On the cusp of its 40th anniversary, the Syracuse Opera's concert performance of the classic American opera brings communal jubilation and joy.
Opera originating on American soil is a rare breed. With the theaters saturated with the tradition of show tunes, vaudeville and musical theater, the European high art of opera has struggled to gain a popular foothold with both artists and audiences.
But between the beginning of the early 20th century and the end of World War II, the genre lines between popular stage entertainment (theater, vaudeville, musicals and opera) were never more ambiguous and interchangeable.