American musical theater had its roots in the works catalogued above. As time went by, these musicals evolved into the shows produced by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Lerner and Loewe, Rogers and Hart, Rogers and Hammerstein, and others. As we end this century, we find that Broadway has moved away from the musicals that had you humming their hit tunes as you left the theater. Furthermore, you no longer have the movie musicals that made us love MacDonald, Eddy, Lanza, Chevalier, and all the rest. We do, however, have a recorded legacy upon which we can draw to take us back to those golden days.
Operetta is one of the most delightful forms of music that exists.
It can be enjoyed by everyone with no effort at all. When you listen to operetta you hear all the basic elements found in opera, though you will not be conscious of it. Jeanette MacDonald's soprano voice was loved by millions of Americans who would not have considered listening to an opera under any circumstances. And, Mario Lanza probably did more, through his movies, to introduce us to opera than any other human being who ever lived. These, people and others like them, can help you to love operetta.