English Every Day: Longest-Running Sexy Show?

Your Daily English Programme #18 - Oh, Culcutta! or "O quel cul t'as!" (Reading B2-C1)

Think Before You Read

Is this probably the longest-running, sexiest theater show in Broadway history?

Oh! Calcutta! Original Soundtrack Cover (Source: Wikipedia)

Time to Read

Below is a brief description of one of the most successful Broadway |  West End theater shows: Oh! Calcutta! 

10 words have been omitted from the description below. Find the word with the correct part of speech¹ from among the choices for each blank (mouse over the gaps to view a hint):

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On July 26, 1970, the (1)__________ Broadway revue "Oh! Calcutta!" opened in London's West End. Oh! Calcutta! is an avant-garde theatrical show by British drama critic Kenneth Tynan.

The (2)__________ revue is a series of sex-related sketches featuring a totally nude cast of both men and women. The musical gathered together contributions from Samuel Beckett, Jules Feiffer, Dan Greenburg, John Lennon, Jacques Levy, Leonard Melfi, David Newman and Robert Benton (authors of "Bonnie & Clyde"), Sam Shepard, Kenneth Tynan (3)________, and Sherman Yellen.

The show debuted on Broadway in New York on June 19, 1969, a year before it opened in London. It became the fourth longest-running Broadway show ˈ (4)______, after "Chicago", "A Chorus Line", and "The Lion King".

"Oh! Calcutta!" has nothing to do (5)___  ____ with Calcutta (or Kolkata), India. The title is taken from a painting, by the (6)___________ French artist Clovis Trouille, that depicts the tattooed behind of a well-endowed young lady. In fact, the title is a pun on the French "O quel cul t'as", which (7)________ in English as, "What an ass you have!"

Although many reviewers described the show as attractive and funny, it sparked (8)__________ controversy at the time and a prosecution for obscenity was recommended. The verdict was 'not (9)________', turning the show into a box office (10)_________ ever since.

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1.	a. scandal	b. scandalous	c. scandalously
2.	a. controversy	b. controversial	c. controversially
3.	a. him	b. himself	c. his-self
4.	a. ever	b. all	c. for
5.	a. altogether	b. together	c. at all
6.	a. temporary	b. contemporary	c. contempt
7.	a. translating	b. translation	c. translates
8.	a. consider	b. considerable	c. considerably
9.	a. obscene	b. obscenity	c. obsession
10.	a. triumphant	b. triumph	c. triumphantly

(see answers in the first comment)

Let's Practice

Scan the text: Can you answer the Wh-Questions below²?

(see answers in the first comment)

Over to You

- Have you been to a theater play recently? What was the theme of the play? What did you like about the show? What didn't you like about it? (let us know in the comments below)

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Well done! We hope you enjoyed and benefited from today's post on Engramme: Your Daily English Programme. Want to practice the vocabulary from this lesson? Click HERE.

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1 The 'part of speech' of a word is the grammatical class it belongs to: e.g. a 'noun', 'verb', 'adjective' or 'adverb' etc. This exercise helps you not only in recognizing parts of speech and grammatical categories, but is great practice for reading, vocabulary, and writing, esp. in Cambridge examinations, including FCE & CAE [Note on 'strategy': it's best if you read the text once quickly before starting to fill in the blanks]^↩
2 Why this exercise? Scanning is an everyday activity proficient readers engage in to find the information they want (e.g. in a magazine or newspaper). It is also an essential reading skill for many international examinations such as IELTS & TOEFL.^↩