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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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
15 meals (
5B, 5L, 5D
)
14 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 3 p.m. Remember to bring your name-tag
Afternoon:
You will share the Assembly Inn this week with other Road Scholar programs. 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. 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 with the very beginnings of the American musical. Included are inspirations of musicals from across the Atlantic, musicals such as the "Pirates of Penzance" by Gilbert and Sullivan along with the "Merry Widow" with the music of Franz Lehar. We also encounter rising composers on the American scene such as the American icon George M. Cohan and Victor Herbert. Other great contributions of this era come from the George and Ira Gershwin team, Jerome Kern, and Sigmund Romberg. Towards the end of this period, the musical takes a leap forward as Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II give us "Show Boat" (1927). We'll have a mid-morning break for refreshments and fellowship.
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:
Our afternoon class with Michael Ruiz continues to focus on the wonderful beginnings of Broadway. Around 3:30 p.m., 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:
Our evening program will be a local musician/band or storyteller. After the performance the rest of the evening is at leisure, with optional activities in the lobby of the Inn for fellowship.
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:
The musical continues to evolve through two exciting decades (1930-1950) with contributions from Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein II, Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Kurt Weill, Irving Berlin, Lerner and Lowe, Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, and Frank Loesser. Among the musical titles in this period are "Anything Goes," the classic "Porgy and Bess," "The Boys from Syracuse," and "Pal Joey." Then another leap is made with "Oklahoma!" (Rodgers and Hammerstein II), marking the beginning of the Golden Era. Musicals in the early part of the Golden Age include "On the Town," "Carousel," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Brigadoon," "Kiss Me Kate," "South Pacific," and "Guys and Dolls." We'll have a mid morning break between the two classes to enjoy refreshments and fellowship.
Lunch:
Lunch is served from 12:15 - 1:15 in the Assembly Inn Dining Room.
Afternoon:
Back to the classroom for more explorations of the Golden Age of Broadway. After class (around 3:30 p.m., you may choose to take a hike in the mountains or enjoy free time (availability of hike leader / weather permitting)
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 games/cards/tv available in lobby for fellowship and optional movie on big screen.
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:
The peak of the Golden Age came in the 1950s with musicals such as "The Pajama Game," "Damn Yankees," "My Fair Lady," "West Side Story," "The Music Man," "Gypsy," and "The Sound of Music." In the 1960s, we have a range of musicals from traditional to daring. The traditional musicals include "Camelot," "She Loves Me", "Funny Girl," "Hello, Dolly!" and "Mame." The daring musicals take us into places such as a Russian ghetto ("Fiddler on the Roof"), a Nazi nightclub ("Cabaret"), and a Spanish prison ("Man of La Mancha"). These musicals would have been unthinkable a decade earlier. Then, there was "Hair" in 1968 that sealed the fate of the Golden Age. We'll have a refreshment and fellowship break between the two class periods.
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:
Continuing our exploration of the 50s and 60s we discuss how music, for better or worse, became more tightly integrated with the book. Stephen Sondheim begins his dominant force on Broadway for the second half of the twentieth century.
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:
A new era was heralded with Stephen Sondheim's "Company" in 1970. This post-Golden-Age period continued with a string of Sondheim hits that include "Follies," "A Little Night Music," "Sweeney Todd," "Sunday in the Park with George," and "Into the Woods." Other prominent musicals of this era are "A Chorus Line," "Chicago," "Annie," "Evita," "Cats," "Nine," "La Cage Aux Folles," "Les Miserables," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Miss Saigon," "Beauty and the Beast," "Rent," and "The Lion King." We'll have a break mid-morning for drinks, snacks and time with our fellow participants.
Lunch:
Lunch is served from 12:30 - 1:30 in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Afternoon:
During our afternoon course the music of Broadway, with finish up our exploration with the 70s and beyond. Choreography, which had always been there, becomes a more important element. Some critics argue that as the shows become more and more about scenic spectacle, they become less and less about memorable music. 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: games/cards/tv in lobby for fellowship. Prepare for check-out and departure after lunch tomorrow.
Day
6
The New Century (2000s), lunch & goodbyes
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
B,L
Activity Note
classroom based program
Breakfast:
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. breakfast in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Morning:
In the new century we find jukebox and movie musicals such as "Jersey Boys" and "The Little Mermaid." We also find the outrageous in musicals such as "The Producers," "Avenue Q," "Monty Python's Spamalot," and "The Book of Mormon." There are also traditional musicals, which include "The Light in the Piazza" and "Curtains." Then, there is the totally new and innovative "Hamilton." A mid morning break for refreshments will give time for participants to check out (required by 11 a.m.). Our Anthology of Musicals, which all participants will receive the first day of class, contains a listing of 150 musicals with dates, composers, lyricists, and librettists.
Lunch:
12:30 - 1:30 lunch in the Assembly Inn Dining Room (those who cannot stay for lunch may request a box lunch to take with them)
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Please Note:
This program has itinerary variations on certain dates.
Nov 02, 2025 - Nov 07, 2025
Apr 27, 2025 - May 02, 2025
Aug 24, 2025 - Aug 29, 2025
Nov 02, 2025 - Nov 07, 2025
Nov 09, 2025 - Nov 14, 2025
Dec 07, 2025 - Dec 12, 2025
Feb 22, 2026 - Feb 27, 2026
Mar 08, 2026 - Mar 13, 2026
Apr 12, 2026 - Apr 17, 2026
Aug 30, 2026 - Sep 04, 2026
Nov 01, 2026 - Nov 06, 2026
