 "The Arcadians" particularly illustrates this, with the innocent Arcadians representing the older style, and the brash Londoners embodying the new.This contrast between simplicity and cynicism drive the plot and its humour, a contrast personified in the character of Smith, who is magically transformed during the piece.In 1999, Raymond McCall observed that theatre historians have variously referred to the work as an operetta or a musical comedy, commenting