Don’t forget to enter my “Worst Gift Ever” Contest!
And now, I give you my entry for “Trav’s Staying out of the Dungeon Trivia Meme”

Rules:
1. Choose a category from one of these: Television, Stage & Screen, Nightly News, Publishing, Lives & Times, Music
2. Find 8 bits of trivia about your selected category
3. Be sure to let Travis know if you decide to play along.
4. You may tag, or simply offer the meme for borrowing or stealing as you like.
I’m choosing Stage & Screen. Mine are about musicals, both stage and screen (aptly).
1. The Sound of Music: The real Von Trapps
In the movie, the Captain comes off as a strict parent, while Maria is portrayed as carefree and loving. In real life, it was quite the opposite. The children did not want their father to marry the real Maria.
2. Singin’ in the Rain: Screen Version
Gene Kelly had a 103 degree temperature when he danced to the famous title song. Also, in the “Would You” number, Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) is dubbing the voice of Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) because Lina’s voice is shrill and screechy. However, it’s not Reynolds who’s really speaking, it’s Jean Hagen herself, who actually had a beautiful deep, rich voice. So you have Jean Hagen dubbing Debbie Reynolds dubbing Jean Hagen.
3. Rent: Stage Version
A member of the Spice Girls, Mel B, played the role of Mimi. Did you know that?
4. She Loves Me: Stage Version
This musical about coworkers who hate each other, yet unbeknownst to them, are corresponding via letters, really do love each other. Many of you know She Loves Me more popularly as the movie, You’ve Got Mail starring Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan. But did you know that the first movie version, was The Shop Around the Corner starring Jimmy Stewart in 1940? They were all spinoffs of the original play Parfumerie by Hungarian playwright, Miklos Lazlo.
5. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat : Stage & Screen Version
Written by Andrew Lloyd Weber and based on the “Coat of many colors” story of Joseph from the Bible, this show was first presented as a fifteen-minute pop cantata at Colet Court school in London on March 1, 1968. The full-length version of it was first performed in 1972.
6. The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Stage Version
This was originally a book by Charles Dickens. The novel was unfinished at the time of his death, so readers have often speculated as to who was the murderer. The musical version gives the audience a choice of “Who dunnit”. All the actors must memorize the ending song and be ready to perform it if their character is chosen.
7. Phantom of the Opera: Stage Version
In 2007, Andrew Lloyd Webber announced that he was working on a sequel to this entitled, The Phantom of Manhattan. However, according to a report published in the Daily Mail newspaper, a bizarre mishap has delayed the sequel; Lloyd Webber’s cat, Otto, clambered onto the digital Clavinova piano and managed to delete the entire score for Phantom of Manhattan. Lloyd Webber was unable to recover any of it from the instrument.
8. Godspell: Stage Version
This was originally written as a Master’s Thesis project by John-Michael Tebelak at Carnegie Mellon University. The original CMU cast members wrote the music to the songs using hymnal lyrics. When show went on a 2-week tour, producers wanted to take it to Broadway. They hired Stephen Schwartz, an alumnus of CMU, to write a new song score. Only “By My Side” from the original cast show is in the show today.
Tag, you’re it: Caryn, Jen, Kat, Misty, Michi and whoever else wants to play!