Broadway Quiz: Diva Digs

We love our Leading Ladies, don't we? We know their famous roles. We know their signature songs. We know their awards. But do we know where they had their biggest Broadway moments?

Broadway Quiz:

Diva Digs

DIRECTIONS: Answer each question about where these amazing women have played on Broadway. Good luck!

1. Angela Lansbury opened in Mame in which TWO theaters?

    A. Gershwin Theatre    B. Mark Hellinger Theatre    

    C. Winter Garden Theatre    D. Shubert Theatre

2. Patti LuPone has won three Tony Awards. She gave her award-winning performances in each of these theaters EXCEPT:

    A. The Vivian Beaumont Theater    B. The Broadway Theatre

    C. The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre    D. The St. James Theatre

3. Caissie Levy is best known as a musical actress, but which theater did she open in a play on Broadway?

    A. Al Hirschfeld Theatre    B. St. James Theatre

    C. Longacre Theatre    D. Vivian Beaumont Theater

4. Betty Buckley made her Broadway debut singing "He Plays the Violin: in 1776. Which theater was that in?

    A. Lunt-Fontanne    B. Majestic Theatre

    C. Royale Theatre    D. 46th Street Theatre

5. Judy Kuhn was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical three times. Which three theaters did these musical open in?

    A. Criterion Center Stage Right    B. Circle in the Square Theatre

    C. Broadway Theatre    D. Imperial Theatre

6. Audra McDonald won her first Tony Award for a show that played in which theatre?

    A. John Golden Theatre    B. Vivian Beaumont Theater

    C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts    D. Royale Theatre

7. Bernadette Peters opened in shows that played in all of the theaters EXCEPT:

    A. Samuel Friedman Theatre    B. Palace Theatre

    C. Royale Theatre    D. St. James Theatre

8. Rebecca Luker played Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins, which played which Broadway house?

    A. New Amsterdam Theatre    B. The Lyric Theatre

    C. Gershwin Theatre    D. Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

9. Lea Salonga most recently appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends which played which theater?

    A. Circle in the Square Theater    B. Lena Horne Theatre

    C. Eugene O'Neill Theatre    D. Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

10. Sutton Foster has appeared in 14 Broadway shows (not including benefit performances). Which is the only Broadway theater that she played in more than once?

    A. Broadway Theatre    B. Minskoff Theatre

    C. Marquis Theatre    D. Stephen Sondheim Theatre    

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1. Angela Lansbury opened in Mame in which TWO theaters?

    A. Gershwin Theatre (1983)  C. Winter Garden Theatre (1966)

2. Patti LuPone has won three Tony Awards. She gave her award-winning performances in each of these theaters EXCEPT:

    A. The Vivian Beaumont Theater 

    (She was nominated for her role as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes at the Beaumont.)

3. Caissie Levy is best known as a musical actress, but which theater did she open in a play on Broadway?

    C. Longacre Theatre

    (She opened there in Leopoldstadt.)

4. Betty Buckley made her Broadway debut singing "He Plays the Violin: in 1776. Which theater was that in?

    D. 46th Street Theatre

5. Judy Kuhn was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical three times. Which three theaters did these musicals open in?

    A. Criterion Center Stage Right (She Loves Me)

    B. Circle in the Square Theatre (Fun Home)

    D. Imperial Theatre (Chess)

6. Audra McDonald won her first Tony Award for a show that played in which theatre?

    B. Vivian Beaumont Theater (Carousel)

7. Bernadette Peters opened in shows that played in all of the theaters EXCEPT:

    D. St. James Theatre

8. Rebecca Luker played Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins, which played which Broadway house?

    A. New Amsterdam Theatre

9. Lea Salonga most recently appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends which played which theater?

    D. Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

10. Sutton Foster has appeared in 14 Broadway shows (not including benefit performances). Which is the only Broadway theater that she played in more than once?

    A. Broadway Theatre

    (Les Miserables and Shrek: The Musical)   

Broadway Quiz: Best Musical Theaters

With its Best Musical Tony win, Maybe Happy Ending became the first Best Musical to open at the Belasco Theatre. You'll note that their ad announcing this achievement qualifies it by saying "Original Musical." That's because the original production of Ain't Misbehavin' played part of its Tony-winning run at the Belasco; it is a revue/jukebox musical. Still, that show didn't start there!

