June 9, 2025 • 19 mins
Hello, Puzzlers! This week, A.J. and Greg celebrate Father's Day by puzzling with their kids!
Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as well as quirky originals such as “Ask AI” and audio rebuses.
Subscribe to The Puzzler podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
"The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs" is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is a co-production with Neuhaus Ideas.
Our executive producers are Neely Lohmann and Adam Neuhaus of Neuhaus Ideas, and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts.
The show is produced by Jody Avirgan and Brittani Brown of Roulette Productions.
Our Chief Puzzle Officer is Greg Pliska. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. What might
follow these words step, heavenly and founding. So I'm looking
for something to follow step blank, heavenly, blank and founding blank.
The same word follows them all the answer and more
puzzling goodness after the break. Hello puzzlers, welcome back to
(00:32):
the Puzzler the third curtain call in your opening night
puzzle performance. I'm your host, A J. Jacobs, and I'm
here of course with Gee puzzle officer Greg Pliska.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I am here. You know that's that's optimistic third curtain call.
I like that.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Well, I feel we deserve it.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah, absolutely, although we will sink. You know, if the
show sucks, then you only get you get no curtain
calls and we never show up.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
That's true.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Taking the metaphor too far.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Right, Well, I'm feel, as I say, we are optimistic
here and and before the break, we asked listeners what
word might follow step heavenly or founding. Any thoughts, Greg.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
It's going to be father, stepfather, heavenly father, founding father.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
That's right, We don't. We wanted to make this one
right on the nose because it's such an important message.
Because this week. This coming Sunday is Father's Day at
least here in the United States, and in honor of that,
we have an extra special week coming up Father's Day Week.
(01:38):
Our guests will be Greg's kids and my kids, the
spawn of the Puzzlers, the puzzler issue, as they said,
spawn the puzzler spawn. Yes, then we have puzzler spawn here.
Let me introduce him. We've got starting off this week,
(01:58):
We've got Lucas Jacobs, who is my son. Welcome Lucas.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Hello, it's great to be here.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
You know, I feel like I hear every single recording
from my bedroom, so now it's it's a little weird
actually being on the recording.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah. His his room is right next to the puzzler closet,
and I feel bad. I always warn him, like, no,
it's ready for an hour. Uh. And Lucas, today, we
have a Broadway theme puzzle for you about Broadway musicals.
And this is because Lucas is an amazing singer and
actor first of all, which proves the DNA is not destiny,
(02:40):
because Julie and I are neither of those. And Lucas
just starred in his high school production musical of Into
the Woods, which was amazing. You were the Baker, Yes,
thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
What what songs does the Baker have?
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Lucas is not very memorable ones, there's a few you like.
It Takes two is his duet with his wife, which
I think people know. And then you know, he's in
all the like company of the songs that everyone does.
And then he has like one solo song called No More,
which is it's really it's a good song, but no
(03:15):
one remembers. It's like that one song in the show
that no one remembers my production. Everyone remembers that I
performed it, but yeah, I haven't remembered it from my
time seeing it before.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Now I always will.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Did you see the most recent Broadway revival?
Speaker 5 (03:34):
I saw it before it went to Broadway without this
similar Yeah, the encore, Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah, Margo saw that one too.
Speaker 5 (03:44):
It was amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
If I can bring in my daughter, yes, that right.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
There you heard is Margo Pliska, so Greg's daughter who
was also a fan of musical theater. Margot's going to
have her own episode tomorrow, but she is here assisting
Lucas and this Broadway one. Welcome Margo. Thank you. I'm
so excited to be here, And I also like lucas
my bedroom is right next to the office where my
(04:09):
dad records, so it is also kind of surreal to
be Wow, do you play along or are you just
put on your ear plugs and like please no more?
