Audiences at the Century Downtown Plaza 7 theater were required to leave the building tonight when a fire alarm went off at approximately 9pm. Among the affected were the lucky (until that moment) viewers of a word of mouth screening of the upcoming release “State of Play” – including many members of the local media for whom it doubled as a press screening (myself included).

After audiences vacated the theater, the alarm was silenced and the (now diminished) crowd returned. However, there appeared to be a problem with the system as the strobe lights remained on and the alarm sounded again (with little to no response from the now jaded audience). Despite the presence of the fire department, it was announced that the alarm could not be reset and the screenings were ultimately canceled.

Watch the local press for “State of Play” reviews this week and don’t be surprised by comments about incendiary plot developments, mass audience walk-outs, or the alarming ending. In fairness, the movie was pretty good up until that point - but the highlight was the observation, by a popular onscreen local reporter, that it’s illegal to scream “theater” in a crowded fireplace.