> Oh help me! Oh, help me! My life is in danger!
> The venomous monster is drawing upon me
> And I can’t escape him.
> How near is his bite,
> With teeth sharp and white!
> Oh gods above!
> Why can’t you hear my mortal cry?
> Destroy the beast or I will die!
> Or surely, I will die!
The opening lines to The Magic Flute (which continues in a similarly expository tone for the duration). Seems like there have always been scripts which were easy to understand while also staring at your phone, though that doesn't stop the ushers at English National Opera getting narky at you if you try!
Treating art with reverence and rapt attention didn't get to be a thing until the late Enlightenment. Before that the kind of art you took seriously was religious, and the idea that you were supposed to reverent about it could be considered a carry-over from religion.
Talking over things and not paying attention is almost the default. Sitting still and concentrating on a performance of any kind is a relatively recent idea.
None of this makes the crapification of Netflix (and related trends in other media touched by streaming and tech) any less annoying.