What is the THEATERLE Show Guesser?
The Show Guesser is THEATERLE's second daily game, made for Broadway and musical theatre fans. Each day there is one mystery Broadway musical to identify, and you get eight guesses to name it. Instead of guessing letters like Wordle, you close in with theatre clues: the year the show premiered, who composed it, its genre, the source it was adapted from, and the decade the story is set in.
A new show is chosen every day, so there is always a fresh puzzle. It pairs with the daily character game, THEATERLE, where you name a mystery character instead of a show. Both games are free, need no account, and keep your streak on your device.
How to play
- Type any Broadway musical into the guess box. Autocomplete helps you choose a valid title.
- Submit your guess and read the clues. Each category shows how your guess compares to the mystery show.
- Use the feedback to narrow down the era, composer, genre, and setting, then guess again.
- Name the mystery show within eight guesses, then share your result without spoiling it.
How to read the clues
- Year
- How close the show's Broadway premiere year is, with an arrow toward the answer's year.
- Composer
- Whether your guess shares the same principal composer as the answer.
- Genre
- Whether the show falls in the same genre, such as Golden Age, Comedy, or Sung-through.
- Source
- Whether the musical was adapted from the same kind of source, such as a film, book, or play.
- Setting
- How close the decade the story is set in is to the answer's setting.
What the colors mean
- Green: An exact match on that category.
- Gold: You are close, for example a neighboring decade.
- Burgundy: No match on that category.
- Up and down arrows: Show whether the answer's year or setting is later or earlier than your guess.
Tips and strategy
- Start with a well-known show from the middle of the timeline. It gives you clues on every category and brackets the era fast.
- Let the year arrows guide you toward the right decade before worrying about genre.
- When genre or composer turns green, think of other shows that share it.
- Play the character game too. The two puzzles reward the same Broadway knowledge from different angles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Show Guesser?
It is THEATERLE's daily musical-guessing game. Each day you try to name one mystery Broadway show in eight guesses, using clues about the year, composer, genre, source, and setting.
How is it different from the character game?
The character game asks you to name a mystery Broadway character, while the Show Guesser asks you to name a mystery musical. They are two separate daily puzzles that share the same style of clues.
How often is there a new show?
A new mystery show is selected every day, and you can keep practising with earlier shows in between.
What do the colors and arrows mean?
Green means an exact match, gold means close, and burgundy means no match. Arrows point toward the answer's premiere year or setting decade.
How many shows are in the game?
The answer pool spans dozens of Broadway musicals, from long-running classics to recent hits. You can browse them all in the show library.
Is it free?
Yes. The Show Guesser and the character game are both completely free, with a new puzzle every day and no account required.