Sometimes I've mean the fifth okay, fair enough.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Fair Usually folksing to see who the guests are. She's like,
oh you have you know so and so that's so cool.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Uh Chanta, All right, Well, we're gonna talk musicals and
all sorts of other things. But let me tell you
the theme of the puzzle. The puzzle today isn't about an
alternative universe. And in this universe, every beloved Broadway musical
has had its title slightly changed. Someone changed one letter
(04:54):
in the title of these musicals, and that has wreaked
havoc on their plot. So that's the plot. So the
puzzle is, I'm going to give you the new plot
and you have to tell me the one letter off musical. So,
for instance, if the clue were several fairy tale characters
go on a quest inside the body of the cowboy
(05:17):
doll from toy story, that might be into any ideas into.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
The into the woody exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Into the Woody, which maybe sounds a little bizarre. I'm
a little weird, but uh, you know, it's the puzzler.
You got to keep an open mind.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
That's gonna be the theme of like Toy Story twelve
or whatever.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
We're up there.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
You might just up with into the Woods called into
the Wood.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
I would watch it. Uh, all right, So this changed
letter could be at the start of the word, at
the middle of the word, and the end of the word.
And uh, Lucas and Margo you can work together. By
the way, before we start, I just want to say
I loved that Lucas and Margo actually knew each other.
They go to different schools, but you work for the
same wonderful organization, which is Days for Girls, And what
(06:10):
is what do they do?
Speaker 5 (06:12):
I know?
Speaker 1 (06:13):
But just for those who don't.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
Days for Girls is a wonderful organization.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
It sends mental hygiene kits to women in developing countries
and also locally.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
All right, are you ready for your one letter off musicals?
Speaker 4 (06:32):
I think so, let's start.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Okay, good? I like the confidence. All right. This is
a musical about two rival gangs of long legged birds
in New York City. What might that be?
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I know what the musical is.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
But I'm trying to think about what the birds.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
You can you can say what the musical is when
I help. You know, you guys are working together.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Yeah, the outsiders.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
It's it's not that you're such a child of the
twenty first century.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
Thought. So I think I have it.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Yeah, yeah, we have the same one.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
West Side Stork it is?
Speaker 1 (07:16):
It is west Side Stork. They it's a timeless tale
of ripel Stork. How about green skinned witch who puts
spells on baskets made of woven wood and furniture sometimes
could be could be a chair or a basket. Any
thoughts on that.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
I had the musical?
Speaker 5 (07:38):
Yeah? Is it? Wait?
Speaker 3 (07:40):
I think I know what it is.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
It's like an actual word.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
Try it is it wicker?
Speaker 1 (07:46):
It is wicker? That yeah, that's a word. I think
my grandparents had a lot of furniture. Yeah, all right,
this one I think you will definitely want to see.
This is where the wife of an Argentinian dictator sends
out party announcements over the computer. Oh and.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
I believe it is evite.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
It is has a play on Have you seen that, Lucas?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
I am not.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I know the song the song there is song yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
I just watched the movie version with my mom very timely,
because it's kind of about you know.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Power, don't hit reply all.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
It's so catchy. All right, I got another one. A
French peasant girl named Belle falls in love with a
bread ingredient.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Happens all the time.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
You know, they were hungry back then.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Yeah, and so it's Beauty and the Beast.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Exactly, you got that, and then what goes into beauty
in the Yeast? Yes, all right, I got a couple
more for you too. You do your cruising through, all right.
This one, spectacular, I think, is a big hit in
this alternate universe. An orphan girl and the Great Depression
(09:27):
has a concave belly button, so a great depression with
a small depression in her stomach.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
So is it from Annie to any?
Speaker 5 (09:37):
It is from Annie to I was in Annie, but
I was never in any So maybe that's for next year.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
I think it's like Severance the musical.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Oh right, wait, and who was you played? Who did
you play? I played?
Speaker 4 (09:54):
I played like the cop who yoda?
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Annie?
Speaker 5 (09:57):
So everyone's favorite character, and then it was starred to
be It was like a soloist in like the NYC song.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
I love that one. Yeah, you were so wide eyed.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
I was definitely.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
How about five hundred and twenty five, six hundred minutes
and the Life of the Smallest Puppy in the Litter? Okay,
I think I got it, all right, let's hear.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Rent to runt, Rent to runt.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
That's it exactly.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
I think I'll be a less sound musical, right or
it depends on what happens to the run.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Well, our dog is a runt, so I feel, and
we love her, so I feel it is an uplifting musical.
