operetta

operetta, musical-dramatic production similar in structure to a light opera but characteristically having a romantically sentimental plot interspersed with songs, orchestral music, and rather elaborate dancing scenes, along with spoken dialogue. The operetta originated in part with the tradition of popular theatrical genres such as the commedia dell’arte that flourished in Italy from the 16th to the 18th century, the vaudeville of France, and English ballad opera. In the 19th century the term operetta came...