Welcome to the SOUP Theater where Anything Goes and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum!
That's the thing about musical - and even play - titles. They can be quite catchy, even if they don't always portray what the production is about. For your reading/viewing/listening pleasure today, therefore, we have a little game I like to call "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (Yes, I know that's a TV show title, but bear with me.)
Below is a list of one-line synopses of a variety of theater performances. All you have to do is match them up with their titles. Sounds simple, right? Well, some will be - some may be a bit more challenging. After all, things are a bit mixed up this month!
Synopsis
- The story of the man on the ten-dollar bill.
- A Halloween costume party gone very dark.
- Two neglected children; one takes a bullet for freedom, the other runs away with her adopted father, who also dies.
- Romeo and Juliet set to music in NYC.
- Violins reach new heights while the sun rises and sets.
- Raises existential questions about existence.
- New England life from cradle to grave.
- Moving to a new neighborhood doesn't always let you follow your dreams.
- Watch out for the hyenas, not to mention the uncles.
SHOW
- A Raisin in the Sun
- Fiddler on the Roof
- Hamilton
- Hamlet
- Les Miserables
- Our Town
- Phantom of the Opera
- The Lion King
- West Side Story
Now, if that wasn't quite your style, then here's a new challenge for you. Take your favorite theater production - and think up a new title for it, or even reuse an existing one! For example, one of my all-time favorite Broadway musicals is The Music Man. It's a show about a hustler who comes to a small Iowa town and falls in love with the local librarian, who's onto him. I might rename that show, "Much Ado About Something In Iowa" for example.
Finally, you can do it the other way. Without knowing anything at all about the play or musical, you can make up what you think it might be about. Two great examples of this are the following musicals:
- Pippin
- Hair
No clue what either one is about from the actual title, right? So let your imagination be your guide. Is Pippin about a Hobbit in Middle-Earth that made his way to Broadway? Or is it an arctic explorer who identifies with penguins? What about Hair? Is that a beauty salon saga? The tragedy of going bald, perhaps? Or a commentary of all the products that can be made with wool?
As you are pondering these conundrums, don't forget to enjoy some snacks and a lovely beverage at intermission!