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.
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
14 meals (
5B, 4L, 5D
)
13 expert-led lectures
3 performances
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-In, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
D
Stay:
Assembly Inn
Activity Note
Inn check in from 4 p.m. Remember to bring your name-tag
Afternoon:
You will share the week at the Inn with other Road Scholar programs. Be sure to check out the other ones offered in this week to see if you have friends who might like to attend the week with you but participate in another program. Assembly Inn check-in 3:00-5:30 p.m. Pull up to the Assembly Inn porch to unload, then park your vehicle in any designated spot close to the Inn or by the lake and check in. Program Registration. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Feel free to relax in your room, meet and enjoy fellowship with other participants in the beautiful lobby, or stretch your legs with a walk around the campus before dinner.
Dinner:
Join us for a scrumptious dinner in the Galax Dining Room, located on the first floor of the Assembly Inn. A full salad bar, choice of two different entrées, vegetables, rolls/bread, fruit and dessert will tempt your taste buds and your appetite. Sweet/unsweetened tea, milk, coffee, hot water w/ tea or cold water at our beverage stations. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Evening:
Orientation: 7:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will also meet the instructor. This is a Road Scholar Retreats program. Programming at Retreat locations includes opportunities for light morning exercise, interaction with members of the local community, a farm-to-table meal, and evening entertainment. Sleeping and dining facilities are in one building, with approximately 300 yards walking required. On some evenings, there will be entertainment such as a concert, dance, or storyteller followed by opportunities for fellowship in the lobby of the Inn. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We’ll finish up around 8:00 p.m. with some “get to know you” activities and then have refreshments and fellowship in the lobby. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Day
2
The Beginnings (1860-1930), Montreat walk, evening program
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Assembly Inn
Activity Note
classroom based program (lots of time sitting). Join us 7:30 - 7:45 in the main lobby for early morning stretches with Martha Nelson
Breakfast:
Whether you like muffins, pancakes or waffles, bacon or sausage, grits or oatmeal, biscuits and gravy or a bowl of cereal and some fruit, breakfast in the Galax Dining Room, served from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. is sure to please! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
Morning:
We start our history of the Broadway Musical with "The Seven Sisters" in 1860 at the Laura Keene Theatre. Keene was an actor and the first powerful female Broadway theatre owner and manager. We then look at early musicals such as "The Black Crook," "The Pirates of Penzance," which is a Gilbert and Sullivan musical, and George M. Cohan's "Little Johnny Jones" (1904).. We'll have a mid-morning break for refreshments and fellowship. Returning for our second class of the morning, we continue with "The Merry Widow" imported from Europe. We encounter Flo Ziegfeld, who introduced a variety show in the famous Ziegfeld Follies that ran for over 20 years. In the first half of the 1920s we have musicals such as "Sally," "Runnin' Wild," "Lady Be Good," and "The Student Prince." Jerome Kern and George Gershwin appear as prominent Broadway composers.
Lunch:
Lunch is served from 12:15 - 1:15 in the Assembly Inn Dining Room. The lunch menu varies each day, but normally features a salad bar, sandwich fixings, soup, and a yummy (light) dessert to top it off.
Afternoon:
As we move to the latter part of the Roaring Twenties we find a landmark with Jerome Kern's and Oscar Hammerstein's "Show Boat" (1927). George Gershwin and his brother lyricist Ira team up for "Girl Crazy" (1930). In the 1930s we find "Anything Goes" (Cole Porter) and "Porgy and Bess" (the Gershwin brothers and DuBose Heyward). After class, there will be a Walk Around Montreat (guided tour of grounds) or free time.
Dinner:
Ready for another yummy dinner? 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. at the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Evening:
Join us for a fun evening with a local band, Sourwood Ridge. After the performance the rest of the evening is at leisure, with optional activities in the lobby of the Inn for fellowship. If possible (depending on who else is in-house with us), we will offer a complimentary wine service.
Day
3
The Eve of the Golden Era and its Beginning (1930-1950)
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Assembly Inn
Activity Note
classroom based program. Join us 7:30 - 7:45 in the main lobby for early morning stretches with Martha Nelson
Breakfast:
A hearty breakfast is served from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. in the Assembly Inn Dining Room.
Morning:
Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart expand on musical themes with their "Pal Joey" in 1940. Then Rodgers and his new lyricist partner Oscar Hammerstein give us another landmark in Broadway history with "Oklahoma!" in 1943. This musical marks the beginning of the "Golden Age" which continues into the 1960s. Rodgers and Hammerstein follow with another smashing hit in "Carousel (1945)." Other musicals we look at in this class are "One Touch of Venus," and "On the Town." We'll have a mid morning break between the two classes to enjoy refreshments and fellowship. Returning after our morning break, we'll talk about Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun,", followed by Brigadoon" (Lerner and Loewe), "Finian's Rainbow," "Kiss Me Kate," and "South Pacific," "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," and "Guys and Dolls."
