Opera Saratoga Presents: Happy End

Opera Saratoga and The Glimmerglass Festival join forces for the first time in a historic New York State collaboration to present Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, and Elisabeth Hauptmann’s daring and deliciously subversive musical Happy End.

Banned after just two performances in 1929 Berlin, Happy End is a razor-sharp satire of capitalism, crime, and salvation—set in a smoky speakeasy where gangsters strike deals and the Salvation Army saves souls. As passions ignite and worlds collide, Weill’s unforgettable score—featuring “Bilbao Song,” “Mandalay Song,” and the sultry “Surabaya Johnny”—blazes with wit, grit, and dark glamour.

This production marks a groundbreaking new model for opera in New York: one built on collaboration, sustainability, and accessibility. Directed by Opera Saratoga’s Mary Birnbaum and music directed by Robert Ainsley, General Director of The Glimmerglass Festival, Happy End stars Ana Karneža, a Juilliard-trained actor, and 2024 Lotte Lenya Competition winner.

“This is an exciting new way to bring opera directly to audiences across the state,” says Birnbaum. “Instead of asking communities to come to us, we’re coming to them—sharing world-class performances in local venues and building a stronger, more connected opera audience for the future.”

The Happy End tour will travel to stages across New York, including two electrifying performances at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs.

Get ready for music that sizzles, satire that bites, and a partnership that’s rewriting the future of opera in New York.