So, where did it open? What about the other Best Musicals? That's the stuff of this week's Broadway Quiz!

Broadway Quiz: Best Musical Theaters

DIRECTIONS: The correct answers are based on the original productions and the theater where they began their runs.

1. A Chorus Line

    A. The Imperial        B. The Schoenfeld    C. The Shubert    D. The Cort

2. Annie

    A. The Alvin    B. The Virginia    C. The Winter Garden    D. The Neil Simon

3. Evita

    A. The Marquis    B. The Winter Garden    C. The Broadway    D. The Broadhurst

4. The Wiz

    A. The Marquis    B. The Majestic    C. The Nederlander    D. The Palace

5. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!

    A. The Al Hirschfeld     B. The 46th Street    C. The Rodgers    D. The Booth

6. All of these Best Musicals opened at the St. James Theatre EXCEPT:

    A. Hello, Dolly!    

    B. Two Gentleman of Verona

    C. The King and I

    D. Sunset Boulevard

7. Which THREE currently running Best Musical and Best Musical from the past pairs below are correct?

    A. Sunset Blvd./The Producers

    B. The Book of Mormon/Big River

    C. Hamilton/Nine

    D. The Outsiders/Once

8. TRUE or FALSE: The entire original Broadway run of Thoroughly Modern Millie played the Marquis Theatre.

9. Two Sondheim Best Musicals opened at the Alvin Theatre (now known as the Neil Simon Theatre). They are:

    A. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

    B. Follies

    C. Passion

    D. Company

10. TRUE or FALSE: To date, the Booth Theatre has had only one Best Musical, Kimberly Akimbo, but it has been home to two Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals.

***Ain't Misbehavin' opened at the Longacre Theatre, the first and only Best Musical to play there.

Broadway Games: Name That Theater!

Broadway Games: Name That Theater! 

These are the 15 longest-running shows in Broadway history. The originals ran for years (except Chicago and Oh! Calcutta!), but can you name the theater where they opened? Good luck!

1. The Phantom of the Opera

  A. The Winter Garden  B. The Belasco  C. The Majestic 

2. Chicago (revival)

  A. The Ambassador  B. The Richard Rodgers  C. The Shubert

3. The Lion King

  A. The Minskoff  B. The New Amsterdam  C. The Palace

4. Wicked

  A. The Gershwin  B. The Uris  C. The Lunt-Fontanne 

5. Cats

  A. The Neil Simon  B. The Winter Garden  C. The Majestic

6. Les Miserables

  A. The Broadway  B. The Broadhurst  C. The Imperial

7. A Chorus Line

  A. The Gerald Schoenfeld  B. The 46th Street  C. The Shubert

8. Oh! Calcutta! (revival)

  A. The Eugene O'Neill  B. The Marquis  C. The Edison

9. Mamma Mia!

  A. The Winter Garden  B. The Broadhurst  C. The Broadway

10. Beauty and the Beast

  A. The Lunt-Fontanne  B. The Palace  C. The Martin Beck

11. Rent

  A. The New Amsterdam  B. The American Airlines  C. The Nederlander

12. Jersey Boys

  A. The August Wilson  B. The Virginia  C. The Neil Simon

13. The Book of Mormon

  A. The Vivian Beaumont  B. The Eugene O'Neill  C. The Imperial

14. Miss Saigon

  A. The Broadway  B. The Palace  C. The Lunt-Fontanne

15. 42nd Street

  A. The Majestic  B. The St. James  C. The Winter Garden

STOP!!

If you don't want to know the answers, 

stop scrolling NOW!

