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North Carolina

Curtain Up! Broadway Musicals in the ‘Land of the Sky’

Program No. 22396RJ

Experience the love of Broadway music in the Blue Ridge Mountains. With an expert in show tunes at the piano, get a behind-the-scenes view of musical theater and its glorious history.

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6 days

5 nights

15 meals

5B 5L 5D

Check-In, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation

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The Eve of the Golden Era and its Beginning (1930-1950)

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The Golden Era Continues (1950 - 1970); free afternoon

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The New Era (1970-2000)

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The New Century (2000s), lunch & goodbyes

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At a Glance

Ethel Merman. “Show Boat.” “Oklahoma.” Many blocks from Manhattan’s dazzling lights, experience the very same love for Broadway music in the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains. Hear the fingertips of a Broadway aficionado plunk the piano keys as your learning adventure moves from revered show tunes to musical blockbusters. Get close-up to Broadway tunes and shows through captivating video clips and take your seat for a behind-the-music discussion discovering the glorious history of musical theater!

Activity Level

Easy Going

All facilities are in one building, with approximately 300 yards walking required; a few stairs. Outside areas are mountainous, with inclines and uneven terrain.

Best of all, you’ll…

Learn from an award-winning university professor who is an expert on Broadway musicals and songs.
Reminisce and explore from a feel-good list of dozens of musicals and show tunes.
Hear a prized multimedia presentation on Broadway music and explore the genre’s connections to classical and jazz.

General Notes

The Retreat Difference: This unique, often basic and no-frills experience at a Road Scholar Retreat includes opportunities for early morning exercise, interaction with the local community for insight into local life, an authentic farm-to-table or locally sourced meal, a live performance or event, and a value-priced single room. Opportunities are available for traveling companions to attend a different program at Montreat during the same week. Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Michael Ruiz

Michael Ruiz — originally from Camden, New Jersey — is professor emeritus at UNC Asheville, and a pianist whose original piano concertos were performed by the Winston-Salem Symphony, with each of his three children as soloists. He was featured on CNN for innovative multimedia use of the computer in higher education and was the 2004 University of North Carolina at Asheville recipient of the UNC Board of Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Michael holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Maryland.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Michael Ruiz View biography

Tracy Bailey View biography

Tracy has been on the program staff of Montreat Conference Center since 1986. She began working with Elderhostel programs in 1989, and in 1997 assumed the additional role of on-site coordinator. A native of the area, she graduated from Asheville-Buncombe Technical College in 1981. Her favorite hobbies are hiking, pottery and reading. Tracy married Sam in 2007, and added three daughters to her family. In addition to her own grown children, she and Sam have been foster parents since 2010. They have four grandchildren.

Suggested Reading List (4 books)

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Curtain Up! Broadway Musicals in the ‘Land of the Sky’

Program Number: 22396

Musical Theatre: A History, 2nd edition

by John Kenrick

Also by John Kenrick is his marvelous website: musicals101.com As an educator with extensive experience in professional theatre production, author John Kenrick approaches the subject with a unique appreciation of musicals as both an art form and a business. Using anecdotes, biographical profiles, clear definitions, sample scenes and select illustrations, Kenrick focuses on landmark musicals, and on the extraordinary talents and business innovators who have helped musical theatre evolve from its roots in the dramas of ancient Athens all the way to the latest hits on Broadway and London's West End. Key improvements to the second edition: · A new foreword by Oscar Hammerstein III, a critically acclaimed historian and member of a family with deep ties to the musical theatre, is included · To make the book more interactive, each chapter includes suggested listening and reading lists, designed to help readers step beyond the printed page to experience great musicals and performers for themselves.

Broadway Musicals: Show by Show, 9th edition,

by Stanley Green, revised and updated by Cary Ginell

This updated edition of one of the bestselling and comprehensive Broadway reference books, first published in 1985, has been expanded to include many of the most important and memorable productions of American musical theater, including revivals. Arranged chronologically, beginning with musicals from just after the Civil War, each successive edition of the book has added valuable updates about trends in musical theater as well as capsule features on the most significant musicals of the day. The ninth edition documents important musicals produced since the end of the 2012–2013 season through spring 2019. Broadway Musicals, Show by Show features a wealth of statistics and inside information, plus critical reception, cast lists, pithy commentary about each show, and numerous detailed indexes that no Broadway fan will want to be without. Since its original publication, Broadway Musicals has proved to be an indispensable addition to any Broadway aficionado's library.

Broadway: The American Music, 3rd editional

by Michael Kantor and Laurence Maslon

Companion to the PBS Series, Broadway: The American Musical. Updated through the 2018-2019 season. A comprehensive companion to the six-part Emmy-winning PBS documentary series, Broadway: The American Musical is the gold standard of musical theater history books, tracing the roots of the art form at the turn of the twentieth century through the smashing successes of the new millennium. The in-depth text is lavishly illustrated with a treasure trove of photographs, scenic renderings, production stills, and rehearsal shots, many previously unpublished. With a foreword by Julie Andrews, this edition is revised and updated, with brand-new material on all the Broadway musicals through the 2018–2019 season, including The Book of Mormon, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and Hadestown. Called by Playbill "an epic tome—handsomely produced and intensely researched," this five hundred-page volume is a must-have for theater fans, casual enthusiasts, and students of all ages.

Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time

by Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik

A fully updated edition of the acclaimed and bestselling Broadway Musicals, now featuring an expanded off-Broadway section Broadway Musicals is a richly illustrated, and information-packed celebration of the most popular and enduring Broadway shows of all time. Each show is featured in a detailed, photo-filled chapter that includes expert commentary, special features on the creators and performers, plot synopses, cast and song lists, production details, and backstage anecdotes. Also included are sidebars on Broadway flops, advertising posters, the greatest scores, and more. This edition includes several shows not in the original hardcover edition such as Avenue Q, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Wicked. An expanded off-Broadway section showcases beloved shows such as I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and Little Mary Sunshine.

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Curtain Up! Broadway Musicals in the ‘Land of the Sky’

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At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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