Opera Australia begins its television experiment this evening, but is The Divorce a worthy ambassador for the art form?

When is an opera not an opera? It’s a question that has hovered over several programming decisions by Opera Australia artistic director Lyndon Terracini who has increasingly welcomed musical theatre in among the great operatic works of the canon. While this choice has prompted scorn and derision from some cultural commentators, record breaking takings at the box office have been a far more persuasive force on Terracini’s artistic scruples.

But what is so wrong with giving the great iconic musicals such as The King and I, Anything Goes or My Fair Lady, the same stature as La Traviata or The Magic Flute? The answer is of course, “nothing at all,” because the calibre of those works within the context of their artform is unquestionably worthy of recognition, not to mention that the polished finesse of Opera Australia’s stagings of these works is world-class. Where the uncomfortable friction of this debate exists is in the the distinction between opera and musical theatre both aesthetically and in terms of the cultural kudos we apply to these very different...