Quizzes

Crossword: Test Your Musical-Number Knowledge in This Week's Puzzle

Which musicals do the songs in the clues come from? How many can you get without looking at the answers at the bottom?

New York City
Cynthia Erivo made her Broadway debut in 2015 and went on to win a Tony Award for her performance. If you know the name of the musical that announced to Broadway that she was here, you have an answer to one of this puzzle's clues.
Cynthia Erivo made her Broadway debut in 2015 and went on to win a Tony Award for her performance. If you know the name of the musical that announced to Broadway that she was definitely here, you have an answer to one of this puzzle's clues.
(© Matthew Murphy)
It's been a long time since we've seen any musicals onstage, and it'll probably be a while longer. But if you're like me, you probably have a cast recording or five on hand that help you get through those dreary periods of quarantine-induced isolation. So this week's puzzle includes some showtunes that are frequently rattling around in my head, many of which have been heard in New York theaters in the past few years and some of which are familiar to movie lovers as well. See how many musicals you can connect with the songs in the clues without looking at the answers at the bottom. Happy puzzling!

Answers

Across:
3. CABARET
5. SWEENEYTODD
6. DREAMGIRLS
9. ACHORUSLINE
11. LINE
15. PROPS
17. CATS
18. CHICAGO
19. FIDDLERONTHEROOF
23. MATINEE

Down:
1. HAMILTON
2. OKLAHOMA
4. THECOLORPURPLE
6. DEBUT
7. GOUP ("go up": see below for an example)
8. THEMUSICMAN
10. SOUTHPACIFIC
12. EVITA
13. GYPSY
14. THEWIZ
16. TROUPE
20. MISCAST
22. RENT

The expression "go up" is used when an actor forgets a line or becomes confused. Example: It's terrifying for an actor to go up on a line during a performance. In the video below, Bryan Cranston describes a time that he "went up" in a scene with Mark Harmon. Even the pros go up now and then.