The difference between opera and musical theatre

We were discussing this in my opera class the other day, and my teacher claimed when it *really* comes down to it, the only difference exists where they stack them at Fye Records.

Is this the case, or is there a well-accepted, defined difference between opera and musical theatre? Do you agree with it? What do you think is the difference (and please indicate whether this is just your opinion or if this is fairly widely accepted).

What about pieces like Candide, that people say really can be either/or? Do composers have a say in whether they want to call their piece musical theatre or opera? is it just whoever produces it? If there are tangible differences, are they always followed or do people involved with the shows, like producers and/or composers/writers make the ultimate decision whether they want the piece considered an opera or a musical?

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From Dictionary.com:

OPERA: "an extended dramatic composition, in which all parts are sung to instrumental accompaniment, that usually includes arias, choruses, and recitatives, and that sometimes includes ballet."

MUSICAL: "a play or motion picture in which the story line is interspersed with or developed by songs, dances, and the like."

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"The difference between opera and musical theatre"


About 200 pounds.

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I think it all just has to do with where it plays and what its called first. Its really more o difference of culture and atmosphere, not so much an actual artistic line (ie. Musicals/Plays with Music).

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The differences are relatively minor, and the whole distinction is mostly one of semantics. Opera also carries a conotation of being the more legitimate form of composition, which is really not the case, though it usually attracts more academic and musically experimental composers. Make no mistake, though, there are tons of really dreadful operas. Opera doesn't mean good or better. And just because something is a musical doesn't mean it doesn't contain real artistic craft.

Some things are almost always true:

Operas are not performed for profit, and musicals often are.

Operas are done in opera houses, musicals in commercial theaters.

Opera is not amplified, musical theater is.

Those are all production issues. In terms of the actual material involved in the various forms, a general rule that can be followed is that opera is primarily a music-driven dramatic presentation, and musical theatre is a lyric-driven dramatic presentation. There are operas with dialogue, and there are through-composed musicals, but that doesn't classify them by themselves. An opera doesn't rely on audience members being able to understand the text. Due to the very legitimate and resonant singing employed by opera singers, consonants are often indistinguishable, but it doesn't really effect a viewer's comprehension of the story. This is also why operas are usually performed untranslated. The plot and emotion is conveyed through the music itself, and everything in the opera is there to serve the music. Contrast this with musical theatre, where the lyrics convey ridiculous amounts of information and really drive the story forward. If you don't understand every line, you could be very lost for the rest of the evening. This isn't to say that music in musical theatre isn't integral to the telling of the story, but it isn't the most important feature of the show. Everything in the show is there to serve the story, not the music.

Operatic singers train in specific roles, and are very clealy defined. You're either a mezzo, or a soprano, etc. Although in Musicals performers obviously ave their range limits, it's not as strictly defined. When was the last time you heard of a man who's trained in the roles of Marius in Les Mis, or a girl who has studied various roles like Elphaba, Mimi...

It's just a very different set up.

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Oh please, people -- a little historical perspective, here. Operas like CARMEN and MAGIC FLUTE were the "musical theatre" of their day. Cut through it, and there's little difference between SWEENEY TODD and THE CORONATION OF POPPEA, just as there's little between CAROUSEL and TURNADOT.

Scale has zip to do with it. The best production of CARMEN I've ever seen had four performers. I just finished designing MEFISTOFELES for Taconic Opera, and they ran it with a cast of twenty five -- and it's a huge work. Like everything else, it depends on how you approach the material, not the number of spear carriers you can cram on the stage.

Mikes have nothing to do with it. Even at the Met, the performers are miked and have been for years, a topic long of contention in operatic discussion circles.

Where the work is performed has nothing to do with it. Did LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC change from one genre to another when NYCO performed it?

And if you've ever been to Europe, you know that opera there is a *big* business, on the scale of professional theatre here. DON GIOVANNI is Italy's Show Boat.

>> About 200 pounds.

Tell that to Nathan Gunn and see if you can leave the room without serious bodily injury. Opera productions are moving away from the "fat lady with the helmet" to singers who are just as much eye- and ear-candy.

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"there's little difference between SWEENEY TODD and THE CORONATION OF POPPEA"

Only about two hours of boring....

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There isn't a difference. None of the examples of how they are different are either accurate or definable. It's all music theatre. "operas" and "musicals" sit on a vast spectrum of music theatre.

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temms, I think that's actually a great distinction of whether or not the production is an opera or a musical. But as for the written piece that comes in the mail--I don't think one can clearly define.

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Technically, if operas and musicals are both plays with songs that are performed in theatres, aren't they both musical theatre? As with any category, there are sub-categories.

Plays:
-Straight
--Comedy
---Dark
---Broad
---etc.
--Drama
-Musical
--Opera
---Comedy
---Drama
--Musical play

blah, blah, you see what I mean.

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La Fille du Regiment? Don Pasquale? Il Barbiere di Siviglia? Il Turco in Italia? Falstaff? Le Nozze di Figaro? All operas at which I laughed my ass off. Not too many characters in despair.

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Les Miserables is NOT a rock opera. Neither is a show like Phantom ( I have heard people say that it was). Rock operas are things like The Who's Tommy ( the original one that came out in 69 not the OBC) , Neil Young's Greendale, Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage, Phish's The Man who Stepped into Yesterday ect ect. Rent is the only true example of a rock opera that is on broadway.

A rock opera is an opera that is fully driven with rock and roll music. I have heard people say that things like Phantom and Les Miserables are rock operas because they are on broadway and in opera format.

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