"The History of Italian Opera" marks the first time a team of scholars has worked together to investigate the entire Italian operatic tradition, rather than limiting the focus to major composers and their masterworks. Including both musicologists and historians of other arts, the contributors approach opera not only as a distinctive musical genre but also as a form of extravagant theatre and a complex social phenomenon. "Opera on Stage", the second book of this multivolume work to be published in English, focuses on staging and viewing Italian opera, from the court spectacles of the late 16th century to modern-day commercial productions. Mercedes Viale Ferrero describes the history of theatre and stage design, Gerardo Guccini covers the evolution of stage and opera direction, and Kathleen Kuzmick Hansell discusses the interrelationships between theatrical ballet and Italian opera. Because much of this material on the more "spectacular" visual aspects of Italian opera has never before appeared in English, "Opera on Stage" should be welcomed by scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.