a film in 1953. While the film wasn't Marilyn Monroe's first, her performance as Lorelai Lee is arguably her most iconic, especially the scene of her singing, "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend."
"Anything Goes"
"Guys and Dolls"
"If your soul isn't fettered to an office stool, be careful to be guided by this golden rule. Stick close to your desks, and never go to sea, and you all may be rulers of the Queen's Navy."
"Anything Goes"
"How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"
"HMS Pinafore"
"HMS Pinafore" is one of Gilbert and Sullivan's enduring operettas. Satirizing the British class system and government, the characters pointedly change their views on how honorable sailing is based purely on the social status of the sailors, with no regard to their talent.
"South Pacific"
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"The world has gone mad today, and good's bad today, and black's white today, and day's night today. And that gent today, you gave a cent today, once had several chateaux."
"Oliver"
"Cabaret"
"Anything Goes"
"Anything Goes" is an iconic Cole Porter musical. In addition to its title song, the show was also the origin for, "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "You're the Top," which have each been covered by dozens of artists.
"Annie Get Your Gun"
"Shall we then say 'goodnight' and mean 'goodbye?' Or perchance, when the last little star has left the sky, shall we still be together with our arms around each other? And shall you be my new romance?"
"Rent"
"Miss Saigon"
"The King and I"
"The King and I" is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's best known works, focusing on a romance between the King of Siam and a British teacher. This song, "Shall We Dance," was named one of the best songs in film history by the American Film Institute.
"Hello, Dolly!"
"If you were gay, that'd be okay. I mean cause hey! I'd like you anyway. Because you see, if it were me, I would feel free to say that I was gay, but I'm not gay."
"Avenue Q"
These lyrics are from the hit Broadway show, "Avenue Q." The show's characters lament that as children, they were assured that they were special and could do anything; but as adults, they have discovered (to their surprise and dismay) that in the real world, their options are limited, and they are no more "special" than anyone else.
"The Producers"
"Bare: A Pop Opera"
"Hairspray"
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"It's probably conceited to say, but I think we're alike in a certain way: Your swagger and your bearing, and the just-right clothes you're wearing..."
"South Pacific"
"Spring Awakening"
"Fun Home"
"Fun Home" is an adaptation of Alison Bechdel's graphic novel memoir of the same name. The story documents her coming to terms with her homosexuality and her discovery that her father was also gay, but never openly. The song "Ring of Keys" flashes back to Alison as a young child, as she remembers the first time she saw an '"old-school butch" woman, and the impact this had on her sense of self.
"The Boy Friend"
"If she fights when her clothes you are mussing, what are clothes? Much ado about nussing. Brush up your Shakespeare, and they'll all kow-tow."
"Kiss Me Kate"
"Kiss Me Kate" was Cole Porter's most successful musical, focused on a troubled production of Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew." Near the end of the show, two gangsters give pun-filled advice on why a familiarity with Shakespeare is helpful in love.
"The Threepenny Opera"
"My Fair Lady"
"Carnival!"
"Patching the roof and pitching the hay is not my idea of a perfect day. When you're extraordinary, you gotta do extraordinary things."
"Guys and Dolls"
"Pippin"
These lyrics are from the musical, "Pippin." Originally, "Pippin: was conceived as a student musical entitled, "Pippin, Pippin," and performed by Carnegie Mellon University's Scotch'n'Soda theater troupe.
"Into the Woods"
"Merrily We Roll Along"
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"This planet is pretty much broken beyond all repair, but one thing is working if you're standing there. Perfect for you, I could be perfect for you. I might be lazy, a loner, a bit of a stoner, it's true. But I might be perfect, I'll make myself perfect, perfect for you."
"Next to Normal"
These lyrics are from the hit musical, "Next to Normal." Its story concerns a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that her illness and the attempts to alleviate it have on her family. The musical also addresses such issues as grieving a loss, suicide, drug abuse, ethics in modern psychiatry and the underbelly of suburban life.
"In the Heights"
"Spring Awakening"
"Hair"
"What is this feeling so sudden and new, I felt the moment I laid eyes on you? My pulse is rushing. My head is reeling. My face is flushing. What is this feeling? Fervid as a flame, does it have a name?"
"Wicked"
These lyrics are from the hit musical, "Wicked." In this retelling of "The Wizard of Oz," Elphaba, later known as the Wicked Witch of the West, gets to share her side of the story. It was based on the book by Gregory Maguire.
"American Idiot"
"Once"
"Rent"
"Well, I was walking down the street just a-havin' a think, when a snake of a guy gave me an evil wink. He shook me up, he took me by surprise. He had a pickup truck and the devil's eyes."
