The 1998 Arts Quiz

Jonathan Sale
Wednesday 30 December 1998 19:02 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Can your remember who caused

a sensation when she disrobed

on stage? All this more in our trip

through the year. Compiled by

Jonathan Sale

1. Who challenges the scrotally challenged?

2. Which elephant byproduct is up the wall?

3. Which photographer had his decisive moment this year?

4. Where can you hear (a) Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock and Steve Martin (b) Woody Allen?

5. Why wasn't the brilliant but obscure New York artist Nat Tate at the launch of his biography by William Boyd, with extracts read by David Bowie?

6. Which unclothed actress went round and round?

7. Which band is unlikely to win the MTV Award for Being Polite to Duchesses?

8. What film made this year's Oscars a night to remember?

9. Where won't you find Ian McKellen?

10. Which Church charted?

11. Where was a plan for a glass roof, to make waves on the river bank, finally shattered?

12. Where were all the stops pulled out on an organist and his wife?

13. What was the advice given by Derek Deane of the English National Ballet to dancers in Romeo and Juliet (above)?

14. Where did Wings of Desire fly to?

15. How did the Serpentine become a website?

16. Who is the Primary attraction?

17. How was Sigourney Weaver left in the cold?

18. What links the Battle of Waterloo and the battle of the sexes?

19. Identify towns included in current show titles a) in the West Country (b) the Mid-West (c) the East (d) Scandinavia (e) largely underwater.

20. Why were there bikes screeching up to the Barbican Art Gallery?

21. The old showbix maxim is: "Don't give up the day job." What regular work did Jackie Mason jack in?

22. In which Indian dish can Damien Hirst claim a one-third share?

23. How is the first editor of this paper connected with blue movies?

24. How did five become four but are about to become six?

25. What is The Phantom Menace (and why is its trailer so popular)?

26. Rex Harrison played the lead in the old film. Who plays the lead in the current musical?

27. What can't be placed in front of the Royal Court Theatre?

28. Which is the odd one out in the festive shows put on by the Royal Ballet at the Festival Hall: English National Ballet at the Coliseum; Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Birmingham Hippodrome; Scottish National Ballet at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre?

29. How did Bitches come back from the grave?

30.Which diabolical character brought home the Bacon?

Answers

1. Ewan McGregor in Little Malcolm and his Struggle Against the Eunuchs. 2. Elephant dung is used in the work of Turner prize-winner Chris Ofili. 3. Henri Cartier-Bresson, 90 this year, whose Images a la sauvette was published in English as The Decisive Moment. 4. In the soundtracks of (a) The Prince of Egypt, voicing Moses etc (b) Antz. 5. He did not exist. Nat Tate was invented as a spoof on the art world. 6. Nicole Kidman revealed all in The Blue Room, David Hare's adaptation of La Ronde. 7. Massive Attack, who swore at Fergie during the MTV Awards ceremony. 8. The forerunner of multi-Oscar-winning Titanic was 1958's A Night to Remember. 9. London, whose theatres he is abandoning for the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds.

10. Child prodigy soprano Charlotte Church; her bestselling album is Voice of an Angel. 11. A plan to shield London's South Bank Centre with a wavy covering of glass finally ebbed away. 12. Organist and master of the Choristers Martin Neary and wife Penny were dismissed from Westminster Abbey. 13. He advised them to have sex before the performance. 14. City of Angels is a remake of Wings of Desire. 15. Spiders make up the theme of Louise Bourgeois's exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery. 16. John Travolta in Primary Colors. 17. In Ang Lee's The Ice Storm. 18. Vanity Fair, the TV series adapted by Andrew Davies. 19. (a) Pirates of Penzance (b) Chicago (c) Miss Saigon (d) Copenhagen (e) Merchant of Venice. 20. The Art of the Harley and Shaker was part of the Barbican's American season. 21. The US comedian is a former rabbi. 22. Vindaloo: Hirst contributed to the England World Cup anthem. 23. Andreas Whittam Smith is now President of the British Board of Film Classification 24. Geri left, but two of the Spice Girls are en route to the maternity wards. 25. It is the forthcoming Episode I of the Star Wars prequel; only the trailer can be seen at present. 26. Paul Schofield stars in Dr Dolittle. 27. Jerwood: the Queen frowned on the order of words in the suggested renaming as Jerwood Royal Court. 28. They are all doing Cinderella apart from Birmingham, which is putting on The Nutcracker. 29. Columbia released some unheard Miles Davis tracks on The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions. 30. Love is the Devil is the film made of the life of painter Francis Bacon.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in