BROADWAY PUZZLERS FOR THE NEW YEAR

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 9/26/03 at 9:32am

To all my friends on the Braodway Board, a very productive, successful and loving new year!!!

Now that I have accepted the title of BROAD ON BOARD, I asked some of the other broads of my performing days (living in Florida!) to come up with some brain puzzlers. Hope you can answer them!!!

1. Mary Martin made her Broadway debut in the chorus of what show?

2. Agnes de Mille was to have made her choroegraphing debut on Broadway in what show?

3. What famous performers of years and years ago made their first appearance together in a musical playing lovers and ended up ten years later playing brother and sister!!!!!!!!

4. CONTACT was the first dance musical made up of individual playlets? Baloney!!! What was it?

5. What famous musical performer of the 1940s and 1950s had blonde hair but was always wearing a brunette wig to make her look more exotic!!!!!

6. What famous female choreographer (now almost forgotten) was one of Broadway's eminent figures from 1945-1955, alongside de Mille. Name three musicals she choreographed.

7. Jesse Matthews, one of England's most famous performers, was brought here in 1942 to appear with whom? They both bailed out in Boston!

8. Rodgers and Hart were working on a musical adaptation of what play for Ethel Merman?

9. In the original movie version of LITTLE WOMEN (1933), who was the original choice to play Marmee.

10. What three musicals of the 1940s had a bordello theme running through them?

11. In VERY WARM FOR MAY, Eve Arden did a take off on what famous woman theatrical producer.

12. It has been attributed to many, but who actually said "the best theatre music is Jewish music."

13. Cole Porter wrote what song for Merman that she even deemed too filthy to sing!

14. What famous opera diva became the first to star in a Broadway musical in the 1930s?

Miriam

Updated On: 9/26/03 at 09:32 AM

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 9/26/03 at 9:57am

Miriam, you got this old broad stumped. I'll have to stew on these for a while.

[Bwaybabie]

Posted: 9/26/03 at 1:26pm

Oooh, these are difficult...I can't even get the Merman ones, and I'm a huge fan.

2) Hooray for What!
3) Fred and Adele?
6) Onna White perhaps?
10) House of Flowers....

As for the rest, good luck to somebody else!

[Mattio98]

Posted: 9/26/03 at 3:35pm

13) Too Darn Hot....i think

Posted: 9/28/03 at 11:34am

Miriam, this is a series of tough little puzzlers...you and your friends are a wealth of information...here are some answers i'm going to throw out...i hope some are correct.

1. Martin in LEAVE IT TO ME
6. Katherine Dunham. A TROPICAL REVUE; BLUE HOLIDAY; CARIBE SONG.
10. Bordellos: PANAMA HATTIE; SADIE THOMPSON; SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS
12. Irving Berlin
13. "Love For Sale"

How did I do?

Broadway Bulldog Updated On: 9/28/03 at 11:34 AM

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 3:02pm

ANSWERS:

1. Mary Martin made her Broadway debut in the chorus of what show?

May Wine - 1935

2. Agnes de Mille was to have made her choroegraphing debut on Broadway in what show?

Hooray For What - 1937

3. What famous performers of years and years ago made their first appearance together in a musical playing lovers and ended up ten years later playing brother and sister!!!!!!!!

Dennis King and Vivienne Segal:

Three Musketeers (192
I Married An Angel (193


4. CONTACT was the first dance musical made up of individual playlets? Baloney!!! What was it?

Broadway Ballads (194

5. What famous musical performer of the 1940s and 1950s had blonde hair but was always wearing a brunette wig to make her look more exotic!!!!!

Doretta Morrow

6. What famous female choreographer (now almost forgotten) was one of Broadway's eminent figures from 1945-1955, alongside de Mille. Name three musicals she choreographed.

Helen Tamiris:
Up In Central Park - 1945
Annie Get Your Gun - 1946
Plain and Fancy - 1955

7. Jesse Matthews, one of England's most famous performers, was brought here in 1942 to appear with whom? They both bailed out in Boston!

Ray Bolger

8. Rodgers and Hart were working on a musical adaptation of what play for Ethel Merman?

Lysistrata

9. In the original movie version of LITTLE WOMEN (1933), who was the original choice to play Marmee.

Laurette Taylor

10. What three musicals of the 1940s had a bordello theme running through them?

Early To Bed
Something For The Boys
Sadie Thompson

11. In VERY WARM FOR MAY, Eve Arden did a take off on what famous woman theatrical producer.

Bessie Marbury

12. It has been attributed to many, but who actually said "the best theatre music is Jewish music."

Jerome Kern

13. Cole Porter wrote what song for Merman that she even deemed too filthy to sing!

Kate The Great

14. What famous opera diva became the first to star in a Broadway musical in the 1930s?

Grace Moore THE DUBARRY - 1938

Miriam

Posted: 9/28/03 at 3:07pm

Miriam....great info on those puzzlers. So I got part on one correct.

Always great to learn more.

Cheers! Bulldog

p.s. a small theatre company in downtown manhattan is doing a production of CABIN IN THE SKY, with solo piano, and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Updated On: 9/28/03 at 03:07 PM

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 3:09pm

FYI, The Library for Performin Arts will host a program in January on CABIN IN THE SKY. It's part of the Balanchine Centennial!

Love,

Miriam

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 3:16pm

Miriam, I've printed your questions out to save. They are great! And a R&H version of Lysistrata with Merman is one of those "it's too great an idea to ever happen"!

What was "Kate the Great" written for? DuBARRY WAS A LADY? The NY TIMES critic (I forget who it was now) turned his nose up a bit at it because he thought it was Porters smuttiest show - he even called the lyrics "sinister"!