When Cirque du Soleil tumbles into the Kodak Theatre later this month for its Tinseltown debut, some Hollywood businesses are expecting to cash in on the high-flying spectacle. But others are afraid they may not get in on the act.
Hotels, restaurants and other attractions near the Kodak’s home, the Hollywood & Highland center, are anticipating a boost in business thanks to “Iris,” which is the name of Cirque’s $100 million, 10-year production that will be shown at the home of the Oscars.
But as excitement over “Iris” builds – the preview performances kick off July 21 – businesses on the eastern edge of Hollywood, closer to Vine Street, fear they could be too far away to catch the show’s spotlight. While the two areas are separated by less than a mile, they seem much farther apart because of traffic and other woes such as parking.
“It can be a challenge to have a decent dinner experience (in east Hollywood) and drive roughly eight-tenths of a mile down Hollywood Boulevard,” said Kerry Morrison, executive director of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance and chief administrator of the Sunset and Hollywood business improvement districts, “especially on a weekend evening when it could be a 30-minute drive when you look at traffic congestion and crosswalk congestion.”
So Morrison and business owners have been cooking up strategies to get theatergoers to visit their side of Hollywood before taking in a showing of “Iris.” For example, Morrison has been looking into the use of pedicabs, rickshaw-style cycles. That means people could park their car and eat at a restaurant on Hollywood near Vine, for example, and then take a pedicab to the Kodak – instead of reparking their cars at Hollywood & Highland.
Meanwhile, businesses close to the Kodak already have started promotions tied to “Iris.”
“We’ve been anticipating this for almost three years and it’s now finally coming to fruition,” said Bruce Gorelick, general manager at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa at the Hollywood & Highland complex, which is offering a Cirque du Soleil vacation package from July through September. “Cirque has done a great job to create a buzz with preview activity and press conferences to get the word out. And we’ve done our part to get the word out.”
Cirque – which is spending millions on advertising to generate awareness for “Iris” – has been working with some local hotels, restaurants and tour operators on package deals.
“We want to give an opportunity to those industries to capitalize on our show,” said Daniel Lamarre, president and chief executive at Cirque, during a phone interview with the Business Journal. “So that means concierge programs with hotels and packaging tickets of ‘Iris’ with restaurants. Right now, we are overwhelmed by the response of the community.”
Show business
Still, some Hollywood-area businesses believe the transportation kinks need to be worked out before they can bask in Cirque’s glory.
Morrison said a local entrepreneur has put together a business plan for pedicabs that would cost people about $6 to $10 to ride – similar to what it costs to take a cab from Vine to Highland. Morrison is floating the business plan by L.A.’s Taxicab Commission and Councilman Eric Garcetti, whose district includes the Kodak. Tom Drischler, administrator at the commission, has expressed interest in a pedicab pilot program.
Meanwhile, Morrison and business owners also have been looking to the subway as a possible solution: Theatergoers could ride the subway from Pasadena, the San Fernando Valley or downtown Los Angeles to the Hollywood and Vine stop, for example, grab dinner at a nearby restaurant and then hop back on the subway for a two-minute ride to the Hollywood and Highland station.
Morrison met last week with executives at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority about doing promotions to encourage theatergoers to take the subway.
“They do have some things planned with Cirque directed toward existing riders, advertising on the subway or the bus system,” Morrison said. “But we stressed with them that there is an opportunity to reach a whole different audience, to change the paradigm of the entertainment experience in Hollywood.”
Lee Maen, a partner at West Hollywood restaurant operator Innovative Dining Group, which operates Delphine Eatery & Bar in the W Hollywood Hotel, agrees. But he acknowledged that it could be a challenge getting people to ride the public transportation system.
“We have the subway right below us and the next stop is Hollywood & Highland,” Maen said. “But the question is: Are people willing to take the subway? We are hoping to get people to utilize it.”
Maen said the MTA should offer free subway rides between Hollywood and Vine and Hollywood & Highland during the first several months of “Iris’” debut so people can become familiar with the system.
One business owner is taking matters into his own hands.
Richard Falzone, owner at Off Vine Restaurant near Vine and Sunset, has reached out to Cirque to put together a dinner and ticket package that would include free valet parking.
“Even though it’s not that far away, I’m sure people just want to park, eat and go to the theater,” Falzone said. “So hopefully with these parking incentives, we will get them down this way.”
High hopes
Meanwhile, businesses within walking distance of the Kodak are excited about “Iris,” especially since the theater has faced increased competition from other venues such as the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live.
Cirque expects “Iris” to draw about 700,000 people to the area annually. The show is inspired by the world of cinema, drawing on the craft of movie-making and different genres such as silent films, gangster movies and westerns.
“I’d say it’s probably one of the biggest things to happen to what I call the center of Hollywood,” said Don Jacinto, general manager at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel just west of the Kodak. “To know that the ‘Iris’ show will be attracting visitors to Hollywood eight times a week is something that will be a big boost to the restaurants and hotels in the area, and also attract international clientele.”
Jacinto said he’s working to develop a promotion that could include a preshow dinner package.
The Renaissance is using its website and Facebook page to promote a Cirque vacation package that includes deluxe rooms, valet parking and a 25 percent discount on regular performance “Iris” tickets.
The Renaissance’s Gorelick said the number of rooms booked at the hotel for the summer is up 30 percent over last summer. He attributes part of the increase to “Iris,” which has already led to reservations from domestic corporations and international tour groups that have purchased blocks of tickets for the show.
LA Inc., the city’s convention and visitors bureau, has formed partnerships with 25 hotels, including the W Hollywood, Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills and JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. Live, on various Cirque specials. The bureau is set roll out a Cirque page on its website with links to the different deals.
Meanwhile, L.A.-area restaurants are looking to jump on the “Iris” bandwagon.
Grill on Hollywood at Hollywood & Highland, for example, is planning to serve Canadian beers and cocktails made with liquors from Canadian distilleries when preview performances begin, in homage to Cirque’s home country. The restaurant is also scheduled to host Montreal chef Jean-Pierre Curtat for a week around the official opening of “Iris” on Sept. 25. Curtat is crafting a prix-fixe menu featuring Canadian dishes. The Grill and other nearby restaurants are negotiating dinner and ticket packages with Cirque executives.
John Sola, executive vice president of operations at Woodland Hills-based Grill Concepts Inc., which operates the Grill, expects to see the restaurant’s average weekly guest count of 1,600 jump 15 percent to 25 percent thanks to “Iris.”
While Sola is anticipating a dose of business from Cirque, the other side of town is taking a more measured view.
“It will be interesting to see if people come down here,” said Off Vine’s Falzone. “That’s our biggest hurdle. But we’re looking forward to it, and putting our best foot forward.”
