Theatre and Museums In America's Heartland
Chicago and Minneapolis/Saint Paul

sponsored by tdf




This 5 day 5 night theatre tour features the best of the Midwest. The trip to Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul includes the following: round trip airfare, 2 nights at Minneapolis Marriott Hotel, 3 nights at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago, 5 theatre productions per itinerary, daily breakfast, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, Weisman Gallery of Art tour, Art Institute of Chicago tour, Chicago Architecture cruise and trolley passes in Chicago and Minneapolis.  
Trip price: $1859 (double occupancy), details below.  



Experience the vitality of the theatre community in the heartland of America on our fourth tour to Minneapolis/Saint Paul and Chicago. Share the enthusiasm shown by the Upper Midwest for the innovative theatre projects at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis where we see Bock and Harnick’s She Loves Me and a musical retrospective of Minnesota native Judy Garland entitled Beyond the Rainbow at the American History Theatre in St. Paul. In Chicago we have tickets for three exciting productions. At the Goodman Theatre, a driving force in the American Theatre, we see Silk directed by Mary Zimmerman. At the Steppenwolf Theatre we see the world premiere of Lost Land starring ensemble member John Malkovich. At the Lookingglass Theatre we enjoy The Tragic Tale of Hillbilly Antigone at their exciting new theatre. In addition to these dynamic productions, we tour the renowned Art Institute of Chicago, take an architectural cruise of Chicago, visit the American art collection at the Frank Gehry-designed Frederick Weisman Museum in Minneapolis and have trolley passes to explore both of these fascinating cities.






1.  Wednesday, May 25     New York/Chicago
We depart from New York/LaGuardia on American Airlines at 10:00am, arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport at 11:30 am. After we collect our bags, our guide escorts us to our private motorcoach for a panoramic overview tour of the city, a veritable museum of modern architecture. Chicago is the birthplace of the "skyscraper," and its architects have initiated several international architectural styles and movements, the most notable being the Chicago School and the Prairie School . After lunch (included) we have a walking tour that includes the new Jay Pritzker Pavilion, architect Frank Gehry's soaring outdoor music band shell in Chicago's Millennium Park. This is the latest architectural addition in a city adorned by significant buildings designed by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and other legendary architects. We end our tour at our hotel and check-in at the Palmer House, located ideally in Chicago 's Loop , right in the heart of the city's cultural core, near major museums, theaters and nightlife. The hotel features 4 restaurants, a pool, a fitness room, and many room amenities. There is time to freshen up and relax before our early welcome dinner and our first performance, The Tragic Tale of Hillbilly Antigone at the Lookingglass Theatre. The Flicks and the Wallers have been feuding as long as anyone can remember, and with that old hound Baby Good Boy trespassing again and the railroad coming to Badd Mountain, the feud just heats up. Judge Creon Waller - who has the best hanging rate in the state - is the Mountain's spiritual leader and believes the new machines are against God's plan. For the Flicks, the railroad is a source of financial salvation. Despite the hostilities, Antigone Flick and Creon's son, Harmon, have created a place in their hearts that the feud can't touch. But when Antigone hears Judge Waller declare that the body of her brother Amos is not to be buried, she is forced to take a stand. This new musical, inspired by Sophocles's Antigone, weaves music rooted in the styles of Johnny Cash, June Carter and the Carter Family through a story of the power of redemption.  



2.  Thursday, May 26     Chicago
This morning, following breakfast, we embark on a narrated architectural cruise on the Chicago River aboard Chicago 's First Lady. Sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, this cruise is an illuminating survey of Chicago architecture and design offering unique and optimum views of over 50 buildings. After our cruise and lunch (on own) we continue to the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the world's leading museums, with an outstanding collection of paintings including George Seurat's landmark Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte (1884-86), which was the inspiration for Stephen Sondheim's brilliant Sunday in the Park with George. The remainder of the afternoon is free. This evening we see the world premiere of Lost Land at the Steppenwolf Theatre, featuring ensemble member John Malkovich. In a remote castle in a quiet region of northern Hungary, a mysterious delegate arrives to persuade a beloved, retired politician to claim the reins of power. Set at the end of World War I, when the nation is in a state of collapse, this story confronts the ideas of statehood and personal obligation in times of great political shift.  



