Laserium is back.
And it’s come down from its perch at Griffith Park to help rock the Hollywood renaissance.
The music-driven laser light show, which was in its heyday during the hazy, pot-laden ’70s, recently reopened at a theater near the W Hotel and retail complex, set to open this fall.
For those who haven’t kept track, the local Laserium light show actually had a three-decade run and only went dark in 2002 when the Griffith Observatory, its longtime home, closed for an extensive remodel.
But when the observatory re-opened in 2006, the show couldn’t return because a grant used to partially fund the nearly $100 million renovation didn’t allow shows solely with entertainment value.
That prompted Ivan Dryer, who launched the show in 1973, and a friend, Stephen Wyle, now chief executive of Laserium, to look for a new location; they settled on the Vine Theatre deep in the heart of Hollywood, where young hipsters are currently rediscovering all things psychedelic.
Funding for the new show came from Fourtress Development Group, which solicited small investments in the tens of thousands of dollars. Fourtress founder Jonathan Todd, now marketing vice president for Laserium, said the two companies formed a perfect fit.
“We wanted individuals to allow us to provide our vision of what was valuable over time without having to accept what a corporation was telling us they wanted to be done,” Todd said.
However, Laserium is still open to corporate sponsorship of its three shows: two-hour sets of laser shows set to the music of Pink Floyd, Beatles and Led Zeppelin three mega groups that until recent times, at least, avoided cashing in on their fame.
Tickets are $12 for standard shows, and $18 for shows preceded by “Light Dance,” an interactive attraction that allows audience members to get on stage and change the music with body movements.
Kerry Morrison, executive director of the Hollywood Entertainment District, which promotes development in the area, said Laserium is “a definite positive addition to that particular block. It adds a lot of life.”
Just remember: Times have changed. California law bars indoor smoking.
