Pop quiz , 2014! Look into your crystal ball. What do you see?
1. NBC, riding high from the ratings success of “The Sound of Music,” says it will broadcast another Broadway show in 2014. What will it be?
(a) “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark”
(b) “Oliver!”
(c) “Passion”
(d) “The King and I”
2. Which reality TV stars will appear on those respective broadcasts?
(a) Phil Robertson (as the Green Goblin)
(b) Fantasia (as Nancy)
(c) Kim Kardashian (as Fosca)
(d) Joan Rivers (as Anna)
3. The Roundabout Theatre Company, desperate for a hit, is reviving its celebrated 1998 production of “Cabaret,” once again with Alan Cumming. Which old production will it exhume next?
(a) “Bye Bye Birdie” with John Stamos
(b) “Anna Christie” with Liam Neeson
(c) “Nine” with Antonio Banderas
(d) “Assassins” with Neil Patrick Harris
4. A backstage feud will break out between . . .
(a) Mark Rylance and the entire cast of “Twelfth Night” because he’s always upstaging them
(b) Mark Rylance and the entire cast of “Richard III” because he’s always upstaging them
(c) Charles Isherwood and Ben Brantley
(d) Michael Riedel and Susan Haskins on the set of “Theater Talk”
5. The most celebrated element of “Bullets Over Broadway” will be. . .
(a) Woody Allen playing the clarinet in the orchestra
(b) Marin Mazzie as Helen Sinclair
(c) Susan Stroman’s direction
(d) the cost overrun
6. The breakout star of the spring season will be . . .
(a) Andy Karl in “Rocky”
(b) Jessie Mueller in “Beautiful”
(c) Diahann Carroll in “A Raisin in the Sun”
(d) Ramin Karimloo in “Les Misérables”
7. The sleeper hit will be . . .
(a) “Act One”
(b) “Flashdance”
(c) “Bronx Bombers”
(d) “The Bridges of Madison County”
8. The tightest Tony race for Best Musical will be between . . .
(a) “Flashdance” and “Rocky”
(b) “If/Then” and “Beautiful”
(c) “Beautiful” and “After Midnight”
(d) “Bullets Over Broadway” and “After Midnight”
9. The Tony nominators will snub . . .
(a) Daniel Craig in “Betrayal”
(b) Mark Rylance in “Twelfth Night” and “Richard III”
(c) Denzel Washington in “A Raisin in the Sun”
(d) Kelli O’Hara in “The Bridges of Madison County”
10. The show that will open with the biggest advance sales will be . . .
(a) “Aladdin”
(b) “A Raisin in the Sun”
(c) “Les Misérables”
(d) “Bullets Over Broadway”
11. The host of the Tony telecast will be . . .
(a) Carrie Underwood
(b) Tovah Feldshuh
(c) Hugh Jackman
(d) Woody Allen
12. I stole the format of this column from . . .
(a) Frank Rich
(b) William Safire
(c) Eleanor Roosevelt
(d) Suetonius
My predictions: 1. (b); 2. (b); 3. (d); 4. (d); 5. (b and c); 6. (c); 7. (a); 8. (d); 9. (a); 10. (d); 11. (a); 12. (b)
Happy New Year!