Trivia Thursday Quiz
Romeo and Juliet
Test your ballet knowledge!
1. What is the name of Romeo’s closest friend? (source- bbc.co.uk)
a) Tybalt
b) Mercutio
c) Hamlet
d) Lysander
2. How many acts did the first known ballet version of Romeo and Juliet have? (source- balletmanilaarchives.com)
a) Two
b) Three
c) Four
d) Five
3. Who wrote the most commonly known music for ballet versions of Romeo and Juliet?
a) Liszt
b) Prokofiev
c) Corelli
d) Stravinsky
4. One of the songs from the ballet, usually used in the ballroom scene, has become very well-known through the years for its dramatic mood and powerful melody. What is the name of this song?
a) Ballroom Waltz
b) Masquerade
c) Dance of the Knights
d) Romeo’s Variation
5. Where does the story of Romeo and Juliet take place?
a) Verona
b) Venice
c) Seville
d) Athens
Answers
1. Answer- B
Ballet fun fact! Tybalt is Juliet’s cousin, Mercutio is Romeo’s closest friend, Hamlet is the lead character in another Shakespeare play, Hamlet, (of which there have been ballet renditions), and Lysander is a character from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (the topic of a past Trivia Thursday Quiz!).
2. Answer- D
Ballet fun fact! The first known performance premiered with five acts in 1785 in Venice, Italy. (source- balletmanilaarchives.com)
3. Answer- B
Ballet fun fact! Tchaikovsky also composed music for Romeo and Juliet, titled Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy-Overture in 1869. While this has been used for some ballet productions, it is approximately 21 minutes long, so the Prokofiev score is common in full length productions. Prokofiev also wrote the music for Cinderella. (source- sfsymphony.org)
4. Answer- C
5. Answer- A
Fun Fact! The opening lines of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet describe where the story will take place in Italy: “Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene”...