Is the Phantom of the Opera considered an actual opera?

Mod,

it's an Opera. I see by the method of the way you asked the question that you biased the answer in advance (talk about soliciting a particular response). Most people who say it is "not an Opera" are likely people who desire their Opera's to be only in Italian, French, Spanish, or any other language outside of English.

OPERA, Contemporary and in English. Opera is the only answer.

All the best!

Gerry D.

Edit: A rather upsetting question for some people.

Phantom is a MUSICAL set in an opera house. Operas are sung throughout their entirety, while musicals use spoken dialogue with songs mixed in. Edit: True operas CAN be in English. Look up Benjamin Britten. Phantom is no more an opera than Cats is a nature documentary.

First of all, I've seen "The Phantom of the Opera", and I enjoyed it very much, and have personally sung some of the songs on several different occasions. However, it is not an opera, and none of the music sung by the fictional opera company is from an actual opera. Andrew Lloyd Webber writes musicals, and this is just one of them.

Furthermore, Gerry D. there are operas written in English. Several of them in fact--Menotti, Britten, Purcell, Arne, Gay, Adams, etc. etc. So in attempts to prove the rest of us snobs, you just reveal a snobbishness of your own on top of plain ignorance about musical genres.

It's a musical. Just like "Cats" and "Jesus Christ Superstar". Just because a majority of it is singing doesn't make it an opera. There's more to it than that.

Within the musical is a group putting on an opera, but no, I would no even slightly consider that play to be an opera. It is musical theater, more on the side of theatrics and acting than music performance, in my opinion.

Musical.

It wouldn't be considered an opera, there are several 'modern' songs, but it does involve a lot of operatic/Romantic style music written in that style. But no, overall, it has always been considered a musical.

It is not an opera, it is a musical. The very very short excerpts that are shown of plays the opera company is putting on are opera however.

It's a MUSICAL set in an opera house.

Edit: Operas are sung throughout (and CAN be in English, see Benjamin Britten), but musicals use spoken dialogue with songs and dance mixed in.

Edit 2: By Gerry's standards, "Singin' in the Rain" could be called an opera.

You've described the show correctly. Sir Andrew would be proud of you. Bravo!!

http://www.anglotopia.net/british-entertainment/br...

You are indeed correct. It isn't even close to an opera. (Any more that say "Cats" is).

Edit: Take no notice of Gerry D, who clearly does not know what opera is.

No it isn't. The Phantom of the Opera is musical theatre, it's entertainment and not art.