Crain's New York - February 25, 2013 - (Page 3)

Cinderella stages marketing magic Broadway show’s backers are having a ball with all the cross-promotions ✴ BY DANIEL GEIGER Three weeks ago, when the oncefamous club Marquee reopened in Chelsea after a nearly yearlong hiatus, it drew hordes of spectators gawking at celebrities, socialites and three dwarves all dressed as Marie Antoinette. For a moment, it almost seemed as though the wild old days of nightlife on Manhattan’s far West Side were back, but nothing could be further from the truth. Once, more than a dozen clubs with names like Twilo, Crobar and Mansion flourished and crime rates spiked in the middle of what was otherwise an industrial wasteland. ✴ ✴ THE PALACE HOTEL offers ✴ weekend Cinderella-themed brunches with a menu that includes “fairy godmother frittatas” and “Princess Bellini martinis.” Guests can upgrade to a package with hotel accommodation and in-room amenities like slipper-shaped chocolates. ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ A “DREAM DATE” sweepstakes sponsored by WNBC-TV features two tickets, a Rent the Runway gift card for a designer frock, and car service. Winners announced this week. West Side’s nightlife turns tame Today, only a handful survive in a neighborhood now best known not as a vice capital but as the local home of Google and soon the Whitney Museum—the ’hood with an elevated park (and a lot of tourists) running through it. “It’s a totally different neighborhood now,” said Noah Tepperberg, one of the founders of Marquee, recalling the area’s heyday about five years ago when thousands of rowdy patrons would pour into what became known at Club Land, the blocks between West 26th and West 28th streets from 10th to 11th avenues. As office tenants have moved in, residential buildings have risen, art galleries have blossomed and the High Line has taken off, a select few club operators have honed their acts, and are surviving and even prosper- Charmings can propose onstage. A police officer successfully did so after a recent show, generating numerous news stories. ✴ ✴ IN THE BOROUGHS MANHATTAN Wild days are over as new clubs reach out to much-altered ’hood ✴ WOULD-BE Prince jenny anderson Robyn Goodman was immediately interested when approached about producing Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella on Broadway for the first time. Just thinking about the story’s romance and score made her giddy. And then, of course, there were the marketing opportunities. “Cinderella is a beloved brand,” said Ms. Goodman, who won Tony Awards for producing Avenue Q and In the Heights. “I what an advantage that was.” $175-$575 understoodgood fairy godmothers, she and But like A PAIR her partners sprinkled magic on their baby. A line of CinderellaA Broadway veteran updated the story inspired shoes from Stuart Weitzman, to carry a more empowering message co-designer of the for girls. A five-time Tony show’s glass slippers winner designed the (above, not for sale). sumptuous costumes. And executives conjured up a marketing campaign with Stuart Weitzman, the New York Palace hotel and Brooks Brothers, among others. The show even permits Prince Charmings to propose to their beloveds onstage after performances (there’s been one so far—she said yes—and another is expected next month). The production will also arrange princess-themed parties. The efforts have generated reams of press in outlets ranging from The New Yorker to gossipmonger Perez Hilton’s blog. See CINDERELLA on Page 27 ✴ tea with Cinderella? Princess theme parties can be arranged before the show. ing by catering to the new crowd. In these far tamer days, John Meadow, an executive at club owner LDV Hospitality, is seeing big business not in drawing hordes of singing, dancing and drinking clubgoers but tapping into the residents and office workers who now dominate the local landscape and are looking for a slightly quieter or earlier night out. He is also eager to convince community leaders that “club”doesn’t mean at all what it used to, as he did last year when he opened No. 8, a spinoff of Bungalow 8, one of the most popular venues in the Club Land era until its closing three years ago. When the local community board discovered that a founder of the original Bungalow 8 was linked as an adviser to the new venue and The area ‘is totally different now’ Rats AND THE CITY STATS PESTILENCE: The city’s rat problem has been exacerbated by Superstorm Sandy, whose floodwaters sent rodents scurrying inland. 15.2% 1947 INITIAL INSPECTIONS conducted in the Bronx that failed the rat test in 2011, highest rate in the five boroughs FIRST YEAR that construction of every new dwelling in the city had to be rat-proof $2K MAXIMUM PENALTY for property owners for each rodent violation 1,713 124K INITIAL PEST-CONTROL INSPECTIONS conducted in fiscal 2012, up 8.8% from 2011 Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Twitter FOLLOWERS of the L Train Rat, who has been tweeting while aboard the subway line since March 2010 istockphoto BY THERESA AGOVINO ✴ ✴ WANT TO DON A TIARA and sip ADDICTED TO NUMBERS? GET A DAILY DOSE AT @STATSANDTHECITY See W. SIDE on Page 26 February 25, 2013 | Crain’s New York Business | 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crain's New York - February 25, 2013

IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
OPINION
ALAIR TOWNSEND
GREG DAVID
REPORT: DIGITAL NY
THE LIST
CLASSIFIEDS
FOR THE RECORD
REAL ESTATE DEALS
SMALL BUSINESS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crain's New York - February 25, 2013