My friend insists it's opera... she also says Les Miserables is opera. Somehow I don't think so...
2007-08-30 02:49:56 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Theater & Acting
Andrew Lloyd Webber described The Phantom of the Opera as a "rock opera".
Anyway, an opera is defined as "a form of musical and dramatic work in which singers convey the drama." So, I suppose you could call it (and Les Mis)an opera.
2007-08-30 03:02:31 · answer #1 · answered by Anne D 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Anne D hit the nail on the head.
An opera is all sung.
A musical mixes singing and spoken dialogue.
Ergo, Les Mis, Phantom, and Jesus Christ Superstar (for example) are all technically operas.
They don't sound like traditional operas, but music has changed a lot in the last few centuries. Back in, say, Mozart's time, the operas he was writing appealed to many different walks of society.
These days, rock and pop have a broader appeal than classical singing, so it only makes sense for composers to reflect this in their operas.
Anyhow, it all comes down to the definition of an opera. If it is all sung, no matter what style it is sung in, it is an opera.
2007-08-30 15:06:04 · answer #2 · answered by Joey Michaels 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Intersting question and there may be a definitive answer from someone in the theater, but to me the difference between a musical and an opera is in the telling. A muscial tells a story through dialogue and the story is enhanced with song and maybe dance numbers. In an opera the story is told through song and music with only an occasional use of dialogue, if any. So, in a musical the actors tell the story and in opera the songs and music tell the story. I'd say that Phantom is definitly an opera, but I've not seen Les Miz.
2007-08-30 09:56:28 · answer #3 · answered by tupi 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I also don't think that Les Miz and Phantom are operas...I have seen and heard them both and they just aren't very operatic feeling. Like when you think of an Opera you think of something sung in a foreign language like with all of the characters singing with tons and tons of vibrato (at least thats how I think of it)...Like the Magic Flute by Mozart--that's an Opera.
But they say that the differences are determined by the TEXT and the MUSIC...if the music is like very powerful and moving then they say its an 'opera' which I don't think is right...some people have called Phantom an Opera but I've never heard Les Miz called an Opera before...im not sure. I think Phantom is defined as a Rock Opera which is pretty much opera-ish music but with a modern rock and roll feel and it sounds like rock and roll (like in the Phantom of the Opera theme song) so I think your right, they aren't "operas" in a traditional sense.
2007-08-30 12:48:30 · answer #4 · answered by angelofmusic13 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Les Miserable is definitely NOT an opera. there's nothing operatic about it.
Phantom - i would say its not an opera cos no one sings operatically in it (apart from the actress Carlotta in the opera house who is acting). Its only associated to opera because the plot is about the phantom of a french opera house.
2007-08-30 09:59:31 · answer #5 · answered by itsmeee 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes, what a couple of people have already said--an opera is where everything is sung, including the dialogue. A musical has speaking and singing.
2007-08-30 15:19:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a musical ABOUT an opera
2007-08-30 10:59:18 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I agree with you. If it's on Broadway, it's a musical. If it's playing at Lincoln Center, then it's an opera.
2007-08-30 09:55:01 · answer #8 · answered by DAR76 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Musical for both.
2007-08-30 10:14:55 · answer #9 · answered by mstrywmn 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Both musicals :-)
2007-08-30 11:06:52 · answer #10 · answered by Marianne D 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