Post-Gazette Theater Trips

UPDATED: March 31, 2008

Sunday, January 15, 2006

BOOKING NOW! The annual spring Broadway ShowPlane flies to New York City, April 30-March 4. This trip is called "Stars on Broadway," since the four shows feature such as Christine Baranksi, Harvey Fierstein, Tom Wopat, Mark Rylance, Bradley Whitford, Kelli O'Hara, Faith Prince and Sutton Foster, not to mention Mel Brooks.

The included shows are "Boeing Boeing," a 1960s farce; "South Pacific," starring O'Hara and Brazilian opera star Paulo Szot; "A Catered Affair," a new musical comedy; and Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein."

For a fuller description and more details, click here.

To get your name on the Broadway list or for more info, contact Jackie or Candi at Gulliver's Travels (412-441-3131; 1-800-848-4084; Jackie@gulliverstvls.com). For more on the shows, contact Chris Rawson (412-263-1666 or crawson@post-gazette.com).

COMPLETED: Our early spring 2008 Critic's Choice theater tour to London was a lot of fun. Here is Chris Rawson's informal journal of the trip, and here is his package of brief reviews.

COMPLETED: The 86th PG ShowPlane went to Broadway, Nov. 14-18, 2007, under the flag, "Forever Young." It encountered the stagehands strike, but we had a good time anyway, filling in with the few continuing Broadway shows and with off-Broadway and the other delights of New York. Rawson wrote about the trip in his online On Stage Journal.

COMPLETED: The Sept. 12-16 motorcoach tour to the Shaw Festival had the usual delightful time.

COMPLETED: The July 11-15 coach trip to both the Shaw and Stratford Festivals included three shows at the Shaw and four at Stratford. Read Shaw Fest reviews here; read Stratford reviews of 'Merchant' and 'My One and Only' here and of 'Comedy' and 'Mockingbird' here.

COMPLETED: The Spring Broadway ShowPlane, May 2-6, featured "The Pirate Queen," "Legally Blonde," "Frost/Nixon" and "Curtains". Read a review of the three musicals and another review of 'Frost/Nixon' and 'Deuce.'

COMPLETED: The London Critic's Choice tour, March 5-12, was a great success. You can read Chris Rawson's day-by-day London Journal here.

For more than 30 years the Post-Gazette has sponsored ShowPlanes and Critic's Choice theater trips to New York, London, the Canadian festivals and elsewhere (Dublin, Toronto).

ShowPlanes are conducted by experienced tour guides from Gullivers Travels in Pittsburgh and accompanied by PG theater critic Christopher Rawson, staying at premium hotels and often including extensive sightseeing extras.

Critic's Choice tours are smaller, with fewer frills, usually led by Rawson alone. They include plenty of time for individual options.

Rawson chooses the plays to be seen, provides background and leads discussions. Other arrangements are coordinated by Paul and Jackie Busang of Gullliver's Travels, 460 S. Graham St., Pittsburgh PA 15232-1210.

Trips are announced in the Post-Gazette about three months in advance, followed by mailings to those who have expressed interest. To receive mailings or for detailed information on specific trips, contact Gulliver's Travels (412-441-3131; 1-800-848-4084; Jackie@gulliverstvls.com). For questions about the plays, contact Rawson (412-263-1666; 1-800-234-9660; crawson@post-gazette.com).

2008 Schedule

• London critic's choice, March 9-16

• Broadway ShowPlane, April 30-May 4

• Shaw and Stratford Festivals, July 9-13

• Shaw Festival, Sept. 10-13

• Broadway ShowPlane, T.B.A. (Nov.)

Some Past Trips Completed

• March 5-12, 2007, London Critic's Choice: A week-long trip to London including "Equus" (starring Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths), "The Tempest" (starring Patrick Stewart), "The Entertainer" (starring Robert Lindsay) and "Billy Elliot." Chris Rawson's first review was of 'Boeing Boeing,' with an interview with Mark Rylance. He posted daily reports, gathered as a London Journal, March 6-12

• Nov. 15-19, 2006, New York ShowPlane:

Four days in New York based at the Marrriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square included the hit London musical comedy, "Mary Poppins"; the 2006 Tony-winner for Best Musical, the charming and comic "The Drowsy Chaperone"; Disney's excitingly staged "Tarzan" musical; and "Gray Gardens," a comedy-drama about the Bouvier family, starring Christine Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson, which won rave reviews last year off-Broadway. (Reviews of these three are here.)

• Sept. 12-15, 2006, Shaw Festival, Ontario, Canada: Included Michael O'Brien's "The Invisible Man" (after H.G. Wells), Arthur Miller's "The Cruicible," Lilian Groag's "Magic Fire" and Ruth and Augustus Goetz' "The Heiress" (after Henry James). The optional extra was Chekhov's "Love Among the Russians." For reviews, click here.

• July 12-16, 2006, Shaw and Stratford Festivals, Ontario, Canada: A bus tour that included two comedies and a musical at the Shaw, two comedies and a musical at Stratford and two optional extras. At the Shaw: Shaw's "Arms and the Man," Noel Coward's "Design for Living," Cole Porter's High Society." At Stratford: Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," Dion Boucicault's "London Assurance" and Lionel Bart's "Oliver!" Plus backstage tour, welcoming dinner, picnic in the park. For Shaw Festival reviews; for Stratford Festival reviews.

• April 26-30, 2006, New York ShowPlane: Included "Ring of Fire," new musical with more than 38 songs made famous by Johnny Cash; "The Pajama Game," charismatic hit revival starring Harry Connick Jr. and Kelli O'Hara; "Tarzan," newest musical from Disney, with a score by Phil Collins; and "The History Boys," Alan Bennett's funny, moving drama about politics, class and growing up. Read reviews of these N.Y. shows and others by searching on the PG homepage and in Rawson's On Stage Journal.

• March 5-12, 2006, London Critic's Choice: Such stars as Diana Rigg, Jeremy Irons, Matthew Modine, Maximillian Schell, Neve Campbell and David Suchet appeared in "Honour," "Embers," "Resurrection Blues" and "Once in a Lifetime." Read news from this trip on Rawson's On Stage Journal and London reviews here.

More Coverage from some recent trips

Note that more New York reviews can be found using the search box on the PG home page.

London

'Mary Poppins,' Webber's 'White' grace London's West End, April 3, 2005

All's well in the West End: Dench, Bourne and Gambon offset dreariness of 'Chitty Chitty' musical, April 4, 2004

Stage Review: Strindberg wouldn't recognize 'Dream Play,' April 2, 2005

Stage Review: Bennett's 'History Boys' is a class apart, March 28, 2005

Stage Review: Spacey stages 'National Anthems,' with Pittsburgh links, at Old Vic, March 21, 2005

Theater Review: Schiller's tragedy of Spanish empire is classic play, March 19, 2005

Broadway

Reviews: 'Jersey Boys,' 'Light in the Piazza' have their charms: Musical showcases, Dec. 11, 2005

On Stage: Broadway teems with Pittsburgh talent, May 08, 2005