Happy End

New York Magazine, May 09 1977
The Chelsea Theater produced the Weil-Brecht Happy End of 1929, also, alas, unsatisfactionarily. Brecht’s silly story (gangster guys and Salvation Army dolls in Chicago) was made even sillier by Robert Kaflin, who passed moronic jokes onto Michael Feingold’s decent translation, and my Kaflin’s staging, a burlesque of Keystone Kop routines. Yet, Happy End has some of the best Brecht-Weil songs, including “Surabaya Jonny”, which, I could easily argue, is the greatest song ever written for theater. At Brooklyn this was chirped, rather than sung, by Meryl Streep, and nothing else in this grossly erroneous production was very much better. The show closed last weekend, although the producers are already planning to bring it to Broadway. I can’t imagine why.

Time Magazine, June 13, 1977
The players invest the slapdash plot with wit and perfect timing. Wheeling on crutches necessitated by a recent stage fall, Lloyd’s Bill has a saturnine piratical mien worthy of Long John Silver. Though slightly reedy of voice, Meryl Streep renders the Brecht lines with impeccable intelligence. The marvel of the evening is the Kurt Weill score, arguably superior to that of The Threepenny Opera.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette, July 1, 1977
A stylish, energetic cast that functions as a real company. Meryl Streep, as Lillian, projects her own very individual personality, rather than attempting to imitate the legendary Lenya. Her “Surabaya Johnny” is whimsical, almost innocent in its effect, and quite moving on its own terms. The Lenya style, mixed with a bit of Carol Channing, comes through in Grayson Hall’s hilarious characterization of the lady in the gray called “Fly”, Christopher Lloyd portrays Bill Cracker as a somewhat conventional gangster type, but that is partly the nature of the role, and he partners Miss Streep fittingly.