Broadway Archives

The Ultimate Food and Musicals Quiz

Jonathan Gold is the only Pulitzer Prize winning food writer in history and, as far as I’m concerned, I will never do anything in my food writing career that comes anywhere close to what he’s been doing for the bulk of his. Except for this. You see, the other day Mr. Gold, who writes a regular quiz for The L.A. Times, posted a “Food and Musicals” quiz that was a lot of fun to take. I got 9 out of 10 right. But the quiz left me feeling like Gold favors a specific brand of Broadway musical, heavy on the Lerner and Loewe. Also, there was an Oliver question which seemed a little too obvious to me. So last night, in a heated moment, I began constructing my own Food and Musicals quiz. It goes from the esoteric (Falsettos) to the extreme mainstream (Wicked) with various diversions along the way. There are 30 questions. I could’ve done more. Some are very hard, some are pretty easy; mostly, though, this is my favorite thing I’ve done on my blog ever. Let me know how you score in the comments!

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I Can Cook Too

I’m about to make dinner, but after discovering “On The Town” on Spotify this morning I found myself Googling the show (it’s one of Leonard Bernstein’s first musicals) and reading about Lea Delaria’s scene-stealing performance of the song “I Can Cook Too” in the 1998 revival. There it is above and I liked it so much, I had to share it here. Also: I think it’d make a swell theme song for a cooking show.

Broadway Picks

A quick detour from food for a second. You all know I’m a theater lover (and a certified playwright) so here are two picks for shows I think you’ll enjoy if you’re coming to New York.
The first, “Reasons To Be Pretty,” is the latest from Neil Labute (and a Tony nominee for Best Play). If you like theater that is contemporary, engaging, emotional and brutal, this is the show for you. It’s got a killer cast and a memorable plot involving a guy who tells his friend he thinks his girlfriend’s looks are “regular.” She finds out. Drama ensues. The other show I recommend is maybe the best revival I’ve ever seen and that would be the revival of “Hair.” This production has everything: great songs, a killer cast and an emotional center that’ll leave you teary by the end. Both shows have reasonably priced tickets so, if you’re at all curious, I say go! You won’t regret it.