A  lot of people “discovered” America before Christopher Columbus, but in 1492 Europe was made aware of a new and exotic place to their west. Though Columbus got most of the credit, it was thanks to a number of intelligent, visionary women who inspired and propelled him to make his historic voyage.

   In this musical, the young Christopher meets his future wife, Felipa, and her wealthy, influential mother, Dona Moniz. Offering to show Christopher and his brother, Bartholomew, her husband’s voyage journals, Dona Moniz sings the evanescent ballad “Our Own World”. Meanwhile, the self-righteous school teacher expostulates the hilarious “Everybody Knows That”, and as Columbus travels from royal court to royal court, the Royal Chorus sings the disparaging “You Can’t Go ‘Round”. Finally, Queen Isabella and her advisers, the Marquise de Moya and Beatriz de Bobadilla, governor of the Canary Islands, urge Columbus to go “Beyond the Horizon”. When he reaches his destination of India (or so he thinks), the islanders and the sailors have very different perceptions as they sing “Oh, Pretty Island”. Meanwhile, in her song, “The Invisible People”, Felipa wishes she were the one who could have made the journey. We think you will agree that this musical goes beyond being educational. It is inspirational, thought provoking, and offers a new viewpoint to an old story.

TIME: (2 acts) appx. 75 min. in total

CAST: Flexible cast of appx. 18m, 17f, plus small, optional, and chorus roles. Doubling possible.