Abstract

One of the many characteristic qualities brought to musical theatre with the emergence of the megamusical was a distinctive sound palette that transformed the Broadway Sound of the golden age into a new idiom. Developments in technology have been key to this, though that is only part of the story; the change in aesthetic has transformed approaches to performance and composition, a phenomenon which is particularly interesting in terms of the musical's long-standing relationship with associated art-forms--popular music and opera--and the frameworks of value and consumption that surround these areas. The self-conscious engagement of shows like The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables with both the commercial recording industry and the construct of opera is an interesting consideration in terms of this vocal aesthetic and experience of sound. This chapter will explore both of these shows in relation to the musical's sometimes strained flirtation with the worlds of pop and opera.