All right too, We've got this One's a little tricky.
You ready. This is a musical about a group of
floor coverings. One is at a yoga studio, one is
next to a bathtub, and one is outside the door
(10:57):
of a house. The magical mis or place setting is
one of the one of the characters, the beloved characters.
Anything come to mind, I'll give you a hint. The
title is just four letters. So what's on the what's
on a yoga studio floor? What is mom used? Yeah
to say it? It is mad?
Speaker 4 (11:20):
That's mad.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
See I was thinking that was rug time.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Oh I love it. That's look at that all right?
You get extra bonus points. All right, last one, last one.
In nineteen hundreds Russia, a Jewish milkman has a secret
identity as a batman villain.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
You got anything, It's not which batman villain. It's not
the Joker, yeah, but it is the the other one.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
The penguin.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
You know.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Do you know the musical the musical? Okay?
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Wait, I think the musicals that they're on the yah
right okay?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
And then not the Fiddler. You got to change one
letter in Fiddler, Oh.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
The roof.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Jim Carrey and Jim Carrey in the more recent ones,
Frank Gorshen in the TV.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Series Well Done Puzzles for the movie.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Written by our friend Will Shortz as well.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Oh that's right, I forgot, uh wonderfully done. We started
this episode with Into the Woods or Into the Woody.
And as you know, as some listeners might know, Stephen Sondeim,
who wrote that musical Huge Puzzler, loved the Puzzles wrote
(12:47):
Puzzles introduced British style crosswords to America, and there is
so much wordplay in his musicals. First of all, I
don't know how you. I could barely read. I had
to read the lyrics three times understand them. So how
in the world did you memorize them? Lucas, Like these
are not like you're a good man, Charlie Brown.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
No, definitely not.
Speaker 5 (13:10):
I was dedicated and I would just listen to the
songs over and over in practice. But the real hard
part is that there's like three of like the main
like Into the Wood songs, like one at the beginning,
with the end and want the end of act one,
and they're like the same song, but like every line
is different, like it's it's like about the new plot
or like what just happened in the show. And so
(13:31):
there's like one part in every song where it's like
six verbs that are like one syllable and they're all different.
It's like eighteen different verbs. And I struggled so hard.
It's like to see to sell to get to I don't.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
Know, oh right right, Oh yeah it is.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
It was tricky. I just had a practice over and
over again. But I don't know who knows if I
really got them right in then.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
He makes his actors work that. Stephen Soon, Yeah, definitely.
Uh well, I did a deep dive on YouTube into
wordplay in Into the Woods. I just googled that and
there are dozens of videos of Broadway fanatics and they
have all sorts of theories about hidden puzzles and puns
(14:15):
in Sondheim musical. So I'm going to give you two
or three, and I want you to tell me, honestly
if you think these are real wordplay? Are these in
the minds of the YouTubers just reading too much into.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Or is it right exactly? Because if you if you
you could find meaning in anything if.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
You dig for it, right, that's one of the themes
of the puzzle, like yeah, that you look at a
bunch of random noise and you can find uh hence
QAnon Uh? So are these q Andon dontime theories? Are
these real? One was there's a I guess Jack sings,
I guess this is goodbye when he's selling his cow,
(14:59):
and this YouTuber says that means this, I guess this
is goodbye, like see you later. And also I guess
this is a goodbye. This is you are getting a
good deal on the cow.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Interesting, I.
Speaker 5 (15:16):
Feel like if it was a goodbye, it would be
like an a before you know, because I guess this
is goodbye, not like I guess this is a.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
Goodbye, which I feel like still.
Speaker 5 (15:26):
Works, and that would make more sense for both of
the meanings.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
Got it. So I'm not fully convinced. I like you interpretation.
Speaker 5 (15:36):
I do like that that's interesting, but I agree I
don't think it like really, I think there needs to
be the.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
All right, I'm with I'm with these guys too.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
I think that if somehime wanted that he would have
made a thing out of it.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
A right, yeah, right, I guess.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
That he would have played it.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Okay, I like that.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
All right.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Let me give you the second one, which is if
you remember that they capture the giant whereas a giant's wife.
