NEW YORK THEATRE

Day 1 | Monday 6 April
Arrival
Flights from Australia arrive in New York in the late afternoon. If you have arrived early, we suggest you take one of the many harbour cruises available in Manhattan and can particularly recommend the AIA tour. Academy Travel can arrange bookings. In the early evening, we gather for drinks in the hotel bar followed by a welcome dinner at Serafina – a staple of NYC Italian dining for 30 years. Overnight New York (D)

Day 2 | Tuesday 7 April
Midtown Manhattan | Giant
Our first morning begins with an introductory lecture exploring the history of Broadway and the American musical – tracing its development from early 20th-century vaudeville and operetta through to the modern Broadway production model. From here, we set out on a guided Midtown architecture walking tour, examining how commerce, culture and ambition shaped Manhattan’s skyline during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Our walk concludes at Rockefeller Center, an emblem of Art Deco–era New York and one of Midtown’s most carefully conceived urban ensembles. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure, before we reconvene in the evening for our first performance on Broadway with Giant – the story of Roald Dahl and the true scandal that shook his legacy. Following an acclaimed West End run and three Olivier Awards, Giant makes its way to Broadway with John Lithgow (Conclave and The Crown) reprising his extraordinary performance as Roald Dahl. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Day 3 | Wednesday 8 April
Carnegie Hall | Broadway Matinee & Ragtime
Following a lecture in our hotel this morning, our first stop is Carnegie Hall – long regarded as one of the world’s great performance venues. Opened in 1891 by the industrialist Andrew Carnegie, the hall quickly became synonymous with musical excellence, renowned for its acoustics and distinguished programming. During a guided tour, we explore the building’s public spaces and auditoria while uncovering more than 130 years of artistic history. Saved from demolition in the 1960s through the advocacy of violinist Isaac Stern, the venue has welcomed an extraordinary range of performers – from Tchaikovsky to Mahler, The Beatles to Sinatra – cementing its place at the heart of New York’s cultural life. We then take in a matinee play on Broadway (schedule permitting), followed by time to freshen up back at our hotel. Our evening is spent at the Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater for Ragtime, a sweeping musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s novel that follows three fictional families in pursuit of the American Dream at the dawn of the 20th Century. Featuring a vivid score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, a stirring book by Terrence McNally and original orchestrations by William David Brohn, all of whom won Tony Awards for their work, Ragtime blends fictional narratives with historical events. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Day 4 | Thursday 9 April
Lower Manhattan | Boston Symphony with Renée Fleming
Today we travel downtown to explore Lower Manhattan, New York’s historic core. Our guided walking tour focuses on the city’s early development, beginning around Bowling Green and the former Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. We walk past Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States, and along Wall Street, whose evolution from a colonial boundary to a global financial hub reflects the city’s changing fortunes. The tour also takes in Trinity Church and its historic churchyard, set against the surrounding skyscrapers, before concluding in the Financial District. Here we break for a ‘power lunch’ inside a bank vault built at the turn of the century and once owned by Andrew Carnegie. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure before we return to Carnegie Hall for an evening concert in the Stern Auditorium. Under the baton of Andris Nelsons, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is joined by soprano Renée Fleming and bass-baritone Thomas Hampson as they reprise the roles of Pat and Richard Nixon – roles they have recently performed to critical acclaim. Overnight New York (B, L, LD)

Day 5 | Friday 10 April
Hudson Theatre & Central Park | Dog Day Afternoon
We begin the day at the Hudson Theatre, one of Broadway’s oldest surviving theatres. Opened in 1903, the Hudson has played a continuous role in the evolution of American theatre, and a guided tour introduces its architectural features and backstage spaces. From here, we travel uptown to the Museum of the City of New York, founded by Henry Collins Brown in 1923 to preserve and present the history of the city and its people. Today its exhibitions trace the social, political and cultural forces that have shaped this influential metropolis. Lunch is then enjoyed at the serene Boathouse in Central Park, overlooking the lake, before an afternoon visit to the newly renovated Frick Collection. Housed in the former residence of Henry Clay Frick, the collection offers an intimate setting for masterpieces by artists including Vermeer, Rembrandt and Goya. A leisurely walk through Central Park concludes our afternoon. This evening, we return to Broadway for Dog Day Afternoon – a new play by Stephen Adly Guirgis, starring Jon Bernthal (The Punisher) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) in their Broadway debuts. In this strictly limited engagement, we step back into the sweltering summer of 1972, New York City – a time when the Vietnam War looms large, Watergate headlines flood the news, and one man’s desperate act captivates the nation. Overnight New York (B, L, LD)

