Broadway Local, you don't seem to be familiar with the very rich history of operas in English over the past century. Certainly Britten and Menotti were doing superlative work with English-language librettos in the mid-20th century. Bernstein's A QUIET PLACE has its admirers as does the shorter version, TROUBLE IN TAHITI.
Since 2000, John Heggie has set DEAD MAN WALKING (IMO Terrence McNally's libretto is his best work ever for lyric theater) and MOBY DICK. Andre Previn set A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, etc. and so forth. All of these works have rich scores and much to recommend them.
Meanwhile, Michael John LaChiusa's works are basically "Broadway (or off-Broadway) operas" and not just because they are through composed. See MARIE CHRISTINE and his version of WILD PARTY. Works like PASSION and FAR FROM HEAVEN are much the same.
I suspect the most accurate definition may be that the difference depends on where the work is performed (i.e., SWEENEY TODD is a musical on Broadway and an opera at City Opera), but even so there is much overlap as opera singers have become better actors and more flexible singers, and Broadway singers often have extensive and even operatic training.
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