OVERNIGHT GUEST Marlo Thomas, left, and Lisa Emery in Elaine May's "George Is Dead," part of "Relatively Speaking."TAKE OUR QUIZ to become a Marlo Thomas expert. Or prove that you already are.
GLORIOSKY! Marlo Thomas, 73, has finally found her true calling. Broadway theatergoers are having mixed reactions to "Relatively Speaking," an evening of three one-acts by Ethan Coen, Elaine May and Woody Allen. But the best of the bunch is Ms. May's "George Is Dead," and its star is Thomas (as a blonde!), playing her horribly oblivious, lovably hateful character to the edge of farce and back.
1. Marlo Thomas was born in
(a) New York as the daughter of a German-born cosmetic surgeon
(b) Beverly Hills as the daughter of a Lebanese comedian
(c) Brewster, N.Y., as the daughter of a restaurateur
(d) A trunk
2. In the TV series "That Girl," Thomas played
(a) an aspiring actress with a journalist boyfriend
(b) a temp who types 15 words a minute
(c) a fashion model who's a size 10
(d) a sex worker whose father thinks she's a virgin
3. Thomas made her Broadway debut in
(a) "The Shadow Box," a drama about grief and dying
(b) "Social Security," a comedy about art gallery owners
(c) "Thieves," an urban comedy
(d) "A Highland Fling," in which she played a Mrs. Ferguson, even though she was 7 years old
4. The dumbest career move she ever made was
(a) Turning down "Rosemary's Baby" because she "thought it was corny"
(b) Turning down "Barefoot in the Park" on Broadway
(c) Turning down "Sophie's Choice" because she "couldn't do any accents but Italian"
(d) Turning down Warren Beatty
5. Since 1980 she has been married to a former talk-show host:
(a) Larry King
(b) George Lopez
(c) Phil Donahue
(d) Joan Rivers
6. On "Friends" she made guest appearances as
(a) Rachel's critical mom
(b) Chandler's transsexual mom
(c) The ghost of Phoebe's mom
(d) An older woman that Joey picks up at Central Perk
7. Thomas's screen-acting debut was on the TV series
(a) "77 Sunset Strip"
(b) "Bonanza"
(c) "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis"
(d) "My Favorite Martian"
8. Her childhood nickname was
(a) Pookie
(b) Snookie
(c) Mugsy
(d) Mortimer Snerd
9. In "Relatively Speaking," she plays
(a) A depressive whose husband has overdosed on Xanax
(b) A narcissist whose husband has been killed in an avalanche
(c) A kleptomaniac whose husband rooms with Bernie Madoff in prison
(d) An alcoholic whose husband drives his Audi into a fern bar
10. Thomas's next film, opening in 2012, is
(a) A second-time-around romantic comedy with Ted Bessell
(b) An Internet-age comedy with Demi Moore and Miley Cyrus
(c) A Holocaust drama with Philip Seymour Hoffman
(d) A 3-D animated version of "Free to Be . . . You and Me"
"Relatively Speaking," by Ethan Coen, Elaine May and Woody Allen, directed by John Turturro, Brooks Atkinson Theater, 256 West 47th Street, (877) 250-2929, telecharge.com.
Before you check out the answers, read more about:
"Relatively Speaking"
Marlo Thomas
Danny Thomas
"That Girl"
WHAT'S MY SCORE?
Give yourself 10 points for each correct answer.
1. (b) Her father was Danny Thomas, star of the family sitcom "Make Room for Daddy." (c) was Ann Marie's provenance.
2. (a) A vivaciously virginal, cheerfully struggling young actress named Ann Marie. Her clean-cut, sexually patient boyfriend, Donald Hollinger, was played by Ted Bessell.
3. (c) "Thieves." She starred in (a) and (b) as well. As for "A Highland Fling" (1944), Mrs. Ferguson was played by Margaret Julia Thomas (Marlo's real name), but we're pretty sure it was a different Margaret Julia Thomas. Will somebody tell IBDB?
4. (a) Yes, she could have starred in "Rosemary's Baby." At least that's what she told theatergossip.com's founder and editor in chief in a 1994 New York Times interview.
5. (c) Phil Donahue. She was attracted to him when she appeared as a guest on his daytime show.
6. (a) Rachel's mom. And when you see her, you understand why Jennifer Aniston's character has so much to overcome emotionally.
7. (c) It was a 1960 episode of "Dobie Gillis," which featured another newcomer, Ryan O'Neal, in the cast. But Thomas also appeared in the other three series early in the '60s.
8. (c) Mugsy. We don't know why.
9. (b) And what a deliciously horrible narcissist! Her husband was on vacation with his children in Aspen.
10. (b) It's called "LOL," and it's scheduled for release in 2012. Thomas plays Gran. Moore plays Cyrus's mother. (a) would be difficult, because Bessell died in 1996.
WANT MORE THEATERGOSSIP? We're into quizzes right now. Scroll to read the quiz about the Off Broadway hit "The Submission," Frank Langella and Samuel L. Jackson. Or search to read posts about scores of stage stars (Sutton Foster, anyone?) and shows (farewell to "Follies"?).
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