There’s no question that the state is alive with Jazz fever. In December, valiant fans flocked to the Vivint arena with loyalty, but not much hope. Only a few were saying “just you wait.” Fast forward a few months and those same fans are giddy with the Jazz’s clinch of the first-round in the playoffs.
Who knew they would rewrite their game?
But Game One of the Western Conference semifinals saw the Jazz face off against an unlikely foe — Alexander Hamilton.
Sunday’s matinee performance of the fan-crazy Broadway hit about our colonial revolutionists happened to play right during Game One between the Jazz and the Houston Rockets.
Granted, those poor souls who found themselves in possession of impossible-to-find tickets for the matinee most likely secured such tickets when the Jazz were still playing young and scrappy. Who knew they would be so hungry?
But that’s no excuse. Their mistake wasn’t their choice to go to the play instead of watching the game. Of course there’s always a million things you haven’t done.
Their mistake was to go to the play and watch the game. Both. From their smartphones sitting in the audience of the Eccles Theatre.
And they got called out. Star of the show Joseph Morales, who plays Hamilton, took to Twitter at intermission to rise up and express his dismay that members of the audience were watching the game during the play.
Morales tweeted, “SLC, you’re killing me. Put your phones away. We can see you. This isn’t a movie. What is up with you guys?”
For a city that just spent tens of millions of dollars to build a world-class theater to attract top entertainment and top talent, this was embarrassing. Talk less. Smile more. Hopefully our ill-mannered and unrefined theatergoers aren’t helpless.
Yes, the Jazz in the playoffs is a big deal. By all means, watch the game. But in the theater? Where people have spent money and don’t deserve to be distracted by your dumb screen light every few minutes? Where actors have spent years honing their craft in order to make their performance worth your money?
No. Not there. There is no excuse. Don’t do it. Just don’t.
Embarrass your wife and she may just keep the TV off for the entire series. Keep out of trouble and double your choices.
In fact, one could argue that behaving in such a ridiculous way jinxed the Jazz into losing Game One and possibly throwing away their shot.
The offenders from Sunday’s matinee need to find their Hamilton playbill, or perhaps stop by the theater to purchase a collector’s item, trek to the Jazz shrine in downtown Salt Lake, and make an offering to appease the basketball gods. Do or die.
Because in Salt Lake you can be a new man.