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
Sun, 16 Sept 2001, 03:27 amTo me, operas seem to be highly technical (vocally) and subsequently difficult to understand (notwithstanding that they are often in other languages, it seems to be more about vowel sounds than words). That fact alone seems to make them elitist.
Musicals, on the other hand, seem easier to understand, more "pop", or "commercial" perhaps. That's not to say that you don't need technique or that they are less difficult (Sondheim is an obvious example), but your average enthusiast is more likely to sing along to a musical than an opera.
A lot of Gilbert and Sullivan seems to me to fall somewhere in the middle...perhaps that's why they are called operettas?
Craig
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Musicals, on the other hand, seem easier to understand, more "pop", or "commercial" perhaps. That's not to say that you don't need technique or that they are less difficult (Sondheim is an obvious example), but your average enthusiast is more likely to sing along to a musical than an opera.
A lot of Gilbert and Sullivan seems to me to fall somewhere in the middle...perhaps that's why they are called operettas?
Craig
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