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show"
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is best known for its film adaptation, which is one of the most famous cult films ever made. These lyrics come from the iconic Time Warp sequence, which is Brad and Janet's first introduction to the world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Let's do the Time Warp again!
"Chicago"
"Annie"
"Hair"
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"I speak six languages. Every language easy, easy as the recipe for making Jell-O. I speak six languages, and I can say 'hello' in at least seven more."
"Legally Blonde"
"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"
These lyrics are from "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." The title says it all, really. A group of kids participate in the 25th annual Putnam County spelling bee. Despite being young, these children have complicated feelings and a rich internal life that plays out as they are eliminated, one by one, from the competition.
"Dear Evan Hansen"
"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"
"Johnny lived with a grace and glitter, kind of like the lives he lived on stage. Died in a barn in pain and bitter, twenty-seven years of age."
"Jersey Boys"
"Sunset Boulevard"
"Assassins"
"Assassins" is a Steven Sondheim musical following the lives and motivations of presidential assassins, whether successful or not. In this song, the balladeer outlines John Wilkes Booth's motives for killing Lincoln. In most productions, the balladeer is later revealed to be Lee Harvey Oswald.
"Porgy and Bess"
"In the midst of this nothing, this miss of a life. Still, there's this wanting just to see you go by. It's almost like lovin', sad as that is, may not be cool, but it's so where I live."
"Urinetown"
"Spring Awakening"
These lyrics are from the musical, "Spring Awakening." Based on the 1891 German play of the same name, "Spring Awakening" follows the sexual awakening of a group of teenagers. Melchior and Wendla find themselves drawn to one another, unsure of what to do with their attraction, while their friend Moritz struggles with confusing desires and depression.
"Passing Strange"
"13"
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"My body's talking to me. It says, 'Time for danger.' It says, 'I wanna commit a crime, wanna be the cause of a fight. I wanna put on a tight skirt and flirt with a stranger.'"
"Kinky Boots"
"Chicago"
"Rent"
Jonathan Larson's "Rent" follows a group of self-proclaimed bohemians struggling with AIDS and a lack of money in 1990s New York. In the song "Out Tonight," Mimi comes home from her job as an exotic dancer and makes it a mission to seduce Roger, who was attracted to her, but hesitant to start a new relationship.
"Once"
"Agony! Far more painful than yours, when you know she would go with you, if there only were doors."
"Into the Woods"
These lyrics are from the musical "Into the Woods." The film adaptation of this Stephen Sondheim show grossed over $213 million worldwide and received three Academy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations.
"Cinderella"
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
"South Pacific"
"Schmuel was done at half-past ten and he said 'Good night, old Klimovich.' Put on his coat to go, but then the clock cried, 'Wait! Not yet! Even though you're not wise or rich, you're the finest man in Klimovich. Listen up, Schmuel, make one stitch and you'll see what you get.'"
"The Last Five Years"
These lyrics are from "The Last Five Years." The story explores a five-year relationship between Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, and Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actress. The show uses a form of storytelling in which Cathy's story is told in reverse chronological order (beginning the show at the end of the marriage,) and Jamie's is told in chronological order (starting just after the couple have first met.)
"Legally Blonde"
"The Light in the Piazza"
"Fiddler on the Roof"
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"You can't stop my happiness, cause I like the way I am. And you just can't stop my knife and fork when I see a Christmas ham! And if you don't like the way I look, well, I just don't give a damn!"
"Avenue Q"
"Spamalot"
"Hairspray"
At the beginning of "Hairspray," Edna hasn't left her apartment in years due to anxiety about her weight. She also tries to discourage her daughter, Tracy, from auditioning for a spot on TV, since she worries Tracy will also be attacked for her size. By the end of the show, Edna and Tracy are both dancing on live TV, unashamed.
"Little Shop of Horrors"
"Go to death, and go to slaughter. Die, and every Cornish daughter, with her tears your grave shall water. Go, ye heroes, go and die!"
"Spamalot"
"Man of La Mancha"
"The Pirates of Penzance"
In Gilbert and Sullivan's, "The Pirates of Penzance," the pirates are easily guarded against due to their policy against harming orphans. The Major-General initially lies about being an orphan to escape them, but then enlists the police to arrest the pirates. His daughters do a poor job of encouraging their success.
"South Pacific"
"And so it must be, and so it is written, on the doorway to paradise, that those who falter and those who fall, must pay the price."
"Godspell"
"Les Miserables"
In "Les Miserables," Inspector Javert sings "Stars" to explain his belief in law as an organizing force in the universe and his need to uphold the law at all costs. This uncompromising view makes him the show's antagonist, albeit a sympathetic one, until he realizes his own moral failings in light of Jean Valjean.
