Final answer:
A drama that combines music, dancing, singing, acting, and elaborate stage designs is known as musical theatre, a form that captivates audiences with its integrated storytelling and spectacular production elements.
Step-by-step explanation:
A drama that incorporates music, dancing, singing, acting, and fanciful stage designs is called a musical theatre. Musical theatre is a form of performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through the words, music, movement, and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole.
Musical theatre is known for its ability to captivate audiences with its spectacular elements, which include impressive scenery and striking costumes. It is distinctive for the manner in which it integrates music into storytelling, alongside the production numbers that add to the spectacle, making it a widely beloved art form. American musical theatre in particular, with landmarks like Broadway, has made a significant impact, though many countries have their own traditions and variations of this theatrical genre.
Examples of musical theatre include classics such as 'The Phantom of the Opera', which, despite its complexity, retains certain characteristics of a melodrama – clear moral polarities and a tendency towards a sensational presentation. Altogether, musical theatre represents a pinnacle of live performance art that continues to evolve and enchant audiences around the globe.