BroadwayBaby0202
|
Les Mis - technically an opera?I've been thinking about this for a while now. Considering there is barely any actual dialogue in the show, could it be considered an opera since an opera is a show with just singing - no dialogue. Please don't respond with an answer like "Wow...are you kidding?" because I'm just curious of what other people think of the topic.
|
Pounce
|
A case could be made that it is technically an opera in that it is entirely sung but it generally is classified as a musical because:
1. Style of singing. Opera is sung differently
2. Marketing. Advertising Les Miz as an opera instead of a musical would kill ticket sales.
|
Orestes Fasting
|
If an opera is by definition a show that's sung through, does that make Die Zauberfl�te not an opera?
|
Aimee
|
To be an opera it has to be sung with an operatic technique/style too. Les Mis is a through-sung or sung-through musical. I've heard it called both so you can take you pick.
|
Lazarus (Adam G)
|
Nah, it's more of a 'rock-opera'.
An opera doesn't have to be sung-through.
|
EponineMNFF
|
Isn't Les Mis called an Operetta?
|
Quique
|
It's a musical. 
Alternatively, a "pop opera."
Les Mis is NOT a "rock opera." 
|
Lazarus (Adam G)
|
| Quique wrote: | It's a musical.
Alternatively, a "pop opera."
Les Mis is NOT a "rock opera." |
It was originally intended to be a rock opera.
Don't mess with me. I'm a genius.
|
Da_Dark_Dude
|
| Lazarus (Adam G) wrote: | | Quique wrote: | It's a musical.
Alternatively, a "pop opera."
Les Mis is NOT a "rock opera." |
It was originally intended to be a rock opera.
Don't mess with me. I'm a genius. |
ya-harrr, ye be owned... arrr
|
sherwills
|
| Da_Dark_Dude wrote: | | Lazarus (Adam G) wrote: | | Quique wrote: | It's a musical.
Alternatively, a "pop opera."
Les Mis is NOT a "rock opera." |
It was originally intended to be a rock opera.
Don't mess with me. I'm a genius. |
ya-harrr, ye be owned... arrr |
Miss Saigon and Les Miserables on several occasions been labelled as rock opera in various reviews... but then again what is a rock opera?
I prefer calling it a sung-through musical as is Phantom, Saigon, etc.
Here in London, we have a new production of Porgy and Bess directed by Trevor Nunn. It was billed as the musical version of the "only" american opera.
Apparently, what used to be a 4 hour show in 3 Acts is now 2 and a half hour. The song's keys are moved down to elaborate more of a musical theatre style while keeping the original score intact.
The arias (long expressive soliloquys) are also reduced. The orchestra is also toned down to fewer piece.
Could be an interesting material to compare a musical and an opera.
Personally, I didn't see an opera production of Porgy and Bess, so can't really comment much. But according to Trevor Nunn, the reason why he wanted to convert P&B to a musical is because he wanted the material to reach more audience.
The production itself is not as exhaustive as an opera where singers could not possibly do a 4 hour show 6 days a week on a vocally demanding and expensive production.
It is probably why opera producitons are quite costly to stage and most of the time running on a very short open-ended season.
Those are my thoughts....
|
eponine5
|
This is kinda random, but on the subject of that production of Porgy and Bess, I saw it last week-end. It was actually really good, but guess who was the only lead NOT played by an understudy..... CORNELL JOHN!
He wasn't that bad at all, and he only used his scary hand gestures along with that strange quavery vibrato-ish thing once in the whole show!
To make this post slightly on topic, I wouldn't call Les Mis an opera  .
|
Sweeney Hyde
|
The style of opera is entirely different. Yes, it is sung through, and yes there are some very soaring melodic qualities to it, however, opera is more of a style than anything else. Opera is more over the top. It has a genuine classical sound to it. Les Miserables has several songs that are operatic in nature, however a great deal of it has a modern, pop, sound.
On the same subject any musical that is sung through, Evita for example, is not an opera.
|
Quique
|
|
sherwills
|
|
Lazarus (Adam G)
|
| Quique wrote: | |
I'll cut yer.
|
