Can You Crush This Movie Musicals Quiz?

While “La La Land” will undoubtedly always be remembered for the astounding mix-up at the 2017 Academy Awards where they were announced as the winner for Best Picture, rather than “Moonlight,” the film was a major success and went on to win awards in a number of other categories. Some of these awards include Best Original Music Score, Best Director, and Emma Stone taking home the gold for Best Actress.

Originally planned to be named “East Side Story” this beloved classic follows the tragic story of a Caucasian Catholic boy and Peurto Rican Jewish girl on the upper east side of New York. Prior to becoming one of the biggest household names in modern-day history, Lin-Manuel Miranda worked on the Spanish translation for the 2009 revival. A lot of the changes made help to address the more stereotypical and less culturally sensitive aspects of the show.

Known for several notable roles, Julie Andrews nearly turned down the role of Maria in “The Sound of Music.” When she was originally approached for the role of Maria, Julie Andrews had just finished filming the 1964 version of “Mary Poppins.” Looking to diversify her roles she was at first concerned that the two characters were too similar to one another. Luckily she did eventually accept the part.

While Jim Henson’s Labyrinth has become a cult classic many people tend to forget that this beloved musical movie was originally a flop at the box office. Bringing in less than $13 million, with an original budget of $25 million, many thought the movie was a disappointing version of some of Henson’s more renowned creations.

While this movie helped propel Zac Efron to stardom, many might not know that Zac didn’t actually provide the vocals for most of his singing parts in the first movie. Due to his lower range and inability to hit the higher notes, the voice of Troy Bolton was actually sung by Drew Seeley. After the success of the first movie, the directors decided to highlight Efron’s singing abilities by simply writing the music in a lower key.

While the movie is a clear classic in its own right, the song “Somewhere over the Rainbow” has been a fan favorite from the moment the film debuted and been covered by numerous artist over the years. Originally released in 1993 on his album “Facing Future,” "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" was originally included as part of a last-minute decision by the production team. It ended up being a sound decision as “Facing Future” made it to number 25 on Billboard magazine's Top Pop Charts.

Originally composed in 1981 by Andrew Lloyd Webber, “Cats” was based on a series of poems by T.S. Eliot. Although it became one of the most beloved shows on broadway it’s silver screen debut arrived to less enthusiasm. While many people wonder over its flop many will agree, that while the music is fabulous the story has one major flaw - simply put there is no actual story being told. While this can often be overlooked on Broadway, in the big theaters most viewers want there to be a clear narrative.

Until “Mama Mia” hit the scene in 2008 “Grease” held the record for the highest-grossing movie musical of all time. Landing four songs on the Billboard Top 10 the film made nearly $400 million once it released.

Even before the show was adapted to the silver screen, “Chicago” had become one of the most celebrated and successful musicals to hit broadway. Originally debuting in 1979 in 1996 “Chicago” became the longest-running musical revival and the longest-running American musical on Broadway.

Hitting success out of the gate, Barbra Streisand hit gold when she made her film debut as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. Returning to a role she had originated on Broadway Streisand went on to win an Oscar for Best Actress as well as a Gold Globe for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

A film that has been in the making for decades famous celebrities such as Jasmine Guy, Lauryn Hill, and even Whitney Houston have been considered for roles over the years. However, although many fans have been vying for a featured film it wasn’t until Jennifer Hudson came along playing the role to a tee that the movie was placed into production.

While no one is going to forget the amazing job Aileen Quinn did in portraying little orphan Annie, her journey to the role was anything but a breeze. With auditions taking place across 22 cities over the course of 2 years Quinn had to beat out some of today’s most well-known actresses including a young Drew Barrymore.

Everyone was taken with the star-driven production when “The Greatest Showman” hit the big screen. What many might not know is that one of the movie’s most dramatic moments, the burning of the theater at the end of the film, turned into a real-life disaster as the flames got out of hand and proceeded to burn down the set! Luckily no one was injured in the accident.

When people recall hit movies from the 1970’s they often think of classics such as “The Godfather”, but at the time there was one film that seriously rivaled the epic gangster film. Starring Hollywood stars such as Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey, “Cabaret” went on to win eight Academy Awards in 1973 including Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

While most of the cast from the stage production was hired to continue their roles in the screen adaptation there were some famous celebrities who were considered for some of the larger roles. Most notably Mick Jagger had his sights set on playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Steve Martin had auditioned for the role of Brad, but in the end, Tim Curry and Barry Boswick got the roles.

Originally directed by John Waters in 1988 and then remade in 2007, both adaptations of “Hairspray” feature a cameo by the famous director. You can see Waters in the original film as Dr.Frederickson and again in the 2007 film as the “flasher that lives next door” in the opening number “Good Morning Baltimore.”

Known for its fabulous costumes and beloved soundtrack not many people know that it took Baz Luhrmann over two years to obtain the rights to all the songs that appeared in the movie. While personal visits to artist like Paul McCartney and Elton John helped seal the deal for some songs, in the end only two artists refused to give permission for their songs to be featured in the film: The Rolling Stones and Yusuf Islam.

With thousands of productions taking place each year “Fiddler on the Roof” has become a beloved classic by many. In 2007 alone, Time magazine reported that the hit musical was the seventh most produced show by high-schools. With it’s relatable themes of family, faith, tradition, community, and poverty it’s universal appeal is what keeps this musical a favorite in everyone’s heart.

While Marlon Brando was cast in the lead role of Masterson, with the supporting role of Detroit going to Frank Sinatra, it was no secret on set that Sinatra had wanted the part. With their relationship strained by the situation on set Brandon later said that “Frank's the kind of guy who, when he gets to Heaven, is going to give God a hard time for making him bald."

Considering ABBA had such a large collection of hit songs it was understandable difficult when deciding which songs would grace not only the stage production but the movie as well. While fan favorites such as “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” “The Name of the Game,” and “Fernando” didn’t make the original film they all show up in the sequel!