How well do you know Sondheim, Nerd Edition

Blog: How well do you know Sondheim, Nerd Edition

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Congrats! You've proven yourself a true Sondheim fan - but are you ready for the Nerd Edition? Find out with this hidden quiz, written by the Sondheim obsessives at Signature. The rule still remains: no Googling!

1. Stephen Sondheim won a Tony Award® for Best Original Score for the following musicals, except...

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Sondheim lost the Best Original Score Tony® in 1984 to Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles, but the show did win Tony Awards® for Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design.

2. What vegetable is not mentioned in the Witch’s Rap in Into the Woods?

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The Baker's father pilfers The Witch's fiddleferns, raids her arugula and kidnaps her cabbages, but she never mentions amaranth.

3. Who originated the role of Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music on Broadway?

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Glynis Johns won a Tony Award® for her role as Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music, and "Send in the Clowns" was written specifically for her. Elizabeth Taylor played the role in the film adaptation, and Bernadette Peters played Desiree in the 2009 Broadway revival. Hermione Gingold played Madame Armfeldt in the original Broadway production.

4. What Stephen Sondheim song was recorded by Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and Judy Collins?

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These three legends all recorded "Send in the Clowns," and the song was a hit for all of them.

5. Who was Stephen Sondheim’s mentor as a young college student?

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Sondheim met Oscar Hammerstein II when he was about ten years old, and Hammerstein acted as a surrogate father for him. He shaped Sondheim's artistic sensibility and taught him the craft of musical theater writing.

6. What famous composer shares a birthday with Stephen Sondheim?

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Stephen Sondheim and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber share a birthday on March 22, although Sondheim is 18 years older.

7. What West Side Story character sings “We’re gonna mix it tonight” in the "Tonight" Quintet?

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Anita sings about having a private little mix with Bernardo in the Tonight Quintet in West Side Story.

8. What song was added to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum during the pre-Broadway tryout after show doctor Jerome Robbins suggested a change?

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The show didn't do well at first during out of town tryouts, so Sondheim called in Jerome Robbins to give advice. He suggested adding an opening number to introduce the show as a comedy, so Sondheim wrote "Comedy Tonight."

9. Finish the lyric – “I think about you. I want you so…”

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"Losing My Mind" is a torch song from Follies sung by the character Sally, as she expresses her longtime unrequited love for Ben.

10. Where did Stephen Sondheim attend college?

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Stephen Sondheim studied theater at Williams College in Williamstown, MA. Their mascot is the Purple Cow.

Hmm, perhaps Nerd Edition was a bit too tough. Come back after you've reread Finishing the Hat! Nice job! You did pretty well on the Nerd Edition, but I wouldn't quite call you a Sondheim fanatic. WOW. We admit it, you might know more about Sondheim than we do. Congrats! 0b977d20897f94f83e5caa9f17f360eb