Musicals vs Operas
Mon, 10 Sept 2001, 12:39 amWalter Plinge26 posts in thread
Musicals vs Operas
Mon, 10 Sept 2001, 12:39 amJust to kick-start this brand-spanking new section (thanks Granty!), I thought I'd pose the toughest question there is in this area..... just what the hell is the difference between a musical and an opera?
Given that we are all eargerly awaiting the arrival of "Les Miserables" at the Regal (some more eagerly than others though, I have to say), and that that production features opera-type dudes like David Dockery and Justin Freind right alongside your more musical-theatre-type broads like Amanda Chesterton and Gillian Binks, I was wondering where people drew the line.
Is "Les Mes" an opera? Is "Threepenny Opera" a musical? Or vice versa? Or neither?
Thoughts, people!
D.M.
Given that we are all eargerly awaiting the arrival of "Les Miserables" at the Regal (some more eagerly than others though, I have to say), and that that production features opera-type dudes like David Dockery and Justin Freind right alongside your more musical-theatre-type broads like Amanda Chesterton and Gillian Binks, I was wondering where people drew the line.
Is "Les Mes" an opera? Is "Threepenny Opera" a musical? Or vice versa? Or neither?
Thoughts, people!
D.M.
RE: Musicals vs Operas
Mon, 10 Sept 2001, 06:43 pmJames Harley wrote:
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*And for musical theatre it is that you have a show and there is music to compliment it.... (ie, talking and music... Think Sound of Music).
Hee hee... I'd rather not- I tend to break out in hives...
James' two cents is pretty much on the money (GET OUT, you punning fiend!!) however another principal distinction between the two is the use of motif. Often the "music" bit of opera is written deliberately to underline the actions, thoughts and motivations of the characters. This does occur in musicals too ("Phantom", f'rinstance, is riddled with motifs- and I'd argue this is because Sir Toad got lazy when writing it, but that's another matter) however the "music" for most of the classic musicals are fundamentally a collection of songs that don't necessarily carry the action forward, but punctuate it.
Opera is heavily reliant on the music to carry the action forward- otherwise you're left with a collection of overweight mediterranians dressed in ludicrous costumes bellowing cacophonous gibberish for shiraz-swiilling ingrates who have turned up not to hear the score, but to see who else turned up. The score is opera's saving grace.
Eliot
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