Lunch:
Lunch is served from 12:15 - 1:15 in the Assembly Inn Dining Room.
Afternoon:
Our afternoon class takes us into the 1950s where we have another Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "The King and I." We'll discuss "Kismet," "The Threepenny Opera," "The Pajama Game," "Peter Pan," and "Damn Yankees."
Dinner:
Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Evening:
7:00 - 8:00 evening program: Evening programs are typically a fun event -- a dance, a concert, or a storyteller. After, enjoy games/cards/tv in lobby or fellowship with your new friends.
Day
4
The Golden Era Continues (1950 - 1970); free afternoon
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Assembly Inn
Activity Note
classroom based program. Join us 7:30 - 7:45 in the main lobby for early morning stretches with Martha Nelson
Breakfast:
Come on down to the Galax Dining room for another great breakfast buffet, served from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Morning:
During our first morning class, we continue with the 1950s with "My Fair Lady," "West Side Story," "The Music Man," "Gypsy," and "The Sound of Music." The 1960s bring us "Bye Bye Birdie," "Camelot," and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." We'll have a refreshment and fellowship break between the two class periods. As we continue into the 1960s, "Oliver!" follows. Then we will look at two musicals by composer Jerry Bock and lyricist Sheldon Harnick: "She Loves Me" (1963) and "Fiddler on the Roof" (1964). Jerry Herman's "Hello Dolly!" also appears in 1964. Musicals in the mid 1960s include "Funny Girl," "Man of La Mancha," "Sweet Charity," and "Mame."
Lunch:
Lunch is served from 12:15 - 1:15 in the Assembly Inn Dining Room.
Afternoon:
Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration
Dinner:
Assembly Inn Dining Room, Dinner 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Our farm to table meal.
Evening:
Class time this evening! Later in the 1960s we encounter "Cabaret" and "Hair." Stephen Sondheim's "Company" (1970) is another landmark in Broadway theatre. Rather than a traditional book musical the show focuses on the concept of relationships. Sondheim follows with "Follies" and becomes a dominant Broadway presence which will span decades. In the early 1970s we also find "Grease."
Day
5
The New Era (1970-2000)
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Assembly Inn
Activity Note
classroom based program. Join us 7:30 - 7:45 in the main lobby for early morning stretches with Martha Nelson
Breakfast:
Breakfast buffet served from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. in the Assembly Inn Dining Room.
Morning:
We continue with Sondheim's "A Little Night Music," "A Chorus Line," "Chicago," and "Annie." Then comes a gruesome one, Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd." Also at the end of the decade is "Evita" with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber" and lyrics by Tim Rice. In 1980 we have "42nd Street." Then in 1981 Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" flops, but has a successful Broadway revival over 40 years later in 2023. We'll have a break mid-morning for drinks, snacks and time with our fellow participants. Proceeding with the 1980s, we look at "Nine," "Cats," "La Cage aux Folles," "Sunday in the Park with George," "Les Mis," "Into the Woods," and the smashing hit "The Phantom of the Opera," the longest running Broadway musical covering years 1988-2023.
Lunch:
Lunch is served from 12:30 - 1:30 in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Afternoon:
In the 1990s we meet up with "Miss Saigon," "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Beauty and the Beast," "Passion," and "Rent." 3:30 - 5:30 free time
Dinner:
Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Evening:
7:00 - 8:00 evening program: Bobbie Pell, the moonstone ministrel, will delight us with stories and songs. Games/cards/tv in lobby for fellowship. Prepare for check-out and departure tomorrow.
Day
6
The New Century (2000s), program concludes
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
B
Activity Note
classroom based program
Breakfast:
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. breakfast in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Morning:
We continue with "Jekyll & Hyde," "The Lion King," "Ragtime," "Aida," "The Producers," "Avenue Q," "Wicked," "The Light in the Piazza," "Grey Gardens," "Mary Poppins," "Curtains," "The Little Mermaid," and "Hamilton." Our Anthology of Musicals, which all participants will receive at Montreat, contains a listing of over 150 musicals with dates, composers, lyricists, and librettists. This list includes the musicals we will cover in class as well as additional ones. If, due to unforeseen circumstances, we run out of time to cover all our planned shows, information about them will be posted on the instructor's website, available during class. Our program concludes at 10:15, and check out of the Assembly Inn is required by 10 am.
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Please Note:
This program has itinerary variations on certain dates.