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. With an unforgettable score that includes “Bilbao Song,” “Mandalay Song,” and “Surabaya Johnny,” Happy End blazes with wit, grit, and dark glamour.

Happy End

Hudson Hall at the historic Hudson Opera House

Opera Saratoga, Glimmerglass Festival, Finger Lakes Opera, and Seagle Festival will form a historic New York State partnership to present Kurt Weill, Bertholt Brecht, and Elisabeth Hauptmann’s Happy End.

EPSG:4326

Universal Preservation Hall

Lauren Torey, Mezzo-Soprano

The Juilliard School

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.

Alice Busch Opera Theater of Cooperstown 

Continuing Glimmerglass’s proud tradition of sharing opera for and with young people, the 2026 season will feature a new production of Robin Hood, which Francesca Zambello commissioned for the Festival and directed in 2017. When the law of the land is corrupt, what’s an honest citizen to do? In the absence of the King, the Sheriff has seized the country’s assets for himself and his cronies. Robin Hood is the unlikely leader of a band of ordinary folks doing their best to survive in the forest until just rule returns to the land. This season, Robin Hood will take the mainstage at the Alice Busch Opera Theater, giving local youth performers the opportunity to collaborate with Festival artists and creative teams. 

Lauren Torey

Events

Upcoming events

28 - 31 Jul, 2026

Happy End · Glimmerglass Festival

2 - 7 Aug, 2026

Robin Hood · Glimmerglass Festival

Past events

May 29, 2026

Happy End · Hudson Hall

28 - 30 May, 2026

Happy End · Opera Saratoga

Future and recently performed repertoire

Scarlet in Robin Hood by Moore

Glimmerglass Festival

MaryJane in Happy End by Brecht

Glimmerglass Festival

About

Lauren Torey hasn't added a bio