UPDATED LASERIUM GOES FROM OBSERVATORY TO CSUN.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

NORTHRIDGE - Ending 20 months of darkness, Laserium announced Monday that it will enjoy a regular run at California State University, Northridge's Donald E. Bianchi Planetarium.

Without a permanent home since the Griffith Observatory shuttered for renovation early last year, the Van Nuys-based company revived the popular laser shows set to classic rock tunes by the likes of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles.

At the observatory, its host for 30 years, Chief Executive Officer Ivan Dryer said Laserium grossed more than $1 million a year, making its loss a big blow.

``That was our flagship,'' Dryer said. ``It was a pretty tough couple years. We filled in with other activities, but that was tough.''

Under its new relationship with CSUN, already in effect and running for at least another three months, Laserium has a smaller dome, 40 feet instead of 75 feet in diameter, and a smaller audience, 100 people compared with 600. But while the dimensions are cozier - thus limiting ticket revenue for the 17 weekly shows - Dryer says the show has improved. With this incarnation, the material is still the same, including the Zeppelin and Pink Floyd shows, as well as the variety ``Laser Amazement'' and a Beatles show, but features different technology. With a CSDL laser, the program's three rotating ``laserists'' can blast the darkened dome with two color channels for animation and neon effects and 14 different fuzzy laser clouds known as lumia.

``Our three-watt laser appears brighter and bigger on the dome,'' he said. ``We have a much better sound system now, with a subwoofer they wouldn't let us use at Griffith. They had a plaster dome, and they were afraid we'd bring it down. That would have been a great show for a little while, but it would have been a one-shot deal, I guess.''

Though not the sensation they once were, says David Lytle, executive director of the International Laser Display Association, the shows have never lost their mystique. With a solid fan base and a regular stream of newcomers, he thinks the shows can still survive outside their famed location.

``Wherever Laserium is, I think it'll draw a crowd,'' Lytle said. ``It's not as popular as the '70s because the novelty's worn off after 30 years. But if you bring in people who've never seen it, you'll get a sizable chunk who'll want to come back and see it again because they think it's the most amazing thing they've ever seen.''

Adding the CSUN performances, running Thursdays through Sundays, will be only the first step in Dryer's plan to return the company to full strength.

In the first half of 2004, he plans to open the Cyberdome, a high-tech replacement that allows audience movement to control the images and music, in Hollywood. He's eyed the project for several years, and now seems confident that it's finally nearing reality. If it's a success, he looks to franchise the concept worldwide and also has entered talks to add Laserium technology to a Los Angeles dance club. He also plans on keeping the CSUN shows running while he expands the company's scope.

Though running off the same elements it has for 30 years, spacey rock music married to ethereal images tripping across the dome, Dryer says, the shows haven't lost their edge. In the dark period, he says, he received e-mails from 1,700 people seeking relaxation, memories and even romance.

``People find it very sensuous,'' he said. ``We hear it's a great place to go on a date. We even hear about marriage proposals after shows, where the whole thing was conceived around Laserium.''

Brent Hopkins, [phone]

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com