Monday, September 24 Niagara
Departures for Toronto (be certain to schedule your inbound flight so that you arrive late morning/early afternoon; if you wish to arrive in advance of this date, the cost will be $400 per night double; $370 single). Upon arrival at Pearson International Airport, you will be met and transferred by private shuttle to our deluxe hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake, The Prince of Wales (transfer time: 70 minutes). Note: If you prefer to arrive in Buffalo, we will include the transfer and make all arrangements. Upon arrival, we check in to our elegant rooms and enjoy the afternoon at leisure. In the evening, we gather for a Welcome Dinner in the hotel's elegant Escabèche Restaurant.
Tuesday, September 25 Niagara
Following breakfast, included daily at each hotel, the morning is at leisure. In the afternoon, we gather and make the short walk to the Festival Theatre for the matinée performance of Ragtime, the centrepiece musical of the festival, based on the E.L. Doctorow novel. Afterward, we enjoy High Tea at the hotel before returning to the Festival Theatre for a performance of John Guare's His Girl Friday.
Wednesday, September 26 Niagara
This morning we enjoy a backstage tour at the Festival Theatre, followed by a picnic lunch (included) on the theatre grounds. After a short break, we take our seats at the Festival Theatre for a matinée performance of Present Laughter. Noël Coward’s affectionate take on his own life as a celebrity brilliantly forecast our current endless fascination with “success”– from an era when it all looked a lot more fun! After a break for dinner at leisure, we make the short walk to the Court House Theatre for Bernard Shaw's The Millionairess, namely Epifania Ognisanti di Parerga, surely one of the most outrageously monstrous characters in theatre lore.
Thursday, September 27 Niagara - Stratford
Following late morning check out, we board our private luxury coach bound for Stratford, stopping first in Niagara Falls to see, hear and feel the thunder of the wondrous Horseshoe Falls. En route to Stratford we enjoy an exquisite lunch at Restaurant Quatrefoil in Dundas. Upon arrival (early evening) in Stratford, we check into our large rooms at the Parlour Inn, near the Avon Theatre. Once settled, the evening is at leisure.
Friday, September 28 Stratford
The morning is at leisure to stroll the streets of the quaint village of Stratford, or along the banks of the Avon. In the afternoon we transfer to the Festival Theatre for a matinée performance of 42nd Street. We then enjoy a spectacular dinner at The Old Prune before returning to the Festival Theatre for Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, on which the 1958 film starring Shirley MacLaine and Anthony Perkins is based. And of course, it was also the inspiration for the Broadway musical and Academy Award-winning film Hello, Dolly!
Saturday, September 29 Stratford
This morning we offer an optional backstage tour (1 hour) at the Festival Theatre. This evening we dine at the superb Sophisto-Bistro at Rundles, one of the finest restaurants in the country. Afterward, it is once more unto the breach, or rather, the Festival Theatre, for one of Shakespeare's finest history plays, Henry V.
Sunday, September 30 Stratford - Toronto
Following a morning at leisure, we check out and make our way to the Festival Theatre for our final Stratford performance, Shakespeare's masterful comedy Much Ado About Nothing. Afterward we depart for Toronto, stopping first for dinner at the refined Langdon Hall Estate. Upon arrival in Toronto, we check in at the Hilton Toronto, directly adjacent to the opera house. Once settled into our rooms, the evening is at leisure.
Monday, October 1 Toronto
Late morning we meet for a guided tour of "hidden" Toronto, with some incredibly interesting historic sites near our hotel. Our guide is local legend Bruce Bell, the finest guide in the city. In the evening we transfer to the charming pedestrian-only Distillery District for pre-theatre dinner at The Boiler House, followed by a performance of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman at the Soul Pepper Theatre.
Tuesday, October 2 Toronto
Late morning we tour the permanent collection at the nearby Art Gallery of Ontario. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, the AGO is the eighth largest art museum in North America. The Gallery's collection comprises more than 36,000 works representing 1000 years of extraordinary art. The collection includes European Old Masters, Group of Seven, and Canadian and International contemporary works. The AGO also houses the world's largest public collection of works by renowned British sculptor Henry Moore. The gallery recently received a massive renovation by Frank Gehry. Following the tour, we dine at the gallery's excellent FRANK Restaurant. This evening we cross the street to R. Fraser Elliott Hall in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts for a performance of Verdi's Il trovatore, featuring Ramón Vargas and Russell Braun, at the Canadian Opera Company. Afterward, we say our farewells with a nightcap in the hotel's Tundra lounge.
Wednesday, October 3 Departures
Following breakfast, transfers to Pearson International Airport (35 minutes).