Day 6 | Saturday 11 April
Chelsea | Operation Mincemeat
After a lecture in our hotel this morning, we travel to the High Line – a beautiful urban park situated on a former elevated freight rail line running through the now-chic Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. Our walk traces this innovative example of adaptive reuse, combining contemporary landscape design, public art and views across the Hudson River and Midtown skyline. We break for free time for lunch in Chelsea, with the option to explore the Chelsea Market, a lively food hall housed within a former industrial complex that reflects the neighbourhood’s ongoing reinvention. Nearby, we also visit ‘Little Island’, a new public park seemingly floating over the Hudson River on a series of tulip-shaped concrete piles. Later, we reconvene for an evening on Broadway with the Olivier Award-winning hit musical, Operation Mincemeat. Inspired by an extraordinary true story from the Second World War, this fast-paced and sharply witty musical combines espionage, ingenuity and British humour as it recounts the daring intelligence operation that helped mislead Nazi forces ahead of the Allied invasion of Sicily. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Day 7 | Sunday 12 April
Harlem | Broadway Matinee
For early risers, there is the opportunity to attend a morning gospel church service in Harlem, where music remains close to its communal and spiritual roots. The experience offers insight into a living tradition shaped by faith, resilience and collective expression, with powerful choral singing at its centre. After taking in some of the other northern Manhattan sights, we return to Broadway for a matinee performance (schedule permitting), followed by the evening at leisure on our return to the hotel. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Day 8 | Monday 13 April
Greenwich Village | La Bohème
Following a lecture in our hotel this morning, we set out on a guided walking tour of Greenwich Village – a neighbourhood long associated with artistic experimentation, political activism and literary life. Our walk explores its irregular street pattern, historic townhouses and former gathering places of writers, musicians and performers, revealing how the Village developed as a counterpoint to Midtown’s commercial grid. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure before we reconvene in the early evening and travel to Lincoln Center. Here we enjoy dinner at the renowned Grand Tier Restaurant, set within the Metropolitan Opera House itself, before taking our seats for an evening performance of Puccini’s much-loved opera, La Bohème. Franco Zeffirelli’s production brings 19th-century Paris to the Met stage as soprano Aleksandra Kurzak stars as the fragile seamstress Mimì, opposite tenor Long Long as the ardent poet Rodolfo. Overnight New York (B, D)

Day 9 | Tuesday 14 April
MoMA Private Viewing | Proof
We begin today with a short walk to the Museum of Modern Art, set in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Reopened in 2019 following a major expansion and rehang, MoMA has redefined how modern and contemporary art are presented, integrating architecture, design, photography, film and painting within a single narrative. Before the museum opens to the public, we enjoy a private guided visit led by a museum lecturer, focusing on key works from the collection with the likes of Picasso, van Gogh, Monet, Matisse, Dalí, Pollock, Rothko and Warhol set to delight. Following the guided tour, the remainder of the afternoon is free to continue exploring the galleries at your own pace, allowing time to revisit favourite works or explore areas of personal interest within the museum. Tonight, we return to Broadway for a limited engagement at the Booth Theatre of David Auburn’s Pulitzer and Tony Award–winning play, Proof. Directed by Tony winner Thomas Kail (Hamilton), this landmark revival returns to Broadway for the first time with Emmy Winner Ayo Edebiri and Golden Globe Winner Don Cheadle making their long-awaited Broadway debuts. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Day 10 | Wednesday 15 April
Farewell Broadway | Buena Vista Social Club
After a leisurely start to the day and a final lecture in our hotel, we return to Broadway and step into the heart of Cuba with our final performance, Buena Vista Social Club. Inspired by the legendary Cuban ensemble, the production brings the rhythms and stories of Havana to the stage through live Afro-Cuban music, dance and richly layered storytelling. With its vibrant score and evocative choreography, the show offers an uplifting and atmospheric conclusion to our New York theatre experience. Following the performance, we enjoy a farewell dinner at Sardi’s, the famous Theatre District restaurant. Sardi’s has been the toast of Broadway for over a century and is a fitting way to send off our stay. Overnight New York (B, D)

Day 11 | Thursday 16 April
Departure
On our last morning you may like to return to Central Park for a stroll through some of its carefully sculpted vistas. The tour concludes after hotel checkout. (B)