Whats the difference between a Broadway musical and an opera?
Actually Broadway musicals and operas are very similar. In fact, many consider the Broadway musical as America’s version of or contribution to opera. Purists say the difference between Broadway and opera is that Broadway contains spoken dialogue and opera is completely sung through. However, there are many operas that have spoken dialogue (Mozart’s The Magic Flute for example) and there are musicals that are completely sung through (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera for example.) Now what primarily remains the biggest distinction between Broadway and opera is that in a Broadway musical all the singers are electronically amplified with microphones, while opera singers are not amplified. And to many, the magic of opera is just that, hearing such glorious sounds and volume being produced solely by a human being. Opera inspires some of your favorite Broadway musicals. Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aïda is a retelling of Verdi’s opera by the same name. The popular show Miss Saigon