They capture the giant with a trap, and the trap
is tar sticky tar, which they call pitch. So this
theory is that pitch is the word is used because
(16:18):
it's a musical word, and at the end of the song,
all of the singers are at the exact same pitch.
That's the argument. What do you guys think? I love
I wish you could say Greg's face, his eyebrows are
high raise.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
No opinion meant to be suggested.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
What do you guys think? I don't know.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
I think I have to know more about Like when
he was writing out how often pitch was used in
some tar because I would never use pitch. But maybe
that was like an almal thing, like right, I feel
maybe it makes a little the theory makes a little
sense if it was like no one ever says pitch.
Speaker 4 (16:55):
But I feel like I have heard.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
It that one for me was like fifty to fifty.
That might be true.
Speaker 5 (17:01):
I thought I didn't know the thing about everyone being
at the same pitch at the end of the song.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Though, well, what do you think? Greg?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
You again?
Speaker 3 (17:08):
I feel like sometimes would if you wanted the wordplay
to be a thing, he would have pointed at it.
I also think, I mean, everyone is going to be
singing a pitch always, so it's not a shock. The
thing I would want to look at is does it
rhyme with something else? Like if he's using pitch to
rhyme with something.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
I don't think it's in song.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
From what I remember, it's like that they say they
near the ground of a pitch, like that's what I remember
the line, right?
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Got it? All right? YouTubers, we love the passion, so
please keep it up, and thank you Margot and Lucas
for your excellent solving on these on these weird musicals,
which I know you're both creative, so you can actually
write these musicals and perform them. You have my permission
right here. Sure, all right, I'm going to give an
(18:03):
extra credit before we go, but we have you back tomorrow,
so we are not saying goodbye. The extra credit is
this musical is about an amphibian who works as a
murderous barber, an amphibian who works as a murderous barber,
(18:24):
So spe come back tomorrow for that. And if you
have an itch for more puzzle content, and why wouldn't
you check out our Instagram feed at Hello Puzzlers, which
has visual puzzles, fun original puzzles, and puzzle news. And
we'll meet you here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that
(18:45):
will puzzle you puzzlingly
Hello puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. What might
follow these words step, heavenly and founding. So I'm looking
for something to follow step blank, heavenly, blank and founding blank.
The same word follows them all the answer and more
puzzling goodness after the break. Hello puzzlers, welcome back to
(00:32):
the Puzzler the third curtain call in your opening night
puzzle performance. I'm your host, A J. Jacobs, and I'm
here of course with Gee puzzle officer Greg Pliska.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I am here. You know that's that's optimistic third curtain call.
I like that.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Well, I feel we deserve it.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah, absolutely, although we will sink. You know, if the
show sucks, then you only get you get no curtain
calls and we never show up.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
That's true.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Taking the metaphor too far.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Right, Well, I'm feel, as I say, we are optimistic
here and and before the break, we asked listeners what
word might follow step heavenly or founding. Any thoughts, Greg.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
It's going to be father, stepfather, heavenly father, founding father.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
That's right, We don't. We wanted to make this one
right on the nose because it's such an important message.
Because this week. This coming Sunday is Father's Day at
least here in the United States, and in honor of that,
we have an extra special week coming up Father's Day Week.
(01:38):
Our guests will be Greg's kids and my kids, the
spawn of the Puzzlers, the puzzler issue, as they said,
spawn the puzzler spawn. Yes, then we have puzzler spawn here.
Let me introduce him. We've got starting off this week,
(01:58):
We've got Lucas Jacobs, who is my son. Welcome Lucas.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Hello, it's great to be here.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
You know, I feel like I hear every single recording
from my bedroom, so now it's it's a little weird
actually being on the recording.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah. His his room is right next to the puzzler closet,
and I feel bad. I always warn him, like, no,
it's ready for an hour. Uh. And Lucas, today, we
have a Broadway theme puzzle for you about Broadway musicals.
