Mike and Vocalisters:
I agree. The composer has only "narrowed the choices down, considerably". But it is not simply a matter of having fewer choices as an actor. In fact, that is not the difficulty the actor faces. It is the fact that the choices are of a much different nature. Timing is completely different. Word emphasis might be the same as that which the actor would choose if the text were spoken but often it is not. Most actors rebel quickly when confronted with the text emphasis demanded by the composer. The nature of the demands on the singer-actor transcends and exceeds those required for the singer or the actor individually.
As for characterization, which is what you speak of when you define different performances of particular characters, that is a different problem. Most opera characters can be played in a great variety of ways, sometimes in line with the traditional sometimes not. Characterization or interpretation of the character played is the "product" of the "process" which the actor goes through to determine the "who" that is being played in accord with the general direction of the play or music-theatre work.
The difficulty the singer-actor faces is the "how" of achieving this characterization, not the characterization itself. The singer-actor must achieve the unique skills that are required when the music informs the text, especially in a music dominated theatre art form such as opera.
As you say later in your post, sometimes the music distracts from the drama, at least the drama as we would know it in a non-music-theatre production. This defines a music-theatre work as a unique element of the performing art which may or may not reflect the original inspiring text in a manner authentic to its original text form.
Often characterization is the only element of training which the singer-actor confronts in his/her preparation for a career in the field. When this happens the performer must rely on a variety of stock moves copied from other successful performers in music-theatre or struggle to create his/her own skills without a knowledge of what will "read" for the audience. This latter approach can work successfully in non-music-theatre because the medium is closer to what we experience in our regular interactions. But because music-theatre is driven at least equally by the music as the text, self created acting devices are less likely to appear "natural" and emotionally effective. It is for this reason that special training is necessary.
As has been said, singing is an art, acting is an art, but singing-acting is not simply a combination of these two arts. Singing-acting is a different and uniquely art which is a synthesis of it two parents yet different from each. -- Lloyd W. Hanson
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