Final Jeopardy: Broadway Premieres (5-13-25)
The Final Jeopardy question (5/13/2025) in the category “Broadway Premieres” was:
To avoid licensing fees, this play used bits of “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” in place of the Disney tune that inspired its title
New champ Andrew Jones, , a graduate student from Queens, NY, won $5,600 yesterday. In Game 2, his challengers are: Aaron Dmiszewicki, an attorney from Pompano Beach, FL; and Katie Tarara, a nonprofit comedy theater exec. director from Pittsburgh, PA.
Round 1 Categories: World History – The Children’s Author Who Wrote… – Change a Letter – Metro Stations – Sitcoms – Proust’s Remembrance of Smells Past
Katie found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Change a Letter” under the $800 on the 13th pick of the round. She was in the lead with $5,200, $3,600 more than Aaron in second place. Katie made it a true Daily Double and had no response so she was WRONG.
To conclude by reasoning switches a letter & now means to bury show
Katie finished in the lead with $3,800. Andrew and Aaron were tied in second with $2,600. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: It Takes a Village – Opera – I Aced My Biochem Test – It’s Your Diamond Anniversary – & the Oscar for Acting Goes to… – Special “Eff”ects
Andrew found the first Daily Double in “Opera” under the $1,200 clue on the 10th pick of the round. He was in the lead with $7,000, $2,400 more than Katie in second place. Andrew bet $3,000 and he was RIGHT.
This iconic chorus from Act II of “Il Trovatore” can actually use a hammer striking the blacksmith tool for which it’s named show
Katie found the last Daily Double in “It’s Your Diamond Anniversary” under the $2,000 clue with 6 clues left after it. She was in second place with $9,400, $600 less than Andrew’s lead. Katie bet $2,600 and said Ibiza. That was WRONG.
Club Med began in 1950 in Alcudia on this 1,400-square-mile Spanish island show
Andrew finished in the lead with $10,400. Aaron was second with $9,000 and Katie was last with $7,200. All clues were shown.
Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHAT IS “WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF”?
According to IMDB trivia on the 1966 film version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”: “Although the title was obviously inspired by the song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” (sung in Walt Disney’s Three Little Pigs (1933)), Warner Brothers was unable to negotiate with Disney for the use of the tune, so when characters sing the title phrase, it was instead set to the melody of “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush”.
As you can see, the Virginia Woolf pun didn’t pose a problem. The clue is only referencing the tune. Earlier, when Edward Albee’s play debuted on Broadway in October 1962, the Disney issue arose and was handled the same way. The Mulberry Bush song is a folk song in the public domain. It has a similar tune to the Big Bad Wolf.
Katie was going for Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, a song from Disney’s “Song of the South” (1946). She lost $7,199 and finished with $1.00.
Aaron had “Merrily We Roll Along” (1981), a Sondheim musical. He lost $5,401 and finished with $3,599.
Andrew got it right. He bet it all and doubled his score to $20,800. Andrew remains champ with a 2-day total of $26,400.
A triple stumper from each round:
OPERA ($2000) Wagner wrote this, his final opera, specifically for the Bayreuth Festival & it was only supposed to be performed there
IT’S YOUR DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY ($1200) This assoc. to fight degenerative disease was founded in June 1950 & 18 months later Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis made a radio appeal for it
More clues on Page 2
2 years ago: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in “AUTHORS”
In 1960 Jean-Paul Sartre wrote of this man’s “victorious attempt… to snatch every instant of his existence from his future death” show
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Congrats to Andrew. It’s always nice when a player is able to get a decent win after a low one but it’s nicer still with a correct FJ! response when everything’s on the line.