Video: MAYBE HAPPY ENDING's Darren Criss and Will Aronson Talk Show's Success on PBS NewsHour
Maybe Happy Ending received 6 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Leading Actor, and more.
By: Josh Sharpe Jul. 30, 2025
Actor Darren Criss and composer Will Aronson, both of whom won Tony Awards for their work on Maybe Happy Ending, were recently featured on PBS NewsHour's CANVAS series to discuss the acclaimed musical.
During their conversation with PBS correspondent Jeffrey Brown, the pair touched on love and the original idea that inspired the show. "I think one of the most beautiful sentiments of the show is the way that love makes things alive," Criss shared on the segment.
The musical follows two retired helper bots who unexpectedly fall in love. However, this wasn't the original pitch given to Aronson by his collaborator, Hue Park. "He said, 'I have an image for you. It's this lonely robot playing trombone in this basement parking garage late at night when no one's around.' And I thought, 'This is really exciting.'" Watch the full segment now, where they also discuss the success and future of the musical.
Maybe Happy Ending received 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book (Will Aronson and Hue Park), Best Leading Actor (Darren Criss), Best Direction (Michael Arden), and Best Scenic Design (Dane Laffrey and George Reeve); the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical; 2 Drama League Award wins, including Outstanding Production of a Musical and Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Michael Arden); 4 Outer Critics Circle Award wins, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Michael Arden), Outstanding Book of a Musical and Outstanding Score (Will Aronson and Hue Park); a Theatre World Award (Helen J Shen); a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Leading Actor in a Musical (Darren Criss); plus 6 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Michael Arden), Outstanding Music, Outstanding Lyrics, Outstanding Book of a Musical (Will Aronson and Hue Park), and Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical (Dane Laffrey and George Reeve).
Maybe Happy Ending opened on Broadway on November 12, 2024 at the Belasco Theatre. In addition to continuing on Broadway, Maybe Happy Ending will embark on a multi-year North American tour beginning in the Fall of 2026. Launching in Baltimore at the Hippodrome Theatre at The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, the tour has stops planned in 30+ cities including Los Angeles, D.C., Chicago, Tampa, St. Louis, Detroit, San Francisco, Providence and many other cities. Additional engagements, casting and the route for the tour’s first year will be announced soon.
Maybe Happy Ending stars Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Darren Criss (American Buffalo, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, “Glee,” “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”), Helen J Shen (The Lonely Few, Teeth), Dez Duron (NBC's “The Voice”) and Marcus Choi (Wicked, Flower Drum Song). It was recently announced that Andrew Barth Feldman will play the role of “Oliver” beginning on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 for a special limited 9-week run through Saturday, November 1, 2025.
The cast also includes: Steven Huynh (“Blue Bloods”, CBS); Hannah Kevitt (Back to the Future, Broadway), Daniel May (Flower Drum Song, Broadway; Soft Power, Signature Theatre) and Christopher James Tamayo (Les Misérables, National Tour) who round out the production as the understudies.
Maybe Happy Ending was directed by Tony Award winner Michael Arden (Parade, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol) and features Set and additional Video Design by Tony Award winner Dane Laffrey (A Christmas Carol, Once on This Island), Costume Design is by Tony Award winner Clint Ramos (KPOP, Eclipsed), Lighting Design is by Tony Award nominee Ben Stanton (A Christmas Carol, Fun Home), Sound Design is by Tony Award winner Peter Hylenski (Moulin Rouge!: The Musical, Beetlejuice), Video Design by George Reeve (Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, UK), Deborah Abramson (The Gardens of Anuncia) is the Music Supervisor and John Yun is the Music Director. Casting is by Telsey & Co, Craig Burns, CSA and Justin Scribner is the Production Stage Manager. Foresight Theatrical serves as General Managers of the show.
Maybe Happy Ending is the story of a chance encounter that sparks connection, adventure, and maybe even love. Winner of the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, the Drama League Award, the OCC Award and the Richard Rodgers Award, Maybe Happy Ending is the offbeat and captivating story of two outcasts near the end of their warranty who discover that even robots can be swept off their feet.
Maybe Happy Ending was written in both Korean and English-language versions. The Korean-language version opened in December of 2016 at DaeMyung Culture Factory in Seoul and subsequently won six Korean Musical Awards including Best Musical. The English-language version was awarded the 2017 Richard Rodgers Production Award and had its U.S. premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in the 2019-2020 season under the direction of Michael Arden.
