I was introduced to musical theater long before I knew that such a thing as “opera” existed. So when I first heard the “Queen of the Night” aria from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” I was naturally both entranced and appalled. Entranced, because there’s absolutely no way to listen to Diana Damrau sing her heart out without falling under her spell, and appalled because it was unlike anything I’d encountered before – and in German.
But it didn’t take me too long to overcome my misgivings and join dozens of former generations in acknowledging that opera is absolutely amazing and very likely the pinnacle of the long-term relationship between mankind, music, and theater.
What took me several more years (and a fair amount of musical training) was reconciling my newfound appreciation for opera with my continued love of musical theater. Opera is – almost definitionally – the higher form of musical drama. I mean, compared to Verdi’s “Aida,” Mel Brook’s “The Producers” is more or less the musical equivalent of an undignified kid brother who runs around half-clothed and screaming when there’s company over.
But musical theater is still exceptionally impressive and damnably fun.
Singing musical theater well takes a significant amount of talent that can easily be underestimated. Sure, it’s generally written in English, but that means the audience can tell if you botch the lyrics. And I dare anyone to belt like Ethel Merman while shuffling-off-to-Buffalo. It’s not as easy as it looks.
Now take a three minute study break and watch Carol Burnett and Ruthie Henshall duet in the revue “Putting it Together,” or Sutton Foster in “Anything Goes,” or Kristen Chenoweth in anything. The energy and expressiveness are remarkable, the lyrics sparkle, and you’ll very likely find yourself getting sucked in. Sure, it’s a different variety of entrancement than the sort brought on by opera superstars Elīna Garanča and Anna Netrebko, but it’s no less legitimate.
In addition, the musical integrity of musical theater should not be discounted off-hand. Nearly any song by Stephen Sondheim is brimming with musical intricacies that could garner second glances from the most talented musicians – like dissonant six-part counterpoint and songs written in the key of F-flat major. That shouldn’t even happen. But it does (like in the opening number of this year’s opera workshop).
Musical theater is a vast genre that has seen a good deal of innovation since Gilbert and Sullivan took the stage a couple hundred years ago. And with that has come a good deal of musical complexity that can easily be overlooked.
I could never swear off opera for the sake of musical theater. But I wouldn’t give up my Broadway for all the arias in the world, either. Fortunately, it’s a non-issue. Opera and musical theater come out of the same general tradition and – even if they go about combining music, words, and stories differently – they compliment each other and have a good deal more to offer the open-minded listener than you might expect.
vcooney@hillsdale.edu
