Religion and capitalism collide in this sharp, jazz-infused musical satire by Kurt Weill,
Bertolt Brecht, and Elisabeth Hauptmann. Banned after just two performances in 1929 Berlin, Happy End is a satire of big business and big religion set in a smoky speakeasy where gangsters do deals, and the Salvation Army saves souls. With an unforgettable score that includes “Bilbao Song,” “Mandalay Song,” and “Surabaya Johnny,” Happy End blazes with wit, grit, and dark glamour.
Happy End will be music directed by Artistic & General Director Rob Ainsley, and feature Ana Karneža, a Juilliard drama graduate who won the Kurt Weill Foundation’s Lotte Lenya Competition in 2024. The production will be directed by Mary Birnbaum, General & Artistic Director of Opera Saratoga, in collaboration with Glimmerglass Festival Dramaturg Kelley Rourke. Happy End is presented as part of a historic new collaborative partnership between The Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Saratoga, Finger Lakes Opera, and the Seagle Festival, with 11 performances touring to eight venues across New York State and Western Massachusetts, and presented in the Glimmerglass Pavilion.
Music by Ben Moore
Libretto by Kelley Rourke
Presented in English with English projected titles
Approx. Running Time: 1 hour (no intermission)
Conductor | Kimberley-Ann Bartczak
Director | Eric Sean Fogel
Set Designer | James Rotondo
Costume Designer | Sophie Schneider
Sound Designer | Joel Morain
*Complete casting for Happy End, as well as a listing of all tour performance dates and venues, will be released at a later date.
