The Boston theater where Chris Rock will hit the stage for the first time since his Oscars smackdown is requiring the audience to lock up their cellphones during the show.
The Wilbur Theatre in Beantown says anyone attending the comedian’s sold-out shows Wednesday through Friday will have to put their phones in a special pouch that won’t be accessible until the show is over.
But the security measure is not unheard of — a similar restriction was in place when comedian John Mulaney performed at the venue, a woman answering the phone at the theater said.
Rock’s shows became a must-see following his primetime slap by Will Smith at the Oscars on Sunday — with ticket prices for his 30-city tour soaring in the wake of the viral smackdown.
Smith, who later apologized, became enraged when Rock joked about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her shaved head.
Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, which prompted her to go bald.
Other performers ban cellphones during their performances, including Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan, who did so when they took the stage at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans last year.
According to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, the theater required attendees to put their phones in “Yondr” pouches before the performers took the stage.
Phones are placed into the Yondr pouch and locked up for the duration of the show, with staffers then unlocking the bags after the performance ends.
Boston’s Wilbur Theatre already has strict guidelines for shows there.
According to the venue’s website, cameras and recording devices are prohibited, as is “the use of cell phones,” which are “strictly prohibited during performances.”
The pouch just adds a layer of safeguards to make sure no one sneaks a peek.
