It was about as wet and foggy as a romanticized vision of Tudor England could be on Wednesday night, when Showtime Networks held court at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers with the stars of its royal drama for the premiere of The Tudors' second season. To make the cast feel at home, transport the 500 guests, and get some great advertising in the process, the cable network, led by director of promotions and partnerships Larry Kieran, worked with partner One Source Visual Marketing Solutions to make over the facade of the hotel as a castle.
Actors Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Natalie Dormer, and the commendably persistent Peter O'Toole all took to the red carpet, which drew the attention of several dozen photographers and hundreds of Sheraton guests. Behind the small tent on the carpet, the hotel's giant rotunda was draped in mesh vinyl with a stone pattern, carefully placed windows that aligned with the building's, and brightly colored polyfabric banners featuring photographs of the cast.
One Source produced the jacket in its Long Island City manufacturing facility. "This was a huge undertaking," vice president Michael Frank said. "There's a lot that needs to be lined up."
Ideas for the event had been tossed around for months, but it wasn't until three weeks ago that the team finalized its plans for dressing the building like a castle. The plan excited everyone, and Showtime was eager to get as much bang for its buck as possible. Luckily, the hotel agreed to give the spectacle a standing gig through the series' March 30 debut. "Sheraton ended up being the perfect venue," Frank said. "What was just a premiere party is now lasting three weeks."
After the red carpet, Condé Nast Traveler hosted a prescreening reception inside the rotunda, where the modest interior decor emphasized the Emmy-winning costumes from the series. Six of the ornate outfits (previously seen being ripped apart in some of the first season's many love scenes) dotted the perimeter of the room, the Sheraton's regular striped wallpaper was swathed in red velvet, and a customized Tudors version of the Showtime logo, depicting the word "Sho" in a red wax stamp, was featured on the walls and in floral arrangements.
The crowd moved across the street at 7:30 p.m. for the premiere screening at the Equitable Center, and later, those who still craved more Tudors were welcomed back to the hotel for a party thrown by Starwood. The hosts are so happy with the promotion that they'll be leaving the branded furnishings up as long as the sophisticated billboard graces the front of the building.
