One of the most famous attractions of New York City are Broadway plays - themed musical performances that bring together drama, comedy, romance, and everything that builds a good story alongside song and dance. Though numerous plays were feature on the streets of New York City as early as the 18th century, the first long-run Broadway musical was set in Union Square in 1857 - the 50-performance hit called “The Elves”. Three years later, “The Seven Sisters”, a musical burletta, shattered the New York musical records with 253 performances. The world of plays, musicals, and Broadway has since never looked back.
Plays and musicals like those that are taken to the stages of Broadway Theaters are inspired by a great number of things, including famous people and historical incidents, like 'Hamilton', which is based on the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton. They can also be inspired by books, as it was with 'Wicked', which tells the story of the Wicked Witch from 'The Wizard of Oz. Even movies and animated films, like Disney's 'Frozen' can turn into Broadway musicals.
In fact, movies and plays have been deeply intertwined for the last century, with many plays inspiring movies, and the other way around. Since both of these art forms fall under so many different genres, the two artistic genres are deeply intertwined. This article explores this connection in a fun way, testing your knowledge of Broadway plays that were either inspired by or the inspiration for major motion pictures. Do you think you can guess which came first?
Below are the names of famous stories that have graced both the silver screen and the stages of Broadway. Take a guess as to whether the films preceded or succeeded the Broadway plays with the same name. Then click the respective images to find out if your guess was right!
