A Night at the Operetta

By Kathy Kovach

American live theater has certainly had its growing pains. From misunderstanding its intent to total rejection of the British influence that brought it here. Still, nothing can stifle the creative spirit.

Once theater put down its footlight, it declared it was here to stay.

Manhattan, New York had embraced the stage by the 19th century. American playwrights, as well as the now accepted British writers, moved into a relatively new genre. The operetta.

By definition, operetta is a shorter, lighter version of opera, originating in mid-18th century Italy and taking hold in France. It came to America a hundred years later. The style incorporated dialogue with singing and dancing.

The Black Crook

Widely accepted as the first operetta performed in America was The Black Crook on September 12, 1866. Theater goers sat through a mind-boggling five-and-a-half hours. And we complain when a movie runs over two hours!

Audiences loved it, though. With the book written by Charles M. Barras, and music selected and arranged by Thomas Baker, it took over Niblo’s Garden on Broadway for a record-breaking 474 performances.

Niblo's Garden

The play was actually an accident, thanks to the burning down of New York’s Academy of Music opera house. A troupe of French ballet dancers were set to perform there, but after the fire, they had nowhere to go. They reached out to the manager of Niblo’s Garden, William Wheatley, who had the play by Barras that he deemed dull. The two worked together, and music/choreography was stitched in. Thus, was created a spectacular display that also utilized moving sets, colored lights, and plenty of razzle-dazzle.

It is also considered by some as the first musical comedy. Others argue that it was merely an extravaganza that incorporated already known genres such as vaudeville, burlesque, and pantomime.

At any rate, now that the stage door was open wide to this exciting new genre, others hit Broadway with dancing shoes on and vocal cords trilling.

Many followed, including Gilbert and Sullivan who gave us such timeless hits as Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, and The Mikado.

To many, Broadway is synonymous with musical theater. And we have the light-hearted operetta to thank for it.

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

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