“There’s nothing more fun than going scuba diving with a Tony winner,” says Philip Birsh. And he should know. The chairman and CEO of Playbill has been running Broadway cruises since 2011, high-end trips that allow passengers to travel to exotic locales while mingling with some of the top names in theater — Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Santino Fontana.
“There are all kinds of cruises,” says Birsh, jazz, bridge, wine, classic movies. Broadway seemed a perfect match, which explains why in recent years other companies have entered the market. Actor and musician Seth Rudetsky, who grew up on Long Island, started hosting Broadway-themed cruises in 2017. And in 2023, Atlanta-based Sixthman added 4-5 night Broadway cruises to its travel roster that also includes rock and country cruises, even a Hallmark cruise.
“It’s a special environment, we try to make people feel like they’re part of a club,” says Birsh, noting that Playbill’s Broadway cruises take place two to three times a year on small, boutique ships (Silversea, Uniworld, Ponant) that hold 200 to 300 passengers. The cruises are expensive, upcoming cruises start around $6,000 a person and go up to more than $10,000 for a suite, acknowledges Birsh, but the company gets a lot of returning customers. “We have one couple who’s been on every cruise we’ve ever done,” he says.
“Zany stuff happens on stage,” says Birsh, recalling a time when LuPone spontaneously joined actor Howard McGillin on stage for a duet from “Anything Goes.” Or when Fontana and Christopher Fitzgerald did an impromptu performance of the famed comedy routine “Who’s On First?”
Think of it as theater camp at sea, says Rudetsky, who runs three cruises (Seth’s Big Fat Broadway Cruise) a year. The host of the SiriusXM show “On Broadway,” Rudetsky books 100 to 200 people on a large cruise ship that can hold several thousand people. The group pretty much sticks together, he says. “We hang out, go on excursions, eat together,” he explains. “For a true Broadway fan,” he says, “what could beat riding the elevator with Chita Rivera.”
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Passengers on one of Rudetsky’s cruises do more than watch shows put on by Broadway stars like Rivera, Adam Pascal, and Donna McKechnie. If they’re interested, they get to perform with them. Each cruise ends with a concert featuring all the performers, and passengers join them in performing one of their signature songs — Pascal lead the group in “Seasons of Love” from “Rent,” Rivera supervised a “West Side Story” medley, McKechnie taught choreography from “A Chorus Line.”
“This gave us the opportunity to combine our love of cruising with our love of Broadway,” says Sandy Lory-Snyder, a Hauppauge resident who went on Sixthman’s first Broadway cruise in 2023 with her daughter Arianna. The five-night cruise from New York City to Bermuda featured an impressive list of Broadway talent — among them Kristin Chenoweth, Joshua Henry, Laura Benanti and Jeremy Jordan. Lory-Snyder was especially taken by Alan Cumming’s performance. “His act was so personal,” she recalls. “I almost felt like he was doing it for me.”
UPCOMING CRUISES
Broadway in Venice
Sept. 13-24 on the S.S. La Venezia, Uniworld (126 passengers), round trip from Venice with stops in Chioggia, Porto Viro and Burano. Talent to be announced. Prices start at $6,049 a person, which includes meals and beverages, standard shore excursions, gratuities, two nights pre-cruise in Milan, and all Playbill entertainment.
Seth’s Big Fat Broadway Cruise
Jan. 11-18, 2025 on the Celebrity Apex (2,910 passengers), from Ft. Lauderdale with stops in St. Kitts, British Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic. Talent includes Liz Callaway, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and Tony Yazbeck. Prices start at $2,141 for an inside cabin or $2,771 for an infinite veranda, including meals and class beverage, gratuities and Wi-Fi, along with group activities like Seth’s radio show, Broadway Bingo, autograph sessions and more. This is one of Celebrity’s newer ships, meaning lots of bells and whistles, including 29 restaurants (some have an additional charge), spa, fitness center and casino.
More info: 917-522-0985,sethrudetsky.com
The Broadway Cruise 3
March 31-April 4, 2025 on the Norwegian Gem (2,394 passengers) roundtrip from Miami with a stop in Cozumel. Talent includes Shoshana Bean, Wayne Brady, Alex Brightman and Eva Noblezada. Prices start at $1,165 for an inside stateroom, $2,100 for a balcony, including meals, basic non-alcoholic beverages, several specialty restaurants including sushi and a steak house (additional charge), fitness center, spa and casino.
More info: 877-379-9172,thebroadwaycruise.com
Broadway in the Greek Isles
June 25-July 2, 2025 on L’Austral, Ponant (264 passengers), round trip from Athens, stops include Patmos, Mykonos, Hydra. Talent to be announced. Prices start at $6,497 a person, including meals and most beverages, gratuities and Playbill entertainment.
More info: 866-455-6789, playbilltravel.com
By Barbara Schuler
Special to Newsday
