Operetta is a musical-dramatic production that is structurally similar to a light opera and features a romantically sentimental plot interspersed with orchestral music, elaborate dancing scenes and a spoken dialogue. Operetta emerged in the mid 19th century as a result of the need for short light work to get some unique form of entertainment, different from the then French dominant opera comique (Baily, 1966).
Herve (1825-1892) is highly recognized and credited for having created operetta. He was a singer, composer, scene painter, conduct and librettist. Herve began by writing a little operetta entitled L'Ours et le pacha which was based on the popular X.B. Saintine’s and Eugine Scribe’s vaudeville. However, the real starting point for the new French musical theatre tradition took place in 1948 when Herve made his first appearance on stage with Don Quichotte et Sancho Pança (Traubner, 2004) . Operetta was further developed and popularized by Jacques Offenbach which greatly enhanced its vogue during and after the Second Empire. According to Traubner (2014), the earliest one-act pieces by Offenbach included Le violeneux, Les deux aveugles and Ba-ta-clan , all produced in 1855 while his success in full-length operetta was Orphee aux anfers in 1858 that paved way for Offenbach works which included Le pont des soupirs, Geneviueve de Brabant, La belle Helene and La Grande-Duchese de Gerolstain among others between 1859 to 1869.
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Key Events and Benchmarks that led to the Broadway
Offenbach’s French operetta versions were immediately followed by many American versions that imitated French shows, leading to the success of operetta as a successful genre in America. Thereafter, the Broadway was facilitated by a number of events and benchmarks. Some of the notable developments that led to the Broadway include “The Black Crook” which was the first theatre piece that conformed to the modern conception of a musical and added significantly to the dance and original music. The Black Crook Premiered in New York on Sep 12, 1866. It was an interesting long piece that took 5 hours without losing its sense of pleasure. This was immediately followed by the Black Domino/Between You, Me and the Post as the first musical comedy (Malson, 2004).
The arrival of Merry Widow in America contributed to the Broadway development through its music as well as various fashions that inspired the Broadway. This succeeded the reputation of the home-grown American operetta that had already been set 13 years earlier, giving America a fine background for the Broadway (Kenrick, 2003).
According to Kenrick (2003), players such as Victor Herbert had been born and brought up in Ireland and classically trained in Germany, with a complete background of the operetta. Within 22 years Herbert had composed more than 40 operettas. Most of his works have remained memorable in the US, setting him apart as one of the most significant milestones in the development of Broadway in Ameriaca.
The Best Broadway Shows
In the recent past there have been emergency of several Broadway shows in America. However, I am particularly impressed with the following three Broadway shows for specific reasons: Anastasia’s “Journey to the Past” conveys a great sense of adventure by tracing Anastasia’s journey from Russia to 1920 Paris. “Take a look and you will see into your imagination” led by Christian Borle is full of musical lyrics that are enticing and appealing to emotions. Lastly, “Bandstand” features a dramatic plot that is fascinating and has a fine sense of history which is equally educative and entertaining.
References
Baily, L. (1966). The Gilbert & Sullivan Book . Cassell [1952].
Kenrick J., (2003). “Musicals on Stage: A Capsule History .” Musicals101.com. The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, Film and Television. Retrieved from http://www.musicals101.com/stagecap.htm
Maslon, L., & Kantor, M. (2004). Broadway: the American musical . Bulfinch Press.
Traubner, R. (2004). Operetta: a theatrical history . Routledge.
