I was lucky enough to watch Wicked The Musical last night at the Mayflower, Southampton. I had seen it before in the West End but this experience was better!<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
On each side of the stage were captions!<\/p>\n
I have some hearing loss, mostly due to my misspent youth playing in a rock band and seeing too many gigs without hearing protection. It is not to the point that I require a hearing aid but I did struggle to hear all of the lyrics, particularly when the full ensemble is singing and some of the words themselves are not real words anyway.<\/p>\n
Having the captions at the side of the stage (which also provided excellent audio description between the speaking lines) was brilliant for me because it allowed me to fully understand every word said, unlike when I saw it the first time.<\/p>\n
There were signs around the theatre asking for feedback about them, and I made a point of letting them know how brilliant these accessibility services were!<\/p>\n
As far as I am away, every performance during the run is captioned. I didn\u2019t find it intrusive, I found it just enhanced my enjoyment of the performance. Anyone else who has hearing loss would have benefitted just as much.<\/p>\n
When you make what you do more accessible, everyone benefits! Accessibility services come in many different guises, big thumbs up to the Mayflower Theatre!<\/p>\n
Caption: the interior of a grand theatre, focusing on the stage where a musical is in full swing. The theatre features plush red seats and an ornate proscenium arch framing the stage. On stage, a witch dressed in black is dynamically flying across on a broomstick. The backdrop of the set includes an enchanted forest, illuminated by dramatic stage lighting that casts expressive shadows. Across the image are the words \"Wicked - Upgraded!\"<\/p>\n