The Great White Way: Classic Broadway Stage Musicals
Instructions: Before Hollywood turned them into films, these dazzling stage musicals lit up Broadway with original casts, showstopping songs, and opening nights that changed American theater forever.
- 1.
In what year did the groundbreaking musical Oklahoma! open on Broadway?
A1940B1943C1946D1949 - 2.
Which famous songwriting partnership created both Oklahoma! (1943) and South Pacific (1949)?
ARodgers and HammersteinBLerner and LoeweCKander and EbbDGilbert and Sullivan - 3.
Who played the original Anna Leonowens opposite Yul Brynner in the 1951 Broadway production of The King and I?
AMary MartinBEthel MermanCGertrude LawrenceDJulie Andrews - 4.
Who composed the music for the original 1957 Broadway production of West Side Story?
AJerome RobbinsBStephen SondheimCLeonard BernsteinDArthur Laurents - 5.
What was the name of the character Ethel Merman played in the original 1959 Broadway production of Gypsy?
AMama RoseBGypsy Rose LeeCBaby JuneDElectra - 6.
My Fair Lady (1956), based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, had its music and lyrics written by which creative team?
ARodgers and HammersteinBKander and EbbCJule Styne and Betty ComdenDLerner and Loewe - 7.
Which actor originated the role of Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady on Broadway in 1956?
ARichard BurtonBRex HarrisonCRobert PrestonDLaurence Olivier - 8.
Who composed the music for A Chorus Line, the record-setting 1975 Broadway musical?
AStephen SondheimBJerry HermanCMarvin HamlischDCy Coleman - 9.
Which songwriting team, fresh from the success of My Fair Lady, also wrote the Broadway musical Camelot (1960)?
ALerner and LoeweBRodgers and HammersteinCKander and EbbDJule Styne and Stephen Sondheim - 10.
Who created the role of matchmaker Dolly Levi in the original 1964 Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!?
ABarbra StreisandBCarol ChanningCPearl BaileyDGinger Rogers - 11.
The original Broadway production of Cabaret (1966) featured music and lyrics by which creative team?
AJule Styne and Betty ComdenBLerner and LoeweCCharles Strouse and Lee AdamsDKander and Ebb - 12.
Hair (1968) carried a famous subtitle on its original Broadway playbills. What was it?
AThe American Tribal Love-Rock MusicalBThe Age of AquariusCA Celebration of the CountercultureDThe Rock and Roll Revolution - 13.
Which choreographer and director created the electrifying dance sequences in the original Broadway production of West Side Story (1957)?
ABob FosseBJerome RobbinsCGower ChampionDAgnes de Mille - 14.
Before becoming a celebrated composer-lyricist in his own right, Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics for which 1957 Broadway musical?
AGuys and DollsBCamelotCHello, Dolly!DWest Side Story - 15.
Who wrote both the music and lyrics for the original 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls?
ACole PorterBIrving BerlinCFrank LoesserDHarold Arlen
Answer Key
Oklahoma! opened at the St. James Theatre on March 31, 1943, and its seamless blending of song, dance, and story is widely regarded as the birth of the modern American musical.
Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics) formed one of Broadway's greatest partnerships, together creating Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King and I, and many more beloved musicals.
Gertrude Lawrence originated the role of Anna Leonowens in The King and I, but sadly died of cancer during the Broadway run in September 1952 — her last performance was just weeks before her passing.
Leonard Bernstein composed the thrilling score for West Side Story; Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics, Arthur Laurents wrote the book, and Jerome Robbins directed and choreographed.
Ethel Merman played Mama Rose, the fiercely ambitious stage mother of Gypsy Rose Lee — a role so demanding and powerful it is considered one of the greatest parts ever written for a woman in musical theater.
Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music) adapted Shaw's Pygmalion into My Fair Lady, crafting songs like 'I Could Have Danced All Night' and 'On the Street Where You Live.'
Rex Harrison created the role of the exacting Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady and won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical — his witty, half-spoken delivery of songs became the model for the entire show.
Marvin Hamlisch composed the music for A Chorus Line, with lyrics by Edward Kleban; the show ran an astounding 6,137 performances and held the record as Broadway's longest-running production until 1997.
Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe wrote Camelot (1960), starring Richard Burton as King Arthur and Julie Andrews as Guinevere, just four years after their celebrated triumph with My Fair Lady.
Carol Channing originated the role of Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and became so identified with the part she returned to it multiple times throughout her career.
John Kander (music) and Fred Ebb (lyrics) wrote the score for Cabaret, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1967 and introduced audiences to the darkly glamorous world of the Kit Kat Klub.
Hair's full Broadway title was 'Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,' marking the first major rock musical on Broadway and capturing the spirit of the late-1960s counterculture movement.
Jerome Robbins both directed and choreographed West Side Story, creating iconic sequences such as the 'Prologue' gang confrontation and the 'Dance at the Gym' that permanently elevated the role of dance on Broadway.
Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics for West Side Story (1957), collaborating with composer Leonard Bernstein — it was one of his earliest major Broadway credits before he began writing both music and lyrics himself.
Frank Loesser wrote both the music and lyrics for Guys and Dolls, making him one of Broadway's rare complete composer-lyricists; the show ran 1,200 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1951.