And this is because Lucas is an amazing singer and
actor first of all, which proves the DNA is not destiny,
(02:40):
because Julie and I are neither of those. And Lucas
just starred in his high school production musical of Into
the Woods, which was amazing. You were the Baker, Yes,
thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
What what songs does the Baker have?
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Lucas is not very memorable ones, there's a few you like.
It Takes two is his duet with his wife, which
I think people know. And then you know, he's in
all the like company of the songs that everyone does.
And then he has like one solo song called No More,
which is it's really it's a good song, but no
(03:15):
one remembers. It's like that one song in the show
that no one remembers my production. Everyone remembers that I
performed it, but yeah, I haven't remembered it from my
time seeing it before.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Now I always will.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Did you see the most recent Broadway revival?
Speaker 5 (03:34):
I saw it before it went to Broadway without this
similar Yeah, the encore, Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah, Margo saw that one too.
Speaker 5 (03:44):
It was amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
If I can bring in my daughter, yes, that right.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
There you heard is Margo Pliska, so Greg's daughter who
was also a fan of musical theater. Margot's going to
have her own episode tomorrow, but she is here assisting
Lucas and this Broadway one. Welcome Margo. Thank you. I'm
so excited to be here, And I also like lucas
my bedroom is right next to the office where my
(04:09):
dad records, so it is also kind of surreal to
be Wow, do you play along or are you just
put on your ear plugs and like please no more?
Sometimes I've mean the fifth okay, fair enough.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Fair Usually folksing to see who the guests are. She's like,
oh you have you know so and so that's so cool.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Uh Chanta, All right, Well, we're gonna talk musicals and
all sorts of other things. But let me tell you
the theme of the puzzle. The puzzle today isn't about an
alternative universe. And in this universe, every beloved Broadway musical
has had its title slightly changed. Someone changed one letter
(04:54):
in the title of these musicals, and that has wreaked
havoc on their plot. So that's the plot. So the
puzzle is, I'm going to give you the new plot
and you have to tell me the one letter off musical. So,
for instance, if the clue were several fairy tale characters
go on a quest inside the body of the cowboy
(05:17):
doll from toy story, that might be into any ideas into.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
The into the woody exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Into the Woody, which maybe sounds a little bizarre. I'm
a little weird, but uh, you know, it's the puzzler.
You got to keep an open mind.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
That's gonna be the theme of like Toy Story twelve
or whatever.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
We're up there.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
You might just up with into the Woods called into
the Wood.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
I would watch it. Uh, all right, So this changed
letter could be at the start of the word, at
the middle of the word, and the end of the word.
And uh, Lucas and Margo you can work together. By
the way, before we start, I just want to say
I loved that Lucas and Margo actually knew each other.
They go to different schools, but you work for the
same wonderful organization, which is Days for Girls, And what
(06:10):
is what do they do?
Speaker 5 (06:12):
I know?
Speaker 1 (06:13):
But just for those who don't.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
Days for Girls is a wonderful organization.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
It sends mental hygiene kits to women in developing countries
and also locally.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
All right, are you ready for your one letter off musicals?
Speaker 4 (06:32):
I think so, let's start.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Okay, good? I like the confidence. All right. This is
a musical about two rival gangs of long legged birds
in New York City. What might that be?
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I know what the musical is.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
But I'm trying to think about what the birds.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
You can you can say what the musical is when
I help. You know, you guys are working together.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Yeah, the outsiders.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
It's it's not that you're such a child of the
twenty first century.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
Thought. So I think I have it.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Yeah, yeah, we have the same one.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
West Side Stork it is?
Speaker 1 (07:16):
It is west Side Stork. They it's a timeless tale
of ripel Stork. How about green skinned witch who puts
spells on baskets made of woven wood and furniture sometimes
could be could be a chair or a basket. Any
thoughts on that.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
I had the musical?
Speaker 5 (07:38):
Yeah? Is it? Wait?
Speaker 3 (07:40):
I think I know what it is.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
It's like an actual word.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
Try it is it wicker?
