The Glimmerglass Festival has announced full details and casting for its upcoming touring production of Happy End, a jazz-infused musical satire by Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, and Elisabeth Hauptmann, set to travel across New York and Western Massachusetts this spring.
The production will make a Capital Region stop at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Sunday, May 17 at 3:00 p.m., as part of a broader statewide collaboration designed to expand access to opera and musical theater.
This new tour brings together four major upstate arts organizations — The Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Saratoga, Finger Lakes Opera, and Seagle Festival — in a joint effort to reach audiences beyond traditional performance hubs. The initiative represents a growing push to strengthen New York’s cultural ecosystem through shared resources and regional partnerships.
Directed by Opera Saratoga Artistic & General Director Mary Birnbaum, Happy End blends romance, satire, and social commentary. Originally premiering in 1929 Berlin — where it was famously banned after only two performances — the work has since become one of the most notable collaborations between Weill and Brecht.
“Opera and musical theater have the power to connect, challenge, and inspire, by working closely with our colleagues… we are ensuring that high-caliber, imaginative live performance reaches audiences… including communities that may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience this transformative art form.”
Rob Ainsley Glimmerglass Artistic & General Director
Set in a Chicago speakeasy, the story follows a cast of gangsters and Salvation Army missionaries navigating morality, redemption, and survival in a corrupt world. The score features several of Weill’s most recognizable songs, including “Bilbao Song,” “Mandalay Song,” and “Surabaya Johnny.”
This new adaptation, crafted by Glimmerglass dramaturg Kelley Rourke, presents a streamlined 90 -minute version performed in English, designed for accessibility and touring flexibility.
The cast is led by Ana Karneža, winner of the 2024 Lotte Lenya Competition, starring as “The Fly.” She is joined by a roster of performers with strong ties to the partner organizations, including Christine Taylor Price as Lieutenant Lillian Holiday and Gregory Feldmann as Bill Cracker. Additional cast members include Lisa Marie Rogali, Jonathan Pierce Rhodes, Bradley Bickhardt, Jason Zacher, Reed Gnepper, and Lauren Torey.
Beyond its artistic ambitions, the production also emphasizes accessibility and inclusivity, both in its staging and casting approach. Karneža noted that the collaborative process has helped reimagine how touring opera can be created with broader physical and creative access in mind.
The Happy End tour will include 10 performances across eight venues, spanning more than 13,000 square miles—roughly a quarter of New York State—bringing world-class performers to communities throughout the region.
Tickets for the Troy performance are available through Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
For more information, visit the venue’s website.
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