Let’s go see a show!
The Lifetime Learning Center (LLC) offers entertainment away from home with its Best of Broadway day trips. All performances feature professional shows directly on tour from Broadway, presented at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC). Leave the driving and planning to us and join in the fun and excitement of the Best of Broadway!
Registration fees include a continental breakfast or refreshments at check-in, comfortable motor-coach transportation, a three-course gourmet luncheon or dinner, and reserved seating at the Wilson Center or Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC). We invite you to leave the driving and planning to us and we’ll drop you off and pick you up at the front door. Snacks are served on the return trip. We meet in the Orringer Auditorium Lobby on the New Bern campus for check-in. Departure times will vary based on the show times. All registrants will receive a letter/email with complete instructions about two weeks prior to each trip.
Registration for Best of Broadway events is available below. If you prefer, you can register by calling the LLC at 252-633-2618.
Please see our refund and ticket transfer policy before registering for LLC Best of Broadway day trips.
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB
Best of Broadway Day Trip
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Registration: $269
It’s been years since legendary singer Omara Portuondo last entered a recording studio. Once known as the “Queen of Feeling,” her voice was celebrated throughout Cuba – until she vanished from the spotlight. But when an ambitious young record producer brings her a rare opportunity, the elusive diva must finally reckon with her past.
Hailed as a “jaw-dropping, soul-stirring must see” (The Washington Post), the Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB is a journey through music and memory into the beating heart of Havana. A world-class company brings the story to life in this tale of big dreams and second chances.
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS
Best of Broadway Day Trip
Wednesday, February 24, 2027
Registration: $239
After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train, unsure of where the road will take him, and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life — and love — beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age.
Many wonders await audiences in this gorgeously imaginative Broadway musical. The critically acclaimed bestselling novel comes to “thrilling, dazzling” life (Time Out New York) in a unique, spectacle-filled new musical! Hailed as a Critic’s Pick, the New York Times calls it “stunning, emotional, heart-filled, and gorgeously imaginative.” So, step right up to spellbinding entertainment!
HADESTOWN
Best of Broadway Day Trip
Saturday, March 6, 2027
Registration: $249
Welcome to HADESTOWN, where a song can change your fate. Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, this acclaimed show from celebrated singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and original director Rachel Chavkin is a love story for today... and always.
HADESTOWN intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — as it invites you on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers and singers, this performance is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.
WICKED
Best of Broadway Day Trip
Saturday, April 10, 2027
Registration: $259
Welcome to the wonderful Land of Oz…
Where there is a young woman, born with emerald-green skin — smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one good and the other one wicked.
With a thrilling score that includes the hits “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “For Good,” WICKED has been called “A magical Broadway musical with brains, heart and courage” (Time Magazine).
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Best of Broadway Day Trip
Saturday, May 29, 2027
Registration: $259
The Phantom is back to thrill audiences once again!
Widely considered one of the most beautiful and spectacular productions in history, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has played to over 160 million people in 47 territories and 195 cities in 21 languages.
It tells the tale of a disfigured musical genius known only as ‘The Phantom’ who haunts the depths of the Paris Opera House. Mesmerized by the talents and beauty of a young soprano, Christine, The Phantom lures her as his protégé and falls fiercely in love with her. Unaware of Christine’s love for Raoul, The Phantom’s obsession sets the scene for a dramatic turn of events where jealousy, madness, and passions collide.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s romantic, haunting, and soaring score includes “The Music of the Night,” “All I Ask of You,” “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again,” and the iconic title song., “The Phantom of the Opera.”
Contact Information
Lifetime Learning Center
Brock Administration Building
New Bern Campus
252-633-2618