OnStagers: Name that Show

For decades, talented students have presented live theater on campus as the Merrimack OnStagers. Test your theatrical knowledge! How many clues do you need to identify each show?

QUESTION 1: Name the musical.

Clue 1

In 2017, the OnStagers depicted Edwardian England with a Steampunk-styled set.

Clue 2

The original show debuted on Broadway in 1956, setting a record for the longest run of a musical, before moving to London’s West End.

Clue 3

This musical features the songs “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” and “I Could Have Danced All Night.”

Clue 4

The original story was adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion.”

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My Fair Lady

QUESTION 2: Name the play.

Clue 1

In the autumn of 2013, the OnStagers presented this four-person drama.

Clue 2

The main characters are the brothers Lee and Austin. They don’t like each other.

Clue 3

Actors who have played these roles opposite each other include Tommy Lee Jones and Peter Boyle, Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly, and Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano.

Clue 4

Sam Shepard was a Pulitzer finalist for this play in 1983.

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True West

QUESTION 3. Name the musical.

Clue 1

The original lyricist for this musical was the poet W.H. Auden but his lyrics were rejected as too satiric. The songs were ultimately composed by Mitch Leigh with lyrics by Joe Darion.

Clue 2

This musical was based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes.

Clue 3

Characters include Don Quixote, Sancho Panza and Aldonza (or is it Dulcinea?).

Clue 4

In 1982, the OnStagers dreamt big with this production. But not impossibly so.

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Man of La Mancha

QUESTION 4. Name the Shakespearean tragedy.

Clue 1

A bloody poster advertised this OnStagers production in 2012.

Clue 2

Although Shakespeare’s original lines were used, Father Richard Piatt and Claire Kinton ‘12 set the play in a contemporary, digital age of media king-makers.

Clue 3

At the opening night reception, over-21 theater-goers took home special drinking glasses and were treated to a single malt scotch tasting.

Clue 4

Theatrical superstition claims that it’s bad luck to say the name of this play out loud. It’s referred to as “the Scottish play.”

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Macbeth

QUESTION 5. Name the Tony-award winning musical.

Clue 1

Songs in this musical include “I Wish I Could Go Back to College,” “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” and “What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?”

Clue 2

An online review of the 2016 OnStagers production states: “I had seen this production before and laughed out loud throughout. Noticed more profanity in the dialogue at this venue. I'm not a prude, but it detracted from the high quality of the show.”

Clue 3

The cast includes a number of puppets.

Clue 4

This show is like Sesame Street for young adults.

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Avenue Q

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