Glimmerglass Opera’s Happy End

• Music and Lyrics by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht
• Book by Elisabeth Hauptmann
• Presented in English
• Approximate running time: 90 minutes

Religion and capitalism collide in this sharp, jazz-infused musical comedy 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.

The score includes “Bilbao Song,” “Mandalay Song,” and “Surabaya Johnny.”

This production will be music directed by Rob Ainsley and will feature Ana Karneža. Glimmerglass Dramaturg Kelley Rourke has created a new English book that retains all of Weill’s original songs (in Michael Feingold’s translation). The production will be directed by Mary Birnbaum.