Opera
The only difference between Opera and madness is (according to Salzella) better scenery. The plot doesn't make any sense and relies entirely on people not recognizing their servants and husbands, mostly because the plot is just there to fill in time until the next song.
Opera is expensive. It doesn't make money--you put money in, and you get Opera out. And ballet shoes are very expensive. Very few things are more expensive than ballet shoes; violins just happen to be one of them. If you think there is passion onstage, you should see backstage. Everybody hates everybody and half the crew won't speak to each other.
Whistling on stage, live flowers, wearing new makeup on opening night and yellow are Bad Luck, but more horrific than these is stopping a performance: THE SHOW MUST GO ON!!!!!
Operas are performed mainly at the Opera House in Ankh-Morpork, in Bugarup, in Genua and Brindisi as well as in various Dwarfish and Trollish venues.
Roundworld Versions
Most operas resemble Roundworld operas.
| Discworld opera | Roundworld opera | Roundworld composer |
|---|---|---|
| Die Meistersinger von Scrote | Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg | Wagner |
| Die Postmeistersinger von Überwald | Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg | Wagner |
| The Ring of the Nibelungingung | The Ring of the Nibelung | Wagner |
| Lohenshaak | Lohengrin | Wagner |
| Chicken lake | Swan lake | Tchaikovsky |
| The Barber of Pseudopolis | The Barber of Seville | Rossini |
| La Triviata | La Traviata | Verdi |
| Il Truccatore | Il Trovatore | Verdi |
| The Enchanted Piccolo | The Magic Flute | Mozart |
| Cosi fan Hita | Cosi fan Tutte | Mozart |
| Miserable Les | Les Miserables | Hugo/Schönberg |
| Guys and Trolls | Guys and Dolls | Loesser |
| Hubwards Side Story | West Side Story | Bernstein/Sondheim |
| The Student Horse | The Student Prince | Sigmund Romberg |
| Seven Dwarfs for Seven Other Dwarfs | Seven Brides for Seven Brothers | Kasha/Hirschhorn |
| Bloodaxe and Ironhammer | Inconclusive, see separate article | - |
| Walter Plinge's unfinished | The Phantom of the Opera | Leroux/Lloyd-Webber |
| Die Zaubebriefmarkenalbum von Überwald | The Magic Flute | Mozart |
Annotations
Ring
Salzella sells The Ring of the Nibel..... a bit short when he calls it "Three days of gods screaming at each other". The Roundworld counterpart has four days of gods screaming at each other, for a running time of 15 to 17 hours depending on the pacing of the conductor.
Meistersinger
The German city of Nürnberg has a rich history in culture and science, particularly astronomy and grand historic architecture, the city of Scrote less so. Nürnberg boasts the Nürnberg Castle, the Hospital of the Holy Spirit and several notewothy cathedrals. Scrote merely boasts.
Several Nazi rallies were held in Nürnberg. Scrote has at least something to be proud of.
Lohenshaak
May be a take on the opera Lohengrin, but going downmarket by many notches, it also calls to mind the B-52's dance-floor filling stomper Love Shack.