How did musical theater develop from reviews, from opera to what it is today? Musical theater originated from something called Operetta. Operetta is a genre of light opera, light both in terms of music and subject. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre. An opera is a performance that began in 1590 in Italy. This form of musical theater also includes spoken word, such as some scenes, acting, costumes, and dancing. The opera is commonly performed in an opera house with musical accompaniment in the form of an orchestra. 1830, Minstrel performances. This form of theater was entertainment in America, these types of shows contained comedy sketches, variety shows, dancing, and music. This was performed primarily by whites with "blackface" (faces painted black). It was a poor portrayal of blacks that depicted them as ignorant, lazy, buffoonish, superstitious, joyful and musical. The minstrel show first began in the early 1830s but only became popular in the 1940s. It was still a form of entertainment as late as 1910, p...