The Glimmerglass Festival has announced details and casting for its touring production of “Happy End,” the electrifying musical satire by Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, and Elisabeth Hauptmann.
This new touring production brings together The Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Saratoga, Finger Lakes Opera, and Seagle Festival in a shared effort to expand access to opera across the region. Internationally recognized for its innovative productions, commitment to new work, and leadership in artist training, The Glimmerglass Festival convened these partner organizations to build a sustainable statewide touring model. “Happy End” will include 10 performances at eight venues, bringing world-renowned artists and performances to audiences across 13,058 sq. miles of New York State (24% of the state).
“Opera and musical theatre have the power to connect, challenge, and inspire,” said Rob Ainsley, Artistic and General Director of The Glimmerglass Festival, who will serve as music director of the production. “By working closely with our colleagues at Opera Saratoga, Finger Lakes Opera, and Seagle Festival, we are strengthening upstate New York’s cultural ecosystem and working to ensure that high-caliber, imaginative live performance reaches audiences in Central New York and beyond — including communities that may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience this transformative art form.”
Mary Birnbaum, Artistic and General Director of Opera Saratoga, serves as stage director for the production. “’Happy End,’ which contains some of Kurt Weill’s most memorable music, tells the story of lost souls who want to be saved despite the broken systems they uphold,” said Birnbaum. “It’s an unlikely love story wrapped in a gangster comedy, set in a bar at the end of the world.”
Based in Saratoga Springs, Opera Saratoga was the first company to join Glimmerglass in the new collective, paving the way for additional regional partners to join. The company is known for its adventurous programming spanning opera and musical theatre, as well as a strong commitment to emerging artists through its summer festival and year-round initiatives. With support from the New York State Council on the Arts, Opera Saratoga will be in residence at The Glimmerglass Festival for six weeks in April and May.
Finger Lakes Opera, headquartered in Rochester, presents performances and educational programs throughout the Finger Lakes region, fostering artistic excellence and community engagement. Seagle Festival, founded in 1915 in Schroon Lake, is one of the nation’s oldest summer vocal training programs and opera festivals, dedicated to preparing the next generation of singing actors through performance-based training. Brought together under Glimmerglass’s leadership, each organization brings distinctive strengths and deep regional connections to the collaboration.
A Provocative Classic Reimagined
Banned after only two performances at its 1929 Berlin premiere, “Happy End” remains one of Weill and Brecht’s most theatrical and incisive collaborations. Set in a smoky Chicago speakeasy where gangsters negotiate power, and Salvation Army missionaries seek redemption, the work explores the intersection of faith, commerce, and morality. Its score includes “Bilbao Song,” “Mandalay Song,” and “Surabaya Johnny.”
Glimmerglass Dramaturg Kelley Rourke has created a new English book that retains all of Weill’s original songs (in Michael Feingold’s translation) while shaping a 90-minute performance without intermission. Designed for flexibility and intimacy, the production features costumes by Márion Talán de la Rosa and set design by Tobin Ost.
Cast
The production features a vibrant ensemble of artists with strong ties to the collaborating companies. Ana Karneža, winner of the 2024 Lotte Lenya Competition, stars as The Fly, showcasing her celebrated command of this repertoire; an appearance made possible with support from The Kurt Weill Foundation. “I’m thrilled to finally work on a full Brecht/Kurt Weill production. I’ve performed Brecht plays and previously created concerts around Kurt Weill’s music, so this piece feels like a gift for an actor like me who loves a gritty song that reaches the audience directly. What excites me even more about this production is how deeply access is part of its creation,” shared Karneža. “From the beginning, Mary Birnbaum imagined ‘Happy End’ with me in mind, and that has led to a kind of creative rethinking of what opera and touring can look like when a disabled actor is leading the production. It’s been an incredibly collaborative process, one that’s not only about physical access, but about expanding what we imagine is possible.”
The complete cast includes Christine Taylor Price, a 2026 Opera Saratoga artist, who appears as Lieutenant Lillian Holiday, bringing expressive storytelling and vocal clarity to the role. Gregory Feldmann, a 2026 Glimmerglass Hupper Family Festival Artist who has also performed with Opera Saratoga, takes on the role of Bill Cracker, while Glimmerglass alumna Lisa Marie Rogali, also an Opera Saratoga artist and recipient of a 2017 Lotte Lenya Competition Special Award, portrays the Major. Jonathan Pierce Rhodes, a multi-season Glimmerglass alumnus and recent Finger Lakes Opera guest artist, performs the Governor, joined by Bradley Bickhardt, a former Glimmerglass Resident Artist and 2021 Opera Saratoga artist, as Hannibal. Jason Zacher, a Glimmerglass alumnus and 2024 Lotte Lenya Competition winner, appears as Benny. Reed Gnepper and Lauren Torey, both 2026 Glimmerglass Resident Artists, complete the ensemble as Jimmy and Maryjane, respectively, contributing versatility and dynamic stage presence to this inventive staging.
2026 Tour Schedule
3 p.m. Saturday, May 9 — Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA
3 p.m. Sunday, May 10 — Munson, Utica, NY
7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16 — Seagle Festival, TBD, Schroon Lake, NY
3 p.m., Sunday, May 17 — Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy, NY
7 p.m. Thursday, May 28 and Saturday, May 30 — Opera Saratoga, Universal Preservation Hall, Saratoga Springs, NY
8 p.m. Friday, May 19 — Hudson Hall, Hudson, NY
7 p.m. Thursday, July 23 — Finger Lakes Opera, Panara Theater at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
4:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 28 and Friday, July 31 — The Glimmerglass Festival, Pavilion, Cooperstown, NY
Additional New York City dates for fall 2026 will be announced at a later date. For ticket information, please visit each presenting venue’s website.
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