Happy End [סוף טוב]

Set in Berlin before the outbreak of World War II, A Happy End tells the story of a cosmopolitan Jewish couple who are faced with the decision of whether to stay and face the danger of Nazi rule, or leave the city for safety. Both are convinced the Nazis will never come to power. Dr. Mark Erdmann, an acclaimed Jewish physicist at the University of Berlin is on the brink of an important discovery. His wife, Leah, is having an affair with his young assistant and living the good life in Berlin. They hold on to their lives in Berlin, even though all signs point to the dangers of staying. When Hitler becomes Reichskanzler, Mark is fired from his position at the university, and he and Leah are forced to make their final decision.

Format: Drama

Notes:

Published in Italian, with the title Un Lieto Fine.

Original or Prominent Production:
Produced first in Italy by Compagnia dell’Attimo, then produced in Germany and Israel. Premiered in Los Angeles 2012 as a staged reading at The Museum of Tolerance. Performed in New York, March 2015, at the June Havoc Theater, presented by the Abingdon Theater Company.

Original Language: Hebrew

Experience(s) Chronicled: Germany, Hitler and the Growth of Nazism