Speaker 1 (07:46):
It is wicker? That yeah, that's a word. I think
my grandparents had a lot of furniture. Yeah, all right,
this one I think you will definitely want to see.
This is where the wife of an Argentinian dictator sends
out party announcements over the computer. Oh and.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
I believe it is evite.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
It is has a play on Have you seen that, Lucas?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
I am not.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I know the song the song there is song yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
I just watched the movie version with my mom very timely,
because it's kind of about you know.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Power, don't hit reply all.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
It's so catchy. All right, I got another one. A
French peasant girl named Belle falls in love with a
bread ingredient.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Happens all the time.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
You know, they were hungry back then.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Yeah, and so it's Beauty and the Beast.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Exactly, you got that, and then what goes into beauty
in the Yeast? Yes, all right, I got a couple
more for you too. You do your cruising through, all right.
This one, spectacular, I think, is a big hit in
this alternate universe. An orphan girl and the Great Depression
(09:27):
has a concave belly button, so a great depression with
a small depression in her stomach.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
So is it from Annie to any?
Speaker 5 (09:37):
It is from Annie to I was in Annie, but
I was never in any So maybe that's for next year.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
I think it's like Severance the musical.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Oh right, wait, and who was you played? Who did
you play? I played?
Speaker 4 (09:54):
I played like the cop who yoda?
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Annie?
Speaker 5 (09:57):
So everyone's favorite character, and then it was starred to
be It was like a soloist in like the NYC song.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
I love that one. Yeah, you were so wide eyed.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
I was definitely.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
How about five hundred and twenty five, six hundred minutes
and the Life of the Smallest Puppy in the Litter? Okay,
I think I got it, all right, let's hear.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Rent to runt, Rent to runt.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
That's it exactly.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
I think I'll be a less sound musical, right or
it depends on what happens to the run.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Well, our dog is a runt, so I feel, and
we love her, so I feel it is an uplifting musical.
All right too, We've got this One's a little tricky.
You ready. This is a musical about a group of
floor coverings. One is at a yoga studio, one is
next to a bathtub, and one is outside the door
(10:57):
of a house. The magical mis or place setting is
one of the one of the characters, the beloved characters.
Anything come to mind, I'll give you a hint. The
title is just four letters. So what's on the what's
on a yoga studio floor? What is mom used? Yeah
to say it? It is mad?
Speaker 4 (11:20):
That's mad.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
See I was thinking that was rug time.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Oh I love it. That's look at that all right?
You get extra bonus points. All right, last one, last one.
In nineteen hundreds Russia, a Jewish milkman has a secret
identity as a batman villain.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
You got anything, It's not which batman villain. It's not
the Joker, yeah, but it is the the other one.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
The penguin.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
You know.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Do you know the musical the musical? Okay?
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Wait, I think the musicals that they're on the yah
right okay?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
And then not the Fiddler. You got to change one
letter in Fiddler, Oh.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
The roof.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Jim Carrey and Jim Carrey in the more recent ones,
Frank Gorshen in the TV.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Series Well Done Puzzles for the movie.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Written by our friend Will Shortz as well.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Oh that's right, I forgot, uh wonderfully done. We started
this episode with Into the Woods or Into the Woody.
And as you know, as some listeners might know, Stephen Sondeim,
who wrote that musical Huge Puzzler, loved the Puzzles wrote
(12:47):
Puzzles introduced British style crosswords to America, and there is
so much wordplay in his musicals. First of all, I
don't know how you. I could barely read. I had
to read the lyrics three times understand them. So how
in the world did you memorize them? Lucas, Like these
are not like you're a good man, Charlie Brown.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
No, definitely not.
Speaker 5 (13:10):
I was dedicated and I would just listen to the
songs over and over in practice. But the real hard
part is that there's like three of like the main
like Into the Wood songs, like one at the beginning,
with the end and want the end of act one,
and they're like the same song, but like every line
is different, like it's it's like about the new plot
or like what just happened in the show. And so
(13:31):
there's like one part in every song where it's like
six verbs that are like one syllable and they're all different.
It's like eighteen different verbs. And I struggled so hard.
