This production is sure to satisfy both fans of Lloyd Webber and those who enjoy rock musicals. Others have found the show to be too slick and commercial, while others have enjoyed its humor and musical numbers. Despite its commercial and critical success, the musical has been met with mixed reviews. Broadway actor Adam Pascal plays Dewey Finn in the play, which is set in the musical theater. The show is a musical based on the 2001 film of the same name, which tells the story of a group of kids who form a rock band to save their failing school. Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Jesus Christ Superstar was the first Broadway production in 1971. It is regarded as the first rock opera and was released in 1969, making it a classic. The life and recovery story of a mentally disabled young boy is told in Tommy, the band’s album. This type of music was created as a result of the band The Who. The Who’s Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar were two rock opera classics that dominated the late 1960s and early 1970s. The stage plays are typically adapted from conceptual albums that are then staged. Themes and concepts are frequently intertwined, with the use of narrative and characters throughout, as is common with a more common concept album.Īlmost all of the lines are sung in a rock opera. Is Rock Opera An Opera?Ī rock opera is not an opera, but rather a collection of songs and lyrics that are intended to convey a specific theme.

These kinds of rock operas are usually released by a band or singer, with notable examples being Genesis’s The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. The symbolic rock opera only exists on an audio recording, and there is no cast. Rock operas have two main types: symbolic and full. If you’ve been reading the list, you’ll notice that most people believe The Who’s 1969 epic Tommy is one of the first rock opera/concept albums (though if you’ve been paying attention, Pete Townshend even credited The Pretty Thing’s SF). Most rock operas are concept albums and do not have acting written into them, which distinguishes them from operas, though several rock musicals have been adapted as rock operas. While singing can be performed in place of regular acting in musical theater, opera’s story is entirely conveyed through singing.Ī rock opera, for example, is a collection of songs that share lyrics with a story about a common person. The primary distinction between a musical and an opera is that a musical contains spoken words. It is a powerful tool for storytellers, and has produced some of the most iconic and beloved albums in rock history. The rock opera genre allows artists to create complex narratives that would be difficult to tell through traditional songwriting. They are designed to be theatrical experiences, and many are even adapted for stage productions. Rock operas often have a grandiose feel to them, with sweeping melodies and grandiose lyrics. Some of the most famous rock operas include Pink Floyd’s The Wall, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, and Green Day’s American Idiot. The rock opera genre began in the 1960s with the release of The Who’s Tommy and has since been used by a variety of artists to tell a wide range of stories. A rock opera is a musical composition in which the story is told through the songs.