Happy End (2006 ACT Cast) [CAST RECORDING]

Kurt Weill

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 6, 2007)
• Original Release Date: February 6, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Ghostlight
• ASIN: B000M06KFM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #102,480 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

SF Chronicle
"Happy End Lives up to it's name! Musically enticing and entertaining!"

Product Description
Happy End follows the struggle of the passionate Salvation Army lieutenant Lillian Holiday to save the soul of down-and-out mobster Bill Cracker, whose gang is led by the mysterious Lady in Grey (AKA The Fly). Soon the gangster and and "Hallelujah Lil" fall in love as chaos erupts in both their groups and builds to a dramatic showdown on Christmas Eve.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Recording, February 7, 2007

By	David DN (Haight Ashbury, Earth) - See all my reviews

I've enjoyed the Capriccio German-language recording of Happy End for years. Most of this material has been recorded over and over, and it would be easy to pick out anything seriously lacking. The good news is that this new ACT English language version completely measures up. Charlotte Cohn as Lillian Holiday is excellent; all the other voices and orchestrations are just right too.

The 2006 American Conservatory Theatre production of Happy End had all the bite that their version of Threepenny Opera lacked a couple of seasons before. (That effort was fluffy and rather defanged, with an English translation that felt G-rated in contrast to the well-known Blitzstein version.) ACT's Happy End was visually splendid and a lot of effort, craft and clowning went into it. Too bad the entire show was apparently not recorded for release on DVD.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this recording!, February 17, 2007

By	Theatre Buff "Theater Buff" (West Coast USA) - See all my reviews

If you are reading this review stop now and click the buy button immediately. This is the best Weill "show" recording to come out in a long time. Happy End, which has been always described as that "difficult" sequel to The ThreePenny Opera is shown here to be a vital and vibrant piece of Musical Theater. This CD should be in every Weill enthusiasts collection. In fact everyone interested in the Musical theater should buy it now. I liked it. Can you tell?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Cast recording EVER!, June 26, 2007

By	J. Williams (New York, NY, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Finally an English-language version of this classic Brecht-Weill work and A.C.T.'s production delivers the goods, particularly the stunning and beautiful soprano of Charlotte Cohn as "Halellujah Lil" who gets to tackle the show's most famous numbers. Cohn's 'Sailor's Tango' is gorgeous and haunting and her rendition of 'Surabaya Johnny' soars: dynamic and beautiful. Definitely an album worth owning!