Think of it as a Brechtian version of a Hollywood gangster movie set in an imaginary Chicago that bears more than a slight resemblance to the Berlin of "Cabaret." That's the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical "Happy End," and as directed by Irene Lewis at Center Stage, it's also funny.
The opening image is of a couple of toughs threatening a sniveling pharmacist. One of the toughs is called "Baby Face" and says things like, "I'll ram dese brass knuckles down yer troat!" Another, Sam "Mommy" Wurlitzer, is a big bruiser with a crew cut that makes him look like Curly in "The Three Stooges." (Later on, he looks even kookier when he disguises himself in drag for a bank heist.)
If the pharmacist doesn't seem especially frightened, it's because he's actually a member of this criminal gang and the scene we've just witnessed is merely a rehearsal for a shakedown. This scene sets the tongue-in-cheek, comic-book tone that prevails throughout much of this show -- a precursor to Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows' "Guys and Dolls," which shares its sentimental story line about a romance between a hardened gangster and a dedicated Salvation Army saver of souls.
"Sentimental" may sound like a departure from Brecht's trademark alienation effect, and it is. This is user-friendly Brecht -- possibly because the highly political German playwright didn't have a lot to do with "Happy End." Though the lyrics and plot outline were his, the script was written mostly by Elisabeth Hauptmann, an associate of Brecht's (as reinforced in University of Maryland professor John Fuegi's exhaustive 1994 biography, "Brecht & Co."). Center Stage's production uses Michael Feingold's taut, spirited adaptation.
How user-friendly is the production? Well, two of the Salvation Army's hymns are printed in the program, and the audience is encouraged to sing along. You don't get much friendlier than that. But while the musical's sense of fun comes through loud and clear, its sense of romance is iffier.
With his scarred face, sneering expression and unflinching manner, William Parry makes a convincing Bill Cracker, "the toughest crook in Chicago." He isn't enamored of Salvation Army Lt. Lillian Holiday so much as he is intrigued by her; he gazes at her with a fascination for the unknown. Pamela Isaacs' Lieutenant Holiday, on the other hand, is well-acquainted with Bill's type. She's drawn to him because she's drawn to the forbidden, a past weakness she reveals in two of her most famous solos, "The Sailors' Tango" and "Surabaya Johnny."
Yet even allowing for the production's comic tone, the romance has to feel real, and there's a lack of chemistry here. One problem may be that if Bill is supposed to be a larger-than-life criminal, Lil needs to be a larger-than-life heroine. And while Parry's Bill comes across as unquestionably the most dangerous member of his gang, Isaacs' Lil is a bit too conventionally human in scale.
The supporting roles are largely caricatures, and director Lewis has filled them with an appropriately colorful cast, beginning with Kevin McClarnon as Baby Face and Ed Dixon as "Mommy" Wurlitzer, and, on the side of goodness, Ken Jennings, Mary Stout and Pebble Kranz as members of the Salvation Army.
"Happy End" may depart from Brecht's alienation effect, but Lewis and her creative team adhere to the presentational style he favored. Christopher Barreca's two-level set includes projected titles (designed by Wendall K. Harrington), and James F. Ingalls' showy lighting and Catherine Zuber's vivid costumes accentuate the cartoon-like aspect of the show.
In one respect, however, this presentational approach backfires. Though musical director Mark Bennett conducts a fine instrumental ensemble and a host of strong voices, John Gromada's highly miked sound design at times makes those voices sound disembodied, or as if they are coming out of the orchestra pit.
But removed from reality as these voices might sound, the reality of the characters is such that, whether representing good or evil, they're more alike than they care to think. They have extremism in common. That realization may not seem like the happiest possible end, but it proves that, between laughs, Center Stage has found the political edge in this rarely produced musical comedy.
"Happy End"
Where: Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St.
When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; 7:30 p.m. most Sundays; matinees at 2 p.m. Sundays and most Saturdays. Audio-described performance at 8 p.m. Feb. 28; sign-interpreted performance at 2 p.m. March 25. Through March 26
Tickets: $10-$35
Call: (410) 332-0033; TDD: (410) 332-4240
** 1/2