In a recent article published by The Guardian and picked up across many media outlets, lyricist Tim Rice opined that musicals should have supertitles as well as operas and oratorios. I’m happy to say that I have been providing supertitles for musicals for many years now. It’s an excellent resource for the hearing impaired community, definitely. Interestingly though, younger generations are so wired by their smart devices to look for captions on their reel videos that many are watching television with subtitles even when the program is in their native language! The article claimed that one study found 80% of viewers aged 18 to 25 commonly utilize subtitles when watching television.
I have supertitles already for several musicals and will be adding more over the next year or so as demand requires. I first made them for Sweeney Todd, a musical often performed by opera companies due to its rigorous vocal demands. However, some classic musicals from many, many years ago like The Desert Song and Naughty Marietta have also been requested. Some opera companies, especially those who tend toward the lighter side and who try to bridge the gap between musical theatre patrons and opera patrons, have one or two musicals in their program consistently. Musical festivals also sometimes feature both genres. So, it is not a surprise that opera companies who present musicals will not be surprised at the idea.
Mr. Rice’s contention is that it’s important to have them so that the audience can fully appreciate the lyrics. As a lyricist, of course he is more sensitive to this than others might be. “It’s very frustrating at times, especially if you’re the words man,” said Rice.
