Broadway Puzzler #10

Posted: 6/29/03 at 4:35pm

His Broadway musicals were produced on Broadway in the 20's, the 30's, the 40's, the 50's and the 60's. His last Broadway musical starred Mary Martin. His name is:

A. Kurt Weill
B. Arthur Schwartz
C. Oscar Hammerstein
D. Cole Porter

For a bonus: Name the musical.

Yours for a better Broadway!

[Bret]

Posted: 6/29/03 at 5:40pm

C. Oscar Hammerstein

The Musical was "The Sound of Music".

[magruder]

Posted: 6/29/03 at 11:06pm

That would be B., Arthur Schwartz, and the show was "Jennie".

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 6/30/03 at 2:47pm

I was going to guess Cole Porter and "Touch of Venus" but I could have that wrong too. Interesting question!

Posted: 6/30/03 at 6:25pm

Congrats to both Bret and Magruder--We have two half correct answers to this little puzzler. Both smart cookies.

The correct answer to the question as it is stated is both B. and C. Both Starred Mary Martin.

B. Arthur Schwartz' last musical was "Jennie," which opened 10/17/1963 at the Majestic, with music by Howard Dietz, and

C. Oscar Hammerstein's last musical was "The Sound of Music," which opened on 11/16/1959 at the Lunt-Fontanne, music by Rodgers.

If the question had referred to "composer" then Schwartz would have been the correct answer. If it had referred to "lyricist" then Hammerstein would have been correct.

Mary Martin starred in musicals written by the other two choices as well:
"One Touch of Venus" Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin, 1943
"Leave It To Me!" Cole Porter, 1938

Weill had no new musicals opening in the 50's or 60's on Broadway
Porter had no new musicals opening on Broadway in the 60's

Yours for a better Broadway! Bulldog

Posted: 6/30/03 at 6:25pm

Congrats to both Bret and Magruder--We have two half correct answers to this little puzzler. Both smart cookies.

The correct answer to the question as it is stated is both B. and C. Both Starred Mary Martin.

B. Arthur Schwartz' last musical was "Jennie," which opened 10/17/1963 at the Majestic, with music by Howard Dietz, and

C. Oscar Hammerstein's last musical was "The Sound of Music," which opened on 11/16/1959 at the Lunt-Fontanne, music by Rodgers.

If the question had referred to "composer" then Schwartz would have been the correct answer. If it had referred to "lyricist" then Hammerstein would have been correct.

Mary Martin starred in musicals written by the other two choices as well:
"One Touch of Venus" Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin, 1943
"Leave It To Me!" Cole Porter, 1938

Weill had no new musicals opening in the 50's or 60's on Broadway
Porter had no new musicals opening on Broadway in the 60's

Yours for a better Broadway! Bulldog

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 6/30/03 at 6:29pm

yeah, I thought I had the VENUS composer wrong. This was a great puzzler!

What's JENNY like?

[magruder]

Posted: 6/30/03 at 7:08pm

Jennie starts with a bang and falls to pieces immediately. Great Overture and a snappy duet for Mary Martin and George Wallace follows ("Waitin' for the Evening Train"), as well as a good ensemble number ("When You're Far Away from New York Town").
Then, the flop sweat starts to creep in. Martin remains charming throughout. Still, I enjoy "Before I Kiss the World Goodbye," "Born Again," "High is Better Than Low," the campy highlight, "Lonely Nights," and a pistol of an orchestral number, "Sauce Diable". The rest is pretty forgettable, but that CD is a must for Martin fans.

And I have to quibble a little bit here with the answer to this puzzle: The Sound of Music ran into the early 1960s, but was produced in 1959. The question says: "His Broadway musicals were produced on Broadway in the 20's, the 30's, the 40's, the 50's and the 60's." No Hammerstein musical was 'produced' on Broadway in the 1960s. I still think Schwartz is the proper answer.

Posted: 6/30/03 at 9:59pm

Magruder, you know what, you are right on that point. You are the neon that makes Broadway bright.

Yours for a better Broadway! Bulldog