3.  Friday, May 27     Chicago
Today is free to discover Chicago at your own pace with an all-day pass for both the Trolley and the Double Decker bus, starting at any stop on the 13-mile route. From the Sears Tower to the Water Tower; from River North to Chicago 's Museum Campus; from State Street to Navy Pier, your pass is all you need to discover the Windy City , past and present, to eat, to shop, and to see the sights. This evening we see our final performance in Chicago at the Goodman Theatre entitled Silk, adapted and directed by Mary Zimmerman from the novel by Alessandro Baricco. Silk tells the story of Hervé Joncour who buys and sells silkworms for a living. His small French town depends on him for its livelihood. Each year Joncour travels to exotic locations around the world to acquire the silkworms. But one year, an epidemic strikes silkworms all over the world, or nearly the whole world. There’s still Japan . And that is where Joncour journeys to meet a wealthy village lord and his beautiful young mistress. There he finds what he’s looking for, and so much more. Mary Zimmerman, known for her visually thrilling productions adapted from exotic texts such as The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci and Metamorphoses for which she won a Tony Award, adapts this erotically charged novel.



4.  Saturday, May 28     Chicago/Minneapolis/St. Paul
After breakfast, we depart from Chicago/O’Hare on American Airlines at 10:25am and arrive at noon in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, the "Twin Cities," both sitting astride the great Mississippi River. Both cities support an enviable contemporary performing and fine arts scene showcasing their vibrant and active lifestyle. The name Minneapolis combines the Dakota word "Minne" meaning "of the waters," and the Greek word "polis" meaning "city."  En route from the airport we see the famed lakes area of Minneapolis (there are twelve lakes within the city limits of Minneapolis) and the Mississippi River roaring over St. Anthony Falls. We walk over the old Stone Arch Bridge for a full view of the falls, the first of 29 locks on the Mississippi, and have a wonderful photo-op of the Minneapolis skyline. After lunch (included) we have a tour of the Weisman Art Museum, famous for its collection of avant-garde art including works by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. The Weisman, situated on the campus of the University of Minnesota, is a striking new stainless steel and brick building designed by Los Angeles architect Frank Gehry. It predates and inspired his highly acclaimed Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Best known for its collection of American art from the first decades of the twentieth century, the Weisman Museum, early in its history, purchased works by artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe and Arthur Dove. We check in at the centrally-located Marriott Hotel, a modern hotel in Minneapolis. Tonight we see production at the Guthrie Theater of Bock and Harnick’s She Loves Me. This heartwarming and highly regarded musical is a classic and a theatrical jewel — an affectionate story about love that draws us gently into the hearts and minds of its characters. Funny, intelligent, honest and sentimental, this romantic comedy has an endearing innocence, a truly luscious score, a touch of old-world elegance and a plot that remains quite relevant in today’s age of Internet romance. She Loves Me is perhaps the finest incarnation of this well-loved story first introduced in the 1936 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László which also inspired three movies: The Shop Around the Corner (1940) starring Margaret Sullivan and James Stewart; In the Good Old Summertime (1949) starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson and, most recently, You’ve Got Mail (1998) starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.



5.  Sunday, May 29     Minneapolis/St. Paul
Today is free to discover Minneapolis at your own pace with a with a trolley pass. Vintage-looking streetcars beckon you back to a time when trolleys roamed thousands of miles of track linking America ’s city streets Entertaining conductors tell colorful stories of times and places gone by, while highlighting the city’s current hot spots. A trolley tour is the perfect way to get the lay of the land. And because you can get on and off at any point along the route, it’s also a fun mode of transportation while you enjoy a day on the town. After our farewell dinner tonight, we travel to Saint Paul to see the American History Theatre's world premiere production of Beyond the Rainbow. In 1961, Judy Garland, who was born in Minnesota , made her unforgettable concert comeback at Carnegie Hall. In this new musical play, we peel back the pages of history to look at the deep struggles and accomplishments of one of Hollywood's greatest musical stars, revealing how the lives of many famous stars were ruined by the "studio machine" of the day, while also celebrating Judy's fantastic talent.



6.  Monday, May 30     Minneapolis/New York
After breakfast we check out of our hotel and transfer to the airport for our flight to Chicago at 10:30am, connecting to our flight to LaGuardia, arriving LaGuardia at 4:00pm.  
 





This engaging experience includes:

  • Round trip airfare on American Airlines
  • 2 nights at Minneapolis Marriott Hotel
  • 3 nights at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago
  • Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago
  • Goodman Theatre in Chicago
  • Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago
  • Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis
  • American History Theatre in Saint Paul
  • Daily breakfast
  • 2 lunches
  • 2 dinners
  • Weisman Gallery of Art tour
  • Art Institute of Chicago tour
  • Chicago Architecture cruise
  • Trolley passes in Chicago and Minneapolis
PROGRAM PRICES  
Per person (double occupancy) from New York:$1859  
Single Supplement: $475  
Air Taxes: $100