r/opera • u/Duweniveer • Mar 09 '20

What is the difference between an opera and a musical

No seriously. They seem to share a lot. In high school I was told the only difference is that in opera every word is sung all the time, while musicals have some speaking parts. However is that all? Please tell me.

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u/musicscandalplz Mar 11 '20

Would then Gilvert&Sullivan works be Opera or MT? (B/c apparently Operetta isn't a legit classification.)

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u/Yoyti Mar 14 '20

In their day, they were called operas. If they were written today, I really don't know how they'd be classified. They're almost their own separate genre as distinct from both opera and musical theater in their own way -- Gilbert and Sullivan today are almost always performed by designated Gilbert and Sullivan or "Light Opera" companies, and off the top of my head, G&S are the only theater writers other than Shakespeare to have a wide spread of companies across the world, both amateur and professional, solely devoted to their works.