Hollywood Boulevard is known to be busy on any day of the week and it is easy to get lost among the many celebrity impersonators and local vendors. However, once freed from this tourist-trap, it is not difficult to stumble upon the sites that are truly worth seeing like Hollywood’s Laserium Cyber Theatre.
The Laserium, located at the Vine Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. opened on June 25th, 2009. The new theatre hopes to bring back the retro laser shows that had been so popularly presented at the Griffith Observatory from the early ‘70s until the start of the millennium.
Laserium’s 29-year run at the Observatory ended in 2002 when the planetarium closed for remodeling. When the Observatory reopened in 2006, it was clear that the newly renovated planetarium would be used solely for educational purposes and not for entertainment.
After being rejected by the new Observatory, Laserium advocates were forced to search for a new venue to support the laser shows. It was then that they discovered the Vine Theatre.
The Vine Theatre did not disappoint when it came to the matter of sound quality. A good sound system is crucial for a good show, because the music plays a major part in creating that out-of-body and space-like sensation.
While music blasts from all corners of the large auditorium-style theatre, bright lasers of green, red, and blue soar over the audience and all around the room.
In contrast to Observatory shows, which were projected only overhead, the new Laserium provides a 3D experience. Lights fly out into the crowd and appear to touch the audience.
"The best way to see everything is not to look at anything," said CV alumnus Brian Nolte.
Live laserists ensure that each show will be different from the last. Feedback is important to these technicians who, like most performers, thrive on the excitement of their audience. It is definitely important to make the artists aware when their work is most appreciated in order to guarantee the best show possible.
The Laserium puts on 12 shows per week, synchronizing the 3D laser shows to music of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. The Pink Floyd and Beatles shows are the most popular of the three and are shown every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening, whereas the Led Zeppelin show is featured on only Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Shows are approximately 45 minutes in length.
In addition to the classic shows, there are several Special Attraction shows featuring well-known Billboard topping artists.
Ticket prices for the classic shows range from $10 to $15 and can be purchased either online or at the Vine Theatre Box Office.
Laser technicians open each show with a friendly reminder that as there is no smoking – of anything – permitted inside the theatre spectators should "come prepared".
The music of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and of course, the Beatles can be appreciated by members of any age group, and although drug-related undertones of the ‘60s and ‘70s may not be completely absent, it is clear that the laser show is meant to be a family-friendly production. Viewers of all ages, tourists and locals alike, are welcome to enjoy the Laserium.