Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht’s "Happy End"

Religion and capitalism collide in this sharp, jazz-infused 1929 musical satire by Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht and Elisabeth Hauptmann. Conceived as a follow-up to the trio’s success with The Threepenny Opera, 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. 

Directed by Mary Birnbaum, this compact new English adaptation of Happy End by Kelley Rourke is music directed by Rob Ainsley and features Ana Karneža, a Juilliard drama graduate and 2024 winner of the Kurt Weill Foundation’s Lotte Lenya Competition, and instrumentalists from the Manhattan School of Music’s Jazz program. The presentation is part of a historic new collaborative partnership between The Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Saratoga, Finger Lakes Opera and the Seagle Festival.

2026-27 tickets go on sale in July.