Tommy Tune Headlines Playbill Travel’s ‘Broadway by the Sea’

Tommy Tune headlines Playbill Travel’s ‘Broadway by the Sea’ at the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Dec. 8-15, 2014 (photo: Monica Simoes)

Broadway and TV star Cheyenne Jackson (Behind the Candelabra, 30 Rock, Xanadu, Finian’s Rainbow) joins the star-filled lineup of performers at Playbill Travel’s first resort-based program. An expansion of the brand’s popular “Broadway on the High Seas” series, “Broadway by the Sea” is taking over the luxury, AAA Five-Diamond St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico for a program combining the best of live Broadway entertainment with an idyllic tropical location and a myriad of onsite activities.

Priced starting at $7790 per room, based on single or double occupancy, the 8-day/7-night “Broadway by the Sea” program is scheduled from December 8-15, 2014.

Jackson joins nine-time Tony winner Tommy Tune (Seesaw, My One and Only, Nine, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, Grand Hotel, The Will Rogers Follies), Tony winner Laura Benanti (Gypsy), “Smash” star Megan Hilty, Tony winner Faith Prince (Guys and Dolls), Tony winner Paulo Szot (South Pacific), Tony winner Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line), and, returning by popular demand for her third Playbill adventure, two-time Tony winner Christine Ebersole (42^nd Street, Grey Gardens).

Playbill’s own Seth Rudetsky will return as well as Master of Ceremonies and music director. “Broadway on the High Seas” founding partner Judy Perl and Judy Perl Worldwide Travel will once again serve as the exclusive Playbill Travel Program provider, coordinating all aspects of the new travel initiative from resort scheduling to guest travel arrangements.

“Broadway by the Sea” program highlights include:

• Exclusive star performances, interviews, meet-and-greets; late night “Playbill After Dark” activities; and more from award-winning talent
• Daytime programs including dance classes hosted by Donna McKechnie and Commercial Theatre Institute seminars on producing Broadway shows
• Golf at St. Regis Bahia Beach’s Robert Trent Jones Jr. Golf Course and the nearby Trump International, home of the PGA Puerto Rican Open
• “Broadway by the Sea” golf tournament with World Golf Hall of Famer Chi Chi Rodriguez
• Fine dining at onsite gourmet restaurants including Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Fern
• Tennis, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, bicycling, nature tours, hiking
• Remède spa
• Onsite Athletic Center
• Beautiful private beach, oceanside pool esplanade, outdoor hot tub, poolside grill, and optional private cabanas with butler service

“The genesis of ‘Broadway on the High Seas’ was to bring together theater lovers who love travel,” explains Playbill President & CEO Philip S. Birsh. “We had no idea when we started our cruises in 2011, that they would be met with such a remarkable reception from the public and community alike. In less than three years, our 650-plus Playbill travel guests have visited more than a dozen countries including Tahiti, Italy, Greece, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Poland, and Germany. Our esteemed roster of performers includes some of the greatest talents the stage has ever known. We’re excited that Playbill Travel will allow us to keep traveling the world with interesting people, great destinations and extraordinary talent.”

For information or reservations, call Judy Perl Worldwide Travel at 1-866-572-7847 or email jperl@judyperltravel.com. Online, visit www.judyperltravel.com and www.PlaybillTravel.com.

 

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New London Walking Tour Delves Into Legacy of England’s Legal System

Context, organizer of acclaimed walking tours, is expanding its programs on culture and history with an innovative tour delving into the development and eccentricities of the English legal system.

During the new walk, Of Inns and Wigs, Understanding Legal London, Context experts and former barristers take visitors through the Inns of Court; a labyrinth located just off the busy Strand dotted with secluded squares, alleyways and courtyards. This hidden area, where tourists would not normally wander on their own, has been home to the legal profession since the Middle Ages and is when students of law first came to study and live.

In addition to tracing the evolution of the legal system, the walk features many architectural gems of the heart of London including the 12th-century Temple Church (once the headquarters of the medieval Knights Templar and later remodelled by Sir Christopher Wren), the Tudor gateway at Lincoln’s Inn to the Georgian splendors of New Square and the Victorian grandeur of the Royal Courts of Justice.

“The English legal system and its codes have always fascinated foreigners,” notes Petulia Melideo, head of Context’s UK operations. “This walk grants a unique window into this secretive world, but also explores its quirks such as barristers’ ubiquitous horsehair wigs and the codes of court.”

Of Inns and Wigs, Understanding Legal London lasts three hours and is available Monday through Friday. Group walks cost £70 per person. Private tours cost £280 per party. As with all Context walking seminars, groups are led by a credentialed expert and limited to six (6) people maximum.

