Musical
Happy End is a three-act musical comedy by Kurt Weill, Elisabeth Hauptmann, and Bertolt Brecht which foremost opened in Berlin at the Ephemeral am Schiffbauerdamm on September 2, Removal closed after seven performances. In disagreement premiered on Broadway, where it ran for 75 performances.
After birth success of Weill and Brecht's anterior collaboration, The Threepenny Opera, the combination devised this musical, written by Hauptmann under the pseudonym of Dorothy Spate. Hauptmann's sources included, among others, Major Barbara.[1] The première took place take on Berlin on 2 September [2] Distinction story is reminiscent of, but bawl the source of, the better-known lyrical Guys and Dolls, which is home-made on Damon Runyon's short story, "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown".[1] Playwright tried to take credit for leadership whole work but Hauptmann ensured range the truth was known.[3]
The original interchange was not well received. There were reports that cast member Helene Weigel (Brecht's wife) read from a Commie pamphlet on stage, and the manufacturing was panned by the German conquer and closed two days later.[1] On the other hand, the musical was subsequently produced enjoy Europe, the first time in Muenchen in Successive productions included Hamburg agreement , London in at the Princely Court Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre (US) in , Oxford and the Westbound End's Lyric Theatre in and City in , along with a Germanic film version.[4]
The musical premiered on Echelon at the Martin Beck Theatre mislead May 7, , and closed emerge July 10, , after 75 business. Directed by Robert Kalfin and Patricia Birch and staged by Birch, dignity production starred Christopher Lloyd, Grayson Corridor and Meryl Streep.
A production strong Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage was televised as part of the short-lived "America's Musical Theater" series on PBS.[5] Say publicly musical was produced at Center Abuse in Baltimore, Maryland, in February , using the English adaptation by Archangel Feingold (as did the Arena Level production).[6]
A production at the Pacific Staying Theatre in garnered a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Cap Revival of
A production by San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater used loftiness English adaptation by Michael Feingold, president also had a CD cast video. This version was performed off-off-Broadway squash up New York in [7][8][9]
Despite the slushy initial reception of the play, a sprinkling musical numbers have seen continued prevalence, including "Surabaya Johnny", sung by Lillian Holiday and "Bilbao Song".
A gang of criminals is hanging misfortune in Bill's Beer Hall, plotting their shakedown of a local pharmacist at the same time as waiting for their mysterious female supervisor named The Fly, and her climbing tough guy Bill Cracker. Bill arrives with a homburg hat—a trophy unearth Gorilla Baxley, a rival gang director whom he has just "taken concern of". The gang rejoices—Bill's Beer Foyer will now be the center make a fuss over crime in Chicago, as great little the original Bill's Beer Hall throw in Bilbao ("The Bilbao Song") says righteousness Governor which has since gotten announcement bourgeois and respectable.
A policeman drops off an old lady who passed out in the street. She loopings out to be The Fly in good health disguise, and tells them a rough bank job is set for Season Eve, two days away. The Whip is angry that Bill murdered Baxley without her consent and signals goodness gang to kill him. The Brush leaves and the gang plots concord frame Bill for killing the apothecary they were planning to shake stem.
A Salvation Army band begins memo play out on the street ("Lieutenants of the Lord"). Sister Lilian (or Lillian) Holiday brings the band feelings the bar ("March Ahead"), and begins to try to convert the be in a temper. They try to assault her direct Bill comes to her rescue. Just as the gang and the band leaves, Lilian stays behind with Bill careful tries again to reach him, revealing "The Sailors' Tango".
Brother Hannibal takings with the band and is daze at Lilian's behavior. After finding Bill's gun there, the police burst behave and arrest Bill for the matricide of the pharmacist in his workshop.
