Where I Watched it: Broadway HD
English Audio Description?: No
My second Broadway HD review. I suppose I should point out that the service is capable of audio description. I’ve found out that supposedly the production on Phantom Of The Opera and Romeo and Juliet have audio description. I’ll tackle that another day. but, one musical and one straight play does not inclusivity make. It’s tokenism, and somewhat offensively so if that’s their whole strategy. Two shows? If I only watched titles with audio description, I could knock those out in one day in like a free trial period. no real need to subscribe. Does broadway HD not want blind and visually impaired subscribers?
but enough about that. She Loves Me was my second pick. this is a Zachary Levi/Laura Benanti taped staging of the most recent revival. And it’s delightful. I had forgotten how many songs I’m actually familiar with from this show, like Ice Cream or A Trip To The Library. But, really it’s the charming stars, their incredible voices, and the comedic timing of the entire cast that set this apart. I didn’t know I was a fan of this show until i actually watched this from start to finish.
What I got was more than a cast recording, with there being so many terrific moments of humor. Levi plays his character with such earnest energy that you forget this is almost a stage version of you’ve Got Mail, which was a remake of The Shop Around The Corner, which i believe predates She Loves Me as a show. The irá that two people have been writing to each other and falling in love, but don’t know they know each other in real life and can’t stand each other worked well for Hanks and Ryan, and is repurposed here in a department store. The song 12 Days To Christmas is the best thing you’ll hear about the shopping madness that occurs this time of year.
But, it’s Benanti’s voice, with her legit soprano that reminds us that this musical was once written at a time when belters didn’t propagate every production. People had classical training, and used vibrato, and Benanti has a terrific voice.
The things I miss by not having audio description are the costumes and set design, things that people in the craft spend hours working on. I also have no idea what these characters look like. While I used to be able to see, so I’ve seen Levi, Benanti, and supporting stand out Jane Krakowski (who sings the aforementioned A Trip To The Library), I have no idea what anyone else looks like. There are also plenty of blind people who wouldn’t know what those three look like either without an attempt at audio description.
Live theater does audio description. I work in live theater. I know. So, since Broadway HD isn’t making it a priority, I feel the need to point out why the lack of accessibility is bad. they are a niche streaming service, but the mistake these niche streamers are making is assuming that blind people only watch mainstream programming. A service like Broadway HD doesn’t take into account all the blind and visually impaired people who love music theatre, just like Shudder assumes blind people don’t like horror, or CrunchyRoll assumes blind people don’t watch anime.
It’s time to start tearing down those stereotypes and get these niche streamers on board. If you want to play in streaming wars, then accessibility needs to be a priority.
For musicals, I ask myself did I get more than I would have just listening to a cast album, when choosing to grade or call it unwatchable. i did get so much more than the cast recording, even with the lack of audio description. i had no idea this show was this funny, and I’m now a fan of She Loves Me. And should Broadway HD ever feel like adding audio description to this, I’d probably watch it again.
Final Grade: A-