Founded by National Geographic writer Paul Bennett and designer Lani Bevacqua, Context Travel is a network of English-speaking scholars and professionals, including art historians, writers, architects and gastronomes, who organize and lead walking seminars in twenty-four (24) world cities, including: Florence, Rome, Venice, Naples, Paris, London, Edinburgh, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Istanbul, Athens, Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Tokyo, and Kyoto. A certified B Corporation, Context Travel was named one of the fastest growing American companies in 2011 by Inc Magazine. Travel + Leisure has called Context one of the top European tour companies for its innovative approach to travel and the depth of its programs. More information atwww.contexttravel.com.

 

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TourCrafters Offers D-Day Anniversary Trip to Paris and Normandy Beaches

If ever you thought about visiting Normandy and the D-Day Beaches, this —the 70^th anniversary of D-Day—is the year to do it. It’s also an amazing World War II history lesson for the kids’ spring vacation.

To commemorate the anniversary, TourCrafters has designed a 7-Day/6-Night D-Day package that starts at $1,659 per person, based on four persons traveling together.

TourCrafters’ land-only price includes three nights hotel accommodation in Paris, three nights in Bayeux, daily buffet breakfast, round-trip 1^st-class train Paris-Bayeux, transfers to and from the rail stations and a tour of the D-Day Landing Beaches. It does not include air fare. Departures are daily through October.

There’s free time to explore the “City of Light,” to see the Eiffel Tower, visit the Louvre and Notre Dame, walk around the beguiling streets of the Left Bank, have a croque monsieur in a café, or even take a photogenic Bateau Mouche cruise on the River Seine.  The Paris hotel, the 4-star Emeraude Louvre Montana boasts a perfect location—steps from the Tuileries and the Louvre—and a friendly, helpful staff.

In Bayeux, the  first  French  city to be  liberated in June of 1944, you  will be picked up for a D-Day Tour of the American Sector, to visit Omaha Beach where the Americans landed, to see the site of the German gun battery at Pointe du Hoc (where Rangers famously scaled the impossible 100-foot cliffs), and to wander through the thousands of white crosses and Stars of David in the very moving American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.  There’s also free time in Bayeux, to stroll its medieval streets, tour its 11^th-century cathedral, visit the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy, and see the famed Bayeux Tapestry, a 230-foot embroidery that tells the story of William the Conqueror’s invasion of England.  The charming 3-star Hotel Churchill has an equally perfect location—in the very center of Bayeux—and its lovely, gracious  owner speaks perfect English.

All prices quoted are per person, double occupancy, and are subject to availability.  (They are higher from April to August.) For additional information about the land-only  70^th Anniversary D-Day package, visit http://sales.tourcrafters.com/tour.lasso?ID=220.  For reservations, call 800-482-5995.

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Father’s Day Travel Gift Idea for Vintage Car Enthusiast: Kensington Tours’ Magical Monterey Motorsport Weekend

With Father’s Day swiftly approaching, Kensington Tours is offering the perfect mancation — a magical, once-in-a-lifetime Monterey Motorsport weekend in sunny California. From the Concourse D’Elegance on the sacred greens of Pebble Beach to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at the famed Laguna Seca Track, this is the fully loaded adventure that Dad’s dreams are made of.

Kensington Tours, North America’s leading tour operator specializing in custom privately-guided adventures, has expertly designed the over-the-top journey to bring the fantasies surrounding vintage cars to life for motorsport enthusiasts. Dote on Dad for his special day and treat him to the epic event the “Kensington Way”!

Relish an experience filled with champagne, world-class sights, luxury suites and historic tales, during a weekend spent in the event’s VIP sections with private pit tours at the Motorsport Reunion and exclusive access to the invitation only Chairman’s section of the Concours D’Elegance. The highlight of this extraordinary trip will undoubtedly be your exclusive opportunity to view the Rolex Reunion race from the WWII Bomber Jet “Heavenly Body” that will fly over the race. Don’t miss your chance to be one of five people in the crowd to take in the aerial view Laguna Seca from aboard the historic jet!

The five-day, four-night package is available for an August 17, 2012 departure. Rates start at $17,895 per person and are based on double occupancy. For more information visit http://www.kensingtontours.com/Tours/North-America/United-States/California/5-Day-Monterey-Motorsport-Weekend or call (888) 903-2001.

Kensington Tours offers custom and private guided tours to over 90 countries worldwide. The flexibility of Kensington’s offerings results in tailor-made journeys that are carefully handcrafted to deliver personalized adventures like no other company. Kensington Tours was named to “World’s Best Awards 2011” by Travel + Leisure Magazine and named one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth,” by the editors of National Geographic Adventure Magazine.

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