I love opera. I sing opera quite a lot. And although it is not necessarily the book definition of musical theatre I still wanted to make a comment on it in this book.
It's a common scenario: I meet someone new and we get to talking about our hobbies. "I'm an opera singer," I may say.
Without fail, one of the following statements will be made:
-"Wow! So are you going to be on American Idol?"
-"The Phantom of the Opera is my favorite!"
-"Have you heard of the amazing 14-year-old opera singer, Jackie Evancho?"
At this point, I decide whether I want to spend the next 20 minutes explaining why these statements are all non-sequiturs, or simply smile and say "sure!" because I don't want to be a snob. Opera remains so steadfastly isolated from mainstream media that it's hard to blame anyone for not knowing that a) American Idol is not a competition for opera singers, b) "The Phantom of the Opera," despite having the word in its title, is not actually an opera, and c) Ms. Evancho, though talented, is not an opera singer.
It may surprise the non-fan to know that opera is currently undergoing a kind of identity crisis.
I just wanted to make a statement on this because it irks me to no end!
Is anyone else interesting in opera? Most musical theatre people I meet are not, but have a mutual respect for the similar art.
