What is opera? What’s the difference between opera and musical theater – especially American opera, in English?

This is a common question, of course – and the fact is, there is no right answer.  The question came up again last night at the Carnegie Hall performance of The Grapes of Wrath (by Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie). Usually, I have a standard answer: “The biggest differences between opera and music theater are in the use of classically trained voices, and in the sophistication of the orchestral writing. Opera is also usually through-composed (no spoken text connecting scenes).”  Beyond that, I find it hard to make any significant differentiation – because there are so many different types of works that label themselves “opera” and “musical theater”.

Now there are certainly cases where the orchestral writing in musicals is sophisticated, but in general, I stand by my assertion that the orchestral writing is not only more complex, but that the orchestra also tends to play a more integral role in supporting and asserting the narrative in opera than it does in musicals.  However, the first part of my “standard response” was challenged last night – and it was interesting for me to reconsider my assumptions. What is the Perfect American Opera Singer?

I should admit up front that I love the classically trained, unamplified voice. There is something extraordinary about hearing a well-trained classical singer perform – a truly visceral experience, that creates an emotional and physical response in me. When a beautiful “opera singer’s voice” is combined with theatrical instinct, poetic sensitivity, and charisma – there is nothing better.  So I thought. Could a “musical theater singer” do the same for me? In an opera no less?!

Don’t get me wrong. There are some incredible musical theater singers who I would walk seven miles in the snow to hear – but for me, there is a somewhat undefinable feeling I get from hearing a great opera singer.

So imagine my surprise when, at The Grapes of Wrath, the one singer – in a cast made up of some of the best classical singers working today –  who rocked my world was Tony Award winner Victoria Clark.

The Grapes of Wrath is an important American Opera with some extraordinary music. Unfortunately, I don’t think the concert staging at Carnegie Hall really demonstrated the theatrical power of the piece, so I will have wait until I have a chance to see the piece staged to really get a sense of it as a theatrical/musical experience. (This piece really deserves a fully staged production in New York City!) BUT, Victoria Clark made me forget I was watching an opera in concert.

This woman can sing.  Anyone who has seen her on Broadway knows that. This woman can also act. Again, anyone who has seen her before knows that.  But I sure as hell didn’t know that she could stand on stage with some of the greatest opera singers in the world and be completely in her – and their – element.  Victoria Clark demonstrated the perfect balance between what we often think of as characteristics belonging more to opera or more to musical theater.

Now, I know she has “classical training”, but she has devoted the majority of her career to musical theater.  This is why her performance last night was such a revelation to me.  I have seen Victoria Clark perform before, and I’ve always liked her – but not as much as I did last night.

She has a gorgeous voice.  She sings with an enormous variety of color, all at the service of the text.  Of course, there are both opera singers and musical theater singers who have beautiful voices.  Where we get into a big difference between her and most of the rest of the cast is that EVERY word she sang could be heard and understood without supertitles. And there were no sacrifices dramatically or vocally to obtain that clarity.

I know that the physical requirements of producing a sound that will carry in a large theater sometimes require a distortion of text – but the bottom line is that I think this is a lousy excuse for sloppy diction on the part of many singers.  There were others in the cast last night that impressed me. Stephen Powell, Andrew Wilkowske, and Matthew Worth all sang with emotional conviction, a great variety of vocal color, and for the most part, excellent diction.  It is perhaps worth mentioning that all three of these men are baritones or bass-baritones, and that usually female singers get the most flack for bad diction in the opera world.  Which is all the more reason why I was blown away by Victoria Clark. Throughout her range, her performance never sacrificed anything. Emotional intensity, musicality, deeply expressive timbre, and clarity of text were always present.

And therein lies my definition of the Perfect American Opera Singer.  My partner, who is not a big opera fan, observed at intermission that he couldn’t understand many of the singers.  I found myself starting to make excuses for them: these are great singers – what is required physically to sing in a big theater often requires distortion of text… BULLSHIT!  I had to stop myself.  While I will concede that there are times that clarity of text does have to be sacrificed for quality of sound, I think singers – and audiences – are far too accepting of sloppy diction. This should not be the norm – nor does it have to be.

When it comes to singing contemporary American opera in English, we can all take a lesson from the singing of Victoria Clark. It doesn’t have to be either or: beauty of sound or clarity of text; emotional intensity or clarity of text. IT CAN BE BOTH.  And, it should be. I’m tired of having to read supertitles when I go to opera in English. I’m already making a list of roles for Victoria to sing… Let’s hope she can be convinced to make some more extensive appearances on the opera stage soon!