"Man of La Mancha"
"Jesus Christ Superstar"
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"What kind of man would want a job like that? What kind of putz would squeeze your nuts like that? Who could be prick enough, mentally sick enough, to want a job like that?"
"The Pajama Game"
"Curtains"
These lyrics are from "Curtains," a musical mystery comedy. The musical is a send-up of backstage murder mystery plots. Set in 1959 Boston, Massachusetts, it follows the fallout when the supremely untalented star of 'Robbin' Hood of the Old West' is murdered during her opening night curtain call.
"West Side Story"
"Urinetown"
"This might be a river. Now mightn't it be, connecting McElligot's Pool with the sea! Then maybe some fish might be swimming, swimming toward me!"
A Year With Frog And Toad
"Finding Neverland"
"Seussical the Musical"
These lyrics are from "Seussical the Musical." The play's story is a rather complex amalgamation of many of Seuss's most famous books. After a Broadway run, the production spawned two U.S. national tours and a United Kingdom tour. It has become a beloved show for schools, communities and regional theaters.
"Peter and the Starcatcher"
"Show business kept us all alive since 17 October 1945. But the star has gone, the glamour's worn thin. That's a pretty bad state for a state to be in."
"Gypsy"
"The Producers"
"Evita"
Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita" is based on the life of Argentina's Eva Peron. While she and her husband enjoyed great popularity, the show's narrator criticizes her for a lack of substance and the government's autocratic leanings, particularly after her death.
"Cabaret"
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"So you think only a woman can truly love a man? Then you buy me the dress, I'll be more woman than a man like you can stand."
"Kinky Boots"
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" is a cult musical about a rocker who gets a sex change and becomes a woman in order to marry her 'Sugar Daddy' and escape East Berlin.
"Hairspray"
"Hair"
"Art isn't easy, even when you're hot. Advancing art is easy, financing it is not."
"Sunday in the Park With George"
"Sunday in the Park With George" is split in two parts. The first focuses on impressionist painter, Georges Seurat, while the second focuses on his great-grandson, a modern artist struggling to maintain funding and attention for his own art.
"The Producers"
"Gypsy"
"The Unsinkable Molly Brown"
"Who says that murder's not an art? And who in case she doesn't hang, can say she started with a bang?"
"The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
"Guys and Dolls"
"Chicago"
"Chicago" is an American musical with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. Set in Prohibition-era Chicago, the musical is centered around lovely ladies and the murderous acts they commit. In this hit song, "Roxie," Roxie Hart reflects on how this murder will make her famous on the vaudeville circuit once she's out of prison.
"Cabaret"
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"A friend’s not a cheap little phony creep, or a jerk trying to make a deal. A friend is a person who, most of all, cares about what you feel; and nothing is harder than learning a friend isn’t real"
"13"
These lyrics are from a lesser known musical, "13." This show follows young Evan Goldman, a 13-year-old boy who's just moved from New York City to small-town Indiana. Evan Goldman grapples with his parents' divorce, prepares for his impending Bar Mitzvah and navigates the complicated social circles of a new school.
"Avenue Q"
"Fiddler on the Roof"
"Mean Girls"
"Heavenly father, why do you let bad things happen? More to the point, why do you let bad things happen to me?"
"Jesus Christ Superstar"
"The Book of Mormon"
"The Book of Mormon" is a hit musical following two Mormon missionaries who are woefully unequipped to handle the horrors of their post in Uganda. At the end of the first act, Elder Price becomes disillusioned, challenges God and makes plans to leave. Eventually, he has a change of heart.
"Fiddler on the Roof"
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat"
"He went to you for guidance, you hid behind a screen, knowing how much empathy might mean. Do you know how much he loved? Did you know how much he cared? Lost in the teachings was a boy, so all alone and scared."
"Bare: A Pop Opera"
These lyrics are from "Absolution" in "Bare: A Pop Opera." These lyrics come from the end of the musical about two teen boys in love, where Peter accuses the priest of failing to show Jason empathy, and when the priest merely apologizes for Peter's loss, Peter ironically forgives the priest.
"Spring Awakening"
"The Last Five Years"
"A Light in the Piazza"
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"Go, can't you go? Why is nobody listening? Goodbye, go and cry at another person's wake. If you're quick, for a kick, you could pick up a christening. But please, on my knees, there's a human life at stake!"
"Les Miserables"
"Jesus Christ Superstar"
"Company"
"Company" is a Sondheim play focused on the dating and married lives of a group of New York thirty-somethings. In this song, "Not Getting Married Today," one of the characters gets cold feet about her impending wedding and begins singing one of the fastest songs Sondheim ever wrote.
"A Little Night Music"
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The Mirisch Company / Seven Arts Productions