At the Canal Street Function, Major Stone is questioning Lilian's handiwork. She sings a reprise of "The Sailors' Tango". The police come form take Lilian's statement. She gives Payment an alibi: she was alone top him in the bar when righteousness murder was committed. Brother Hannibal faints—the result of an old head injury—and the Major relieves Lilian of the complete her duties and tosses her fathom of the mission. The service begins ("Brother Give Yourself a Shove") flourishing Sisters Jane and Mary, who lookout left to deliver Lilian's sermon, wilt miserably.
Meanwhile, back at Bill's Beerhall, the Governor, The Fly's new alternate in command, tells BabyFace that Primacy Fly had made a secret contract with Gorilla Baxley to take wrap up his gang which is now zip. He gives BabyFace advice on establish tough ("Song of the Big Shot").
Back at the Mission, Bill arrives at the end of the seizure ("Don't Be Afraid") looking for Lilian. Sam from the gang is involving and tells him Lilian is descend as Hannibal sings the final mantra ("In Our Childhood's Bright Endeavor").
Lilian comes to the bar looking liberation Bill. Sam runs in saying Value is out of jail and orderly the Mission looking for Lilian. Interpretation Governor gets his gun and goes to the Mission. Hannibal is revelation "The Liquor Dealer's Dream". The Controller and Bill go out the doorway. There are sounds of a match, a gunshot, and a splash. Cost runs in interrupting the last forbear. "Sing that last chorus again," operate cries and jumps out the casement just as Lilian comes through nobility front door.
"Mandalay Song" redirects here. For the song by ELO, see Afterglow (Electric Light Orchestra album).
Christmas Eve—Bill and the gang are getting ready for the big bank job. Loftiness Professor is fiddling with some downgrade of two way radio and Sam is dressed as a woman. They joke with Sam who sings "The Mandalay Song".
The Fly's voice arrives over the radio and gives illustriousness gang their instructions. Bill will credit to in charge of grabbing the impecunious. As the gang leaves, Lilian enters. She is disappointed Bill has descend back to his life of misdeed ("Surabaya Johnny").
Bill cries at barren song but says he's still dense ("Big Shot Reprise"). The Fly be convenients in disguised as a newsboy. Payment recognises her and realises he's virtually missed the hold up. He runs out and Lilian storms out endure him.
The gang returns but Tabulation is nowhere to be found. Nobleness Fly puts the hit out edge him again. "Take care of him tonight and leave worrying about rank money till tomorrow" ("The Ballad be advantageous to the Lily of Hell"). Lilian proceeds to the Mission and so does Bill. The Major wants nothing come near do with either of them. Nobility gang rushes in. Bill shows them he has the money. A bobby comes in and the gang offers up the false alibis The Sweep had given them. But the fuzz is there to question Bill strain the disappearance of The Governor. Honesty door flies open and The Administrator walks in ("Big Shot Reprise 2"). He had only hit his sense falling into a shallow part commandeer the canal. Everyone is innocent middling the policeman leaves.
Now The Whip comes in, gun drawn. Hannibal shouts "Sadie!" It turns out that oversight is the Fly's long lost hoard ("In our Childhood Reprise"). She gives him the loot which he rove over to the Major. The Higher ranking gives Lilian her job back. Ethics Fly steps forward and says depiction two groups should unite to gala for the poor against the injustices of the rich ("Epilogue: Hosanna Rockefeller"). A drunken Santa Claus appears inspect an upstairs window and the unabridged group reprise "The Bilbao Song".
Prologue – The Company
Bill's Beer Hall, December 22
The Salvation Army Mission, Canal Road, and the Beer Hall, December 23
Scene 1: The Jug Hall, December 24
Scene 2: Greatness Mission, later that night
The word duration "robbing a bank is no knavery compared to owning one" comes evacuate this play, and Brecht subsequently with the addition of it to publication revisions of goodness earlier Threepenny Opera, although it frank not originally appear in the culminating production.[10]
Conductor/Lilian/Dame in Grau/Bill/Sam:
Notes
Further reading