Q 01/05

Who composed the music for the Little Shop of Horrors musical?

A) Alan Menken

B) Cy Coleman

C) Stephen Schwartz

D) Marc Shaiman

Answer · why

A) Alan Menken

He and his lyricist went on to write The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin for Disney.

Q 02/05

Who wrote the lyrics and book of the musical, and directed the original production?

A) Fred Ebb

B) Tim Rice

C) Howard Ashman

D) Alan Jay Lerner

Answer · why

C) Howard Ashman

He wrote that the show satirises science fiction, B movies, musical comedy itself and even the Faust legend.

Q 03/05

The score is written in the style of which musical era?

A) Early 1960s rock, doo-wop and Motown

B) 1940s big-band swing and boogie-woogie

C) 1970s disco and glam rock

D) 1950s cool jazz and bebop

Answer · why

A) Early 1960s rock, doo-wop and Motown

The three street-urchin narrators are named after girl groups of the period.

Q 04/05

In which year did the musical premiere?

A) 1984

B) 1982

C) 1986

D) 1989

Answer · why

B) 1982

It opened off-off-Broadway at the WPA Theatre in May and moved to the Orpheum in July.

Q 05/05

At which off-Broadway venue in the East Village did the musical run for five years?

A) The Orpheum Theatre

B) The Public Theater

C) The Cherry Lane Theatre

D) The Lucille Lortel Theatre

Answer · why

A) The Orpheum Theatre

When it closed in 1987 it was the third-longest-running and highest-grossing show in off-Broadway history.