24 Facts about Musicals - mental_floss List Show Ep. 328

TL;DR

Learn fascinating facts about musicals, including lesser-known shows, famous songs, and behind-the-scenes stories.

Transcript

hi I'm Ain McCarthy welcome to the salon this is metal floss video and did you know that mam Mia wasn't the first show to bring Abba's Tunes to the theater World Abba Kadabra was based on the songs of ABBA start to Lane page and was brought to life by the writing and producing team behind lay Miz and that's just the first of many facts about musica... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤪 Inspiration for Broadway shows comes from various sources, such as Vinton Freedley's boat hiding from creditors, leading to the musical Anything Goes.
• ❓ Andrew Lloyd Webber found inspiration for Cats in TS Elliot's poetry collection.
• 🥡 Elaine Page took over the role of Gabella from Judy Dench due to an injury before previews of Cats.
• 📛 Tim Rice named his daughter after Ava Peron, inspiring him to create Evita.
• 😓 Avenue Q had a former Sesame Street cast member, Rick Lyon, designing the original puppets.
• 👨‍💼 Walter Cronkite, the trusted news anchor, lent his voice as the narrator for How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.
• 🏂 The president's visit to a performance of A Chorus Line caused technical difficulties with the lighting board.
• 🖐️ NFL quarterback Joe Namath played the main character in a production of Damn Yankees.
• 👀 Each Phantom of the Opera actor sits in the same makeup chair to have the Phantom's iconic look applied.
• 👻 Lea Michele had a unique clause in her contract for Spring Awakening, allowing her to keep her dress on when her dad was in the audience.
• 😘 Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods features a rhyme-less song sung by Jack.
• 🕖 Wicked's "Defying Gravity" incorporates the first seven notes of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
• 🎼 West Side Story's slang was created by the musical's writer, Arthur Laurents.
• 😀 Les Misérables faced mixed reviews initially but eventually became one of the longest-running Broadway shows.
• 👪 The inspiration behind The Sound of Music was not as dramatic as the story; the Von Trapp family simply escaped by train.
• 💨 The musical Spamalot gave away cans of limited edition Golden Honey Grail flavor spam to early ticket buyers.
• 💨 Oklahoma! was originally titled Away We Go until the audience's enthusiastic response to the song "Oklahoma!"
• 🖐️ Jefferson Mays played eight characters in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, requiring rapid costume changes.

Questions & Answers

Q: What was the first musical to showcase ABBA songs?

Abba Kadabra, created by the producers of Les Misérables, featured ABBA tunes before Mamma Mia.

Q: Which famous song comes from the musical Sweet Charity?

"Big Spender" is a classic Broadway song from the 1966 musical Sweet Charity.

Q: How did Dick Van Dyke find out about his Tony Award win?

Dick Van Dyke learned about his best actor award for Bye Bye Birdie through a telegram that was initially stuck under his doormat.

Q: What was Barbara Streisand's experience during her Funny Girl audition?

Despite a rough audition appearance, Barbara Streisand impressed composer Jule Styne and landed the role of Fanny Bryce.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Abba Kadabra, not Mamma Mia, was the first musical to feature ABBA songs and was created by the producers of Les Misérables.

• Many iconic songs are from lesser-known musicals, like "Big Spender" from Sweet Charity and "Memory" from Cats.

• Quirky stories include Dick Van Dyke finding out about his Tony Award win through a telegram and Barbara Streisand's rough audition for Funny Girl.