That work came out of the 16th-century Italian tradition of commedia dell'arte, in which traveling actors took on stock roles and interacted with the audience rather than sticking to a script.

WSJ: One Spring, Two Farces

In the case of "One Man, Two Guvnors, " playwright Richard Bean drew from the Italian tradition of commedia dell'arte, Shakespeare and farce, right on through to Benny Hill and Monty Python.

WSJ: One Spring, Two Farces

Tony Hall, boss of the Royal Opera House (ROH) in London, is jumping on the bandwagon, with last year's acquisition of Opus Arte, a maker of DVDs.

ECONOMIST: New York��s Metropolitan Opera has pioneered a new model