Hi everyone!
I'm a composer and I'm mainly interested in opera and ballet, but I'm also getting interested in musicals. I've listened to some of the musicaltalk episodes and it's great! I love opera of any genre, particulary modern opera, but as a composer I'd like to try everything. I must admit I sometimes wish I could write a real romantic opera, but that would probably be frowned upon (by the circle I might be about to enter when I start my formal composition education). Some days ago I saw my first musical, The Phantom of the Opera, and so I thought that the musical could be a magnificent chance to write more public friendly music! Of course I understand the european wave may be over, but do you think there may be a market for more operatic musicals in the future?
Any thoughts?

Please excuse my english.

sincerely,
Fred

So no thoughts at all?

To be honest I think Phantom is the last of those shows, Les Mis along with it.

There isnt very much of a market for operatic musicals anymore, with the big blockbuster shows like Wicked and We Will Rock You, its sad, but true that shows like Phantom are on their way out I'd say. That doesnt make them any less of a good show, I love Phantom and Les Mis, but you only have to look at recent productions of this nature eg The Woman In White. It failed big time and that may be that it was just a poor production, but then take Evita for example, that show was a massive success when it first opened and still is in some places, it opened recently in the UK and closed not long after. Its now on a UK Tour i beleive but isnt doing so well.

Maybe all the genre needs is something new to get some interest into it again, but I'd say, in London at least, the time for these kind of musicals has passed...sadly! But like I say, all it may need is for a new composer/show to breath life back into it and it could take off again!

It depends non what your definition of operatic musicals? If they are sung through there are several new ones but they have been somewhat unsuccessful (ie caroline or change) if you mean instyle The light in the Piazza is a great show. But I think they are doing an episode on Gilbert and Sullivan!So watch out for that!

I think their would be an audience for it, it just depends on the theme of the musical, thats why Phantom worked so well...

This is rather a late response, but I think what you want to check out, if you don't know much about it already is the whole area of "music theatre", because that's where you'll find the crossover between classical and musicals these days.

Start with The Light in the Piazza, I'd suggest! :)

My personal feeling is that contemporary opera has largely disappeared down the plughole of dissonance and atonality. I am slightly surprised to hear myself saying this, but I think in the last few years I finally accepted that that was mostly a dead end in terms of being the future of the form!

Monkey - Journey to the West is enormously interesting too in this sort of area...