Happy End (Geary Theater)

Schmap.com supports the following browsers:

PC

• Internet Explorer 6 and above
• Firefox 1.5 and above
• Safari 3 for PC

• Safari version 1.3 and above
• Firefox 2 and above

San Francisco Home

Happy End (Geary Theater) Gangster Vaudeville

415 Geary St San Francisco, CA 94102 +1 415 749 2228 http://www.act-sfbay.org/

One year after the debut of Bertolt Brecht's (1898-1956) and Kurt Weill's (1900-1950) 1928 smash-hit The Threepenny Opera, the legendary duo teamed up again to produce the gangster musical Happy End (1929). Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Brecht's death, San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater closes its 2005-2006 season with a production of this once notorious piece. Set in the seedy, crime-ridden underground of 1920's Chicago, Happy End tells the story of the street-savvy mob boss Billy Cracker (Peter Macon) and his redemption by the virtuous Salvation Army Lieutenant Lillian Holiday (Charlotte Cohn). Written by Dorothy Lane (the pseudonym of Bertolt Brecht and his secretary-mistress Elizabeth Hauptmann) Happy Ends has everything you would expect from 1920's vaudeville- flashy costumes, a dingy setting, and a hackneyed love story. But Happy End director Carey Perloff uses these potentially tedious motifs to the play's advantage for a fast-paced, often comical rendition of Brecht's and Weill's once condemned musical about the intersection of religion and capitalism. The harsh décor of Bill's Beer Hall, the risqué garb of "the Fly" (Linda Mugleston) and the austere piety of the Salvation Army officers effectively recreate some of the disjunctions of life in the prohibition era. Furthermore, campy ensemble numbers such as "The Bilbao Song" and "The Liquor Dealer's Dream" offset by Hallelujah Lil's somber ballads "The Sailors' Tango" and "Surabaya Johnny" effectively capture the musical dichotomies of the Roaring Twenties. Although the play's Happy End is never in doubt, A.C.T.'s final production of the 2005-2006 season is sure to keep audiences happily engaged. Credits: Director, Carey Perloff; Music, Kurt Weill; English Translation, Michael Feingold; Lyrics, Bertolt Brecht; Choreography, John Carafa; Musical Direction, Constantine Kitsopoulis.-Sara Hoover Tickets: $25-$80 Performance: Tu-Sa 8p; W, Sa, Su 2p; Su 7p Review © 2009, Wcities

Happy End (Geary Theater) Photo: wcities

Schmap.com
About
News & Reviews
Travel Store
Privacy
Terms of Use
Contact Us
© 2008 Schmap, Inc. All rights reserved.