It's like to see to sell to get to I don't.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
Know, oh right right, Oh yeah it is.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
It was tricky. I just had a practice over and
over again. But I don't know who knows if I
really got them right in then.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
He makes his actors work that. Stephen Soon, Yeah, definitely.
Uh well, I did a deep dive on YouTube into
wordplay in Into the Woods. I just googled that and
there are dozens of videos of Broadway fanatics and they
have all sorts of theories about hidden puzzles and puns
(14:15):
in Sondheim musical. So I'm going to give you two
or three, and I want you to tell me, honestly
if you think these are real wordplay? Are these in
the minds of the YouTubers just reading too much into.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Or is it right exactly? Because if you if you
you could find meaning in anything if.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
You dig for it, right, that's one of the themes
of the puzzle, like yeah, that you look at a
bunch of random noise and you can find uh hence
QAnon Uh? So are these q Andon dontime theories? Are
these real? One was there's a I guess Jack sings,
I guess this is goodbye when he's selling his cow,
(14:59):
and this YouTuber says that means this, I guess this
is goodbye, like see you later. And also I guess
this is a goodbye. This is you are getting a
good deal on the cow.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Interesting, I.
Speaker 5 (15:16):
Feel like if it was a goodbye, it would be
like an a before you know, because I guess this
is goodbye, not like I guess this is a.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
Goodbye, which I feel like still.
Speaker 5 (15:26):
Works, and that would make more sense for both of
the meanings.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
Got it. So I'm not fully convinced. I like you interpretation.
Speaker 5 (15:36):
I do like that that's interesting, but I agree I
don't think it like really, I think there needs to
be the.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
All right, I'm with I'm with these guys too.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
I think that if somehime wanted that he would have
made a thing out of it.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
A right, yeah, right, I guess.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
That he would have played it.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Okay, I like that.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
All right.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Let me give you the second one, which is if
you remember that they capture the giant whereas a giant's wife.
They capture the giant with a trap, and the trap
is tar sticky tar, which they call pitch. So this
theory is that pitch is the word is used because
(16:18):
it's a musical word, and at the end of the song,
all of the singers are at the exact same pitch.
That's the argument. What do you guys think? I love
I wish you could say Greg's face, his eyebrows are
high raise.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
No opinion meant to be suggested.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
What do you guys think? I don't know.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
I think I have to know more about Like when
he was writing out how often pitch was used in
some tar because I would never use pitch. But maybe
that was like an almal thing, like right, I feel
maybe it makes a little the theory makes a little
sense if it was like no one ever says pitch.
Speaker 4 (16:55):
But I feel like I have heard.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
It that one for me was like fifty to fifty.
That might be true.
Speaker 5 (17:01):
I thought I didn't know the thing about everyone being
at the same pitch at the end of the song.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Though, well, what do you think? Greg?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
You again?
Speaker 3 (17:08):
I feel like sometimes would if you wanted the wordplay
to be a thing, he would have pointed at it.
I also think, I mean, everyone is going to be
singing a pitch always, so it's not a shock. The
thing I would want to look at is does it
rhyme with something else? Like if he's using pitch to
rhyme with something.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
I don't think it's in song.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
From what I remember, it's like that they say they
near the ground of a pitch, like that's what I remember
the line, right?
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Got it? All right? YouTubers, we love the passion, so
please keep it up, and thank you Margot and Lucas
for your excellent solving on these on these weird musicals,
which I know you're both creative, so you can actually
write these musicals and perform them. You have my permission
right here. Sure, all right, I'm going to give an
(18:03):
extra credit before we go, but we have you back tomorrow,
so we are not saying goodbye. The extra credit is
this musical is about an amphibian who works as a
murderous barber, an amphibian who works as a murderous barber,
(18:24):
So spe come back tomorrow for that. And if you
have an itch for more puzzle content, and why wouldn't
you check out our Instagram feed at Hello Puzzlers, which
has visual puzzles, fun original puzzles, and puzzle news. And
we'll meet you here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that
(18:45):
will puzzle you puzzlingly
Hosts And Creators
Greg Pliska
A.J. Jacobs
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