The following is a detailed discussion,
Musicals are not just performances with music. It is not opera, comedy opera or light music, nor is it vaudeville, absurd music or cabaret performance. George gershwin's Monster and Beth is usually called folk opera to distinguish it from his musical. All the audience who pay for musicals know the difference best. Leonard bernstein's Honest Man (based on Voltaire's famous novel of the same name) was put on the stage as a musical in 1957, which lasted only three months. 1974, when he returned to Broadway as a comedy opera, he achieved unprecedented success.
So, what's the difference between musicals and operas? In fact, it is difficult for us to accurately distinguish these two art forms, but for people who often go to the theater, their respective characteristics are still obvious. For example, many songs in musicals are not solo; The songs in musicals are shorter, simpler and easier to sing. People can sing these songs while walking or taking a bath. Opera leads the whole situation with solo arias. Generally speaking, every dramatic turn of aria will push the whole play to a climax. Although the songs in musicals are easier to be independent of the whole drama and more suitable for singing alone in bars and other entertainment places, these songs are not necessarily suitable for the development of the plot, and the actors need to set off the atmosphere through dancing or other performances to drive the plot to a climax.
Musical solo and opera aria occupy different positions in the audience's mood. It is also a solo to express romantic love. In musicals, its tunes can be sentimental, but in operas, it must be full of passion. In terms of lyrics, musicals tend to express painful experiences, such as "love-whether you whip me or hurt me;" Cheat me or abandon me, I will always be yours! "Opera is always a poetic language, expressing joy and joy.
Different from musicals, in opera, the protagonist always keeps elegant and noble demeanor to live, love and die. Every time they set foot on a journey, they would pray, "Lord, I am on my way!" " "It seems that this is not only a geographical journey, but also a spiritual journey. But in a musical, the scene where the hero and his lover say goodbye can be a messy market or even a garbage dump. They must be tired and haggard.
Opera, which originated in the Baroque period (about17th century to18th century), has been eager to become a great art even in the low tide under the influence of modernism in the 20th century. It wants to show the commonness of human beings, extract the essence of emotion and despise the little wisdom in daily life. The villain in the play is portrayed as an out-and-out evil person, while the heroes are brave and fearless. The hero and heroine in musicals are more humanized. They will also make mistakes, lose their jobs, be poor, and be homeless, but they will always get true love, wealth and happiness after going through rough times.
Musicals do not pursue Excellence and Excellence, nor do they have ambitions. Therefore, they are considered as mediocre creations. They would rather run than fight; I would rather make some small mistakes than live only for my ideals. Musical praises democracy. It praises ordinary people who pursue romance and happiness in ordinary life, but it is full of contempt and ridicule for those pretentious rich people, especially the nobility.
The audience has realized their differences. When a person goes to see an opera and a musical (in London and new york, the prices of the two kinds of tickets are almost the same), he will appreciate these two kinds of plays with different mentality. If an opera sounds too musical, it will be criticized as too frivolous; On the other hand, musicals that are too operatic will also be criticized as too divorced from reality. These prejudices are not accidental, they took a long time to form. Their origins can be traced back to the first musical: The Beggar's Opera.