1. The Phantom of the Opera

  C. The Majestic 

2. Chicago (revival)

  B. The Richard Rodgers

3. The Lion King

  B. The New Amsterdam

4. Wicked

  A. The Gershwin 

5. Cats

  B. The Winter Garden

6. Les Miserables

  A. The Broadway

7. A Chorus Line

  C. The Shubert

8. Oh! Calcutta! (revival)

  C. The Edison

9. Mamma Mia!

  A. The Winter Garden

10. Beauty and the Beast

  B. The Palace

11. Rent

  C. The Nederlander

12. Jersey Boys

  A. The August Wilson

13. The Book of Mormon

  B. The Eugene O'Neill

14. Miss Saigon

  A. The Broadway

15. 42nd Street

  C. The Winter Garden

Broadway Jeopardy! - Game 1

Broadway Jeopardy! 

It's game time, Broadway fans! This time, it's Jeopardy!: one Jeopardy round, one Double Jeopardy round, and Final Jeopardy, plus one (not so hidden) Daily Double. Good luck!

Today's Jeopardy round category is Broadway Theaters. We'll name 3 shows, and you name the theater where they played. Get those signalling devices ready... and go!

Broadway Theaters

Cats, School of Rock, The Music Man

Show Boat, Starlight Express, Wicked

Sunday in the Park With George, Once On This Island, Next to Normal

Sunday in the Park With George, Plaza Suite, Head Over Heels

 

Sweet Charity, Legally Blonde, SpongeBob SquarePants

Now it's time for Double Jeopardy! Dollar values are doubled.Today's category is Name That Musical. We'll name three songs, you name the show. Grab those signalling devices! Good luck!

 

Name That Musical

"Bring Him Home" "I Dreamed a Dream" "Master of the House"

"Honey Honey" "Under Attack" "Voulez Vous"

"Johanna" "Kiss Me" "God, That's Good!"

"Firework" "Nature Boy" "Chandelier"

"Anagram" "Better" "Great Adventure"

And now, Final Jeopardy! Carefully calculate your wagers, based on your knowledge of today's category: Director-Choreographers

Director-Choreographers

He created a Best Musical winner made up of numbers from his own shows. The tagline was "The Musical of Musicals."

Look for the answers at the bottom of next Wednesday's article!

At This Theater: The Lyceum

Over the years, I've had the privilege of seeing ten different productions at Broadway's oldest continuously operating theater (opened in 1903), the Lyceum.  This theatre Of all the theaters on Broadway, I think I've seen the widest variety of shows - from new plays and musicals to revivals of both, from classic revivals to daring new productions. It is also the theater that was home to one of my absolutely favorite musicals and home to one of the single worst productions I've seen in any venue, Broadway and beyond!

AT THIS THEATER:

The Lyceum

Mike and I have been all over this theater - from the front row of the orchestra to the back of the balcony, and various locations in between. There are terrific views from the center of all three levels, of course, but the theater isn't wide, and even the extreme sides aren't too bad. That said, we avoid the balcony if at all possible. It feels like it's a mile from the stage - the upward angle is pretty steep. To add insult to injury, the floor is uneven. Very disconcerting, especially if you struggle with heights! But the biggest drawback to the balcony is the stairway to get there. It is steep and the steps are uneven marble, worn in places from more than a century's worth of patrons making the climb.

Shows Seen There:

Favorite Shows (to date)

5. The Nance

The Lincoln Center production won Nathan Lane another Tony and introduced audiences to Jonny Orsini. The cast was loaded with talent and the production was opulent. 

4. Steel Magnolias

This revival of the beloved off-Broadway play by Robert Harling, featured a who's who of actresses, including firecracker Delta Burke, Lily Rabe, Frances Sternhagen, Marsha Mason and Christine Ebersole. Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.

3. The Visit

A musical by Kander and Ebb is always cause for a trip to the theater, and The Visit is my favorite kind of musical: dramatic, tuneful and provocative. Challenging from start to finish, I was riveted. Chita Rivera and the late, great Roger Rees were brilliant. The show should have had a much longer run.

2. Venus in Fur

Talk about riveting, this two-person play was a tense affair, featuring Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy giving two of the finest performances I've ever seen.

1. The Scottsboro Boys

Another great Kander and Ebb musical that was waaayyy ahead of its time, and was brilliant in every respect. The horrifying themes and sometimes shocking staging made for a rich, ultimately satisfying evening of theater. John Cullum and Colman Domingo were standouts in a company of standouts, but it was Joshua Henry's deeply felt performance that was an honor to witness.