Crains New York - March 25, 2013 - (Page 41)

INSIDE HELLUVA TOWN Source Lunch A documentarian’s point of view PAGE 42 Out and About Pop Art retrospectives at the Whitney PAGE 43 Books on Call on the road Bookstores may be closing right and left under the e-book onslaught, but a sort of traveling bookstore came back to life earlier this month with the launch of Books on Call NYC. The company, which sells books at author readings and other events, is the successor to Mobile Libris, which shut down in December when its owner, Sharon Preiss, retired. “Someone was going to swoop in and fill that niche,” said Books on Call founder Andrea Shane, a former actress and casting director who worked for Ms. Preiss for nearly three years. “And I thought, who better than me, since I know the business.” Ms. Shane will use some of the same freelancers as her predecessor to ferry books, creditcard machines and cash banks to readings around the city. There is one change, however: She will be charging a $100 fee, which she’ll waive if sales top $600. “If I don’t charge, it starts to become a charitable operation,” Ms. Shane said, explaining that e-books have hurt the mobile bookselling business, too. —matthew flamm A TRIP TO THE MOLL: Cynthia Von Buhler’s (near left) popular Speakeasy Dollhouse recently extended its run at a “secret” location on the Lower East Side. Drink the kink Getting into the act Interactive theater experiences prove popular with audiences—and producers O BY ALIX STRAUSS n a Saturday afternoon this month, more than 150 ticket holders decked out in 1930s costumes lined up outside a “hidden” club off Delancey Street. To gain entry, the revelers had to utter a secret password— “cannoli.” Once inside, they followed actors through a number of rooms trying to figure out the mysterious storyline. ¶ The attraction? A show called Speakeasy Dollhouse, one of Manhattan’s newest interactive theater experiences. ¶ “Why watch a performance when you can be part of it?” said Cynthia Von Buhler, the creator, producer and director of Dollhouse, which is based on the murder of her grandfather Frank Spano, who was killed outside a onetime Manhattan speakeasy in 1935. ¶ Speakeasy Dollhouse, which was recently extended because of high demand, is one of a growing number of off-off-Broadway productions popping up around the city in which the audience doesn’t sit down and watch the action onstage. Instead, theatergoers are part of the play like the real actors, allowing them to experience the show on a higher level. ¶ The shows, See AUDIENCES on Page 42 which usually take place in offbeat venues replete with secret hallways buck ennis It is a very kinky case of kismet. The marketing team for Kinky Boots was looking for promotional partners for the new Broadway musical, and stumbled upon Kinky Liqueur, just as the spirit was preparing to launch in New York. A partnership was born, and a new cocktail was created: Kinky Bubbles is a combination of lemon juice, Prosecco and Kinky Liqueur, which is a vodka distilled with mango, passion fruit and blood-orange liqueur. The concoction is available at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where the show, about a struggling British shoe factory that starts making boots for transvestites, opens next month. Kinky Liqueur debuted in New York last month, and its maker hopes the combination of the cocktail, the promotional signs in the theater and its presence at the opening-night party will help spread the word. “It’s great exposure and a natural fit for us,” said Dan Whitmore, national sales manager of St. Paul, Minn.based Crosby Lake Spirits Co., which makes Kinky Liqueur and will underwrite part of the party’s cost. The show “is fun and playful, and that’s the image we want.” —theresa agovino 2 15 NUMBER of Madonna lookalikes appearing in Totally Tubular Time Machine MAXIMUM NUMBER of audience members allowed for each performance of Then She Fell March 25, 2013 | Crain’s New York Business | 41

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - March 25, 2013

In the Boroughs
In the Markets
Real Estate Deals
The Insider
Business People
Opinion
Alair Townsend
Greg David
40 Under 40
Classifieds
For the Record
Small Business
New York, New York
Source Lunch
Out and About
Snaps

Crains New York - March 25, 2013