Can You Name These 21 Short-Lived Musicals? | Playbill

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Quiz Can You Name These 21 Short-Lived Musicals? Test your Broadway knowledge.

By Playbill Staff

October 03, 2020

Carol Channing, Steve Reeves, and cast Friedman-Abeles/©NYPL for the Performing Arts

Not all shows on Broadway last as long as The Phantom of the Opera or The Lion King. Many shows run for only a few weeks (or days) before closing—or close before they ever open at all.

Test your theatre knowledge—Can you name these 21 short-lived musicals that played the Great White Way?

Can You Name These 21 Short-Lived Musicals?

HR - Carrie (Broadway 1988) - Linzi Hateley, Betty Buckley — Can You Name These 21 Short-Lived Musicals?

Test your knowledge of Broadway history.
42 PHOTOS

HR - Carrie (Broadway 1988) - Linzi Hateley, Betty Buckley — Linzi Hateley and Betty Buckley in Carrie.

Peter Cunningham

Carrie Playbill - May 1988

Robert-Preston & Bernadette-Peters Mack and Mabel HR — Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters

Mack & Mabel Playbill - Oct 1974 — Mack & Mabel

HR - Flahooley (Broadway 1951) - Barbara Cook, Jerome Courtland, Ernest Truex, Edith Atwater — Barbara Cook, Jerome Courtland, Ernest Truex, and Edith Atwater in Flahooley.

Next Slide

Flahooley Playbill - May 1951

The Vamp_Production_Photos_Broadway_1955_HR — Carol Channing and cast

Friedman-Abeles/©NYPL for the Performing Arts

The Vamp Playbill - Nov 1955 — The Vamp – 60 Performances

Rockabye_Hamlet_Production_Photos_Broaway_1976_HR — Cast

Kenn Duncan/©NYPL for the Performing Arts

Rockabye Hamlet Playbill - Feb 1976 — Rockabye Hamlet – 7 Performances

Merlin_Broadway_1983_Production_Photo_Chita Rivera_Doug Henning_HR — Chita Rivera and Doug Henning

Merlin Playbill - Opening Night, Feb 1983 — Merlin – 199 Performances

Elliott Gould and Lesley Ann Warren in <i>Drat! The Cat!</i> — Elliott Gould and Lesley Ann Warren

Drat! The Cat! Playbill - Oct 1965 — Drat! The Cat! – 8 Performances

Starmites_Production_Photo_Gabriel Barre_Brian Lane Green_HR — Gabriel Barre and Brian Lane Green

Starmites Playbill - Opening Night, April 1989 — Starmites – 60 Performances

Kelly_Broadway_Production_Photo_Anita Gillette_HR — Anita Gillette and cast

Kelly Playbill - Feb 1965 — Kelly

Fade Out Fade In - Carol Burnett, Jack Cassidy - Broadway 1964 — Carol Burnett and Jack Cassidy

Friedman-Abeles / The New York Public Library

Fade Out Fade In Playbill - Opening Night, May 1964 — Fade Out - Fade In – 271 Performances

It's_a_bird…it's_a_plane…it's_Superman_1966_Production_Photo_HR — Cast of It's a bird…it's a plane…it's Superman

Friedman-Abeless/©NYPL for the Performing Arts

Superman Playbill - March 1966

Anne Marie Bobby and Jodi Benson in <i>Smile</i> — Anne Marie Bobby and Jodi Benson

Smile Playbill - Opening Night, Nov 1986

<i>Bring Back Birdie_Donald-O'Connor_Chita-Rivera_HR — Donald O'Connor and Chita Rivera

Bring Back Birdie Playbill - March 1981

Goldilocks_Production_Photos_Elaine_Stritch_HR — Elaine Stritch

Goldilocks_Playbill — Goldilocks – 161 Performances

Alyson Reed and Will Gerard in <i>Marilyn: An American Fable</i> — Alyson Reed and Will Gerard

Photo by Martha Swope

Marilyn Playbill - November 1983 — Marilyn: An American Fable – 17 Performances

Ellen Greene in Rachael Lily Rosenbloom and Don't You Ever Forget It — Ellen Greene

Friedman-Abeles/New York Public Library

Rachael Lily Rosenbloom (And Don't You Ever Forget It!) Playbill - December 1973 — Rachael Lily Rosenbloom and Don't You Ever Forget It! – Closed during previews

Bob Dishy and Liza Minnelli

Flora the Red Menace Playbill - Opening Night, May 1965 — Flora the Red Menace Playbill

Judy Kuhn

Rags Playbill - Aug 1986 — Rags – 4 Performances

A_Dolls_Life_Broadway_Production_Photos_1982_Betsy_Joslyn_Edmund_Lyndeck_HR — Betsy Joslyn and Edmund Lyndeck

A Doll's Life Playbill - Opening Night, Sept 1982 — A Doll's Life – 5 Performances

Valerie Harper in the chorus of <i>Subways Are For Sleeping</i> at the St. James Theatre. — Valerie Harper in the chorus

Subways Are for Sleeping Playbill - Feb 1962

Censored_Scenes_From_King_Kong_1980_Broadway_Production_Photos_Stephen Collins_Peter Riegert_HR — Stephen Collins and Peter Riegert

Censored Scenes From King Kong Playbill - March 1980 — Censored Scenes From King Kong – 5 Performances

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