Maybe Happy Ending has finally gotten its own happy ending. The new romantic musical comedy arrived on Broadway at last, starring Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Darren Criss and Helen J Shen in her Broadway debut. 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.
The Richard Rodgers Award-winning musical is helmed by Tony winner Michael Arden, features an innovative scenic design by Dane Laffrey, and book, music, and lyrics by the internationally acclaimed duo Will Aronson and Hue Park.
What's it all about? Inside a one-room apartment in the heart of Seoul, Oliver lives a happily quiet life listening to jazz records and caring for his favorite plant. But what else is there to do when you’re a Helperbot 3, a robot that has long been retired and considered obsolete? When his fellow Helperbot neighbor Claire asks to borrow his charger, what starts as an awkward encounter leads to a unique friendship, a surprising adventure, and maybe even…love?
Long before Broadway, the one-act musical had its world premiere in Seoul, South Korea at Lifeway Hall in DCF Daemyung Cultural Factory in 2016. Since then it has gone on to play in Japan, China, and Atlanta. It won the Korean Musical Award – Musical of the Year in 2019.
The show was written in both Korean and English and was originally titled What I Learned From People. Both versions were performed in New York City in a workshop in 2016 as a part of the Wooran Cultural Foundation's first overseas development project.
What are the small things that make any life worth living? Find out in Maybe Happy Ending.
What “Maybe Happy Ending” asks, even in its ambivalent title, is whether that’s a good thing, for them and for us, their mirror images. When Oliver fully realizes that Claire’s “shelf life” will end before his, he asks in real pain, “How can people do this?” — meaning survive the death of others. If the start of love is the start of loss, is it perhaps better to erase one’s memories (which these Helperbots can do because they have their own passwords) or even to avoid the journey altogether? A good question for robots and, as posed by this astonishing musical, maybe the most deeply human one of all.
“Maybe Happy Ending” is an undeniably moving, well-made, adorable musical, and it is a pleasant surprise to see an audience weep at a show about two robots in love. The musical makes the bold claim that maybe we are not that different from robots after all, or that they are not that different from us. Just as robots have much to learn from humans, we in turn can learn from them, especially how to care for each other and for ourselves. It’s crucial to know when you need to charge your battery, but likewise it’s important to be willing to share that charger with someone in need.
| 2024 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Will Aronson |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Hue Park |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Michael Arden |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Helen J. Shen |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Darren Criss |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Hue Park |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Will Aronson |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Will Aronson |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Hue Park |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Will Aronson |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musi | Dane Laffrey |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musi | George Reeve |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musi | Dane Laffrey |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musi | George Reeve |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Darren Criss |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Helen J. Shen |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL | Michael Arden |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Hue Park |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Will Aronson |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Michael Arden |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical | Darren Criss |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | Ben Stanton |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Maybe Happy Ending |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Will Aronson |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design | Dane Laffrey |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Hue Park |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Will Aronson |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design | Peter Hylenski |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Will Aronson |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Hue Park |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Clint Ramos |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Michael Arden |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Ben Stanton |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Will Aronson |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (Music and/or Lyrics) | Hue Park |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (Music and/or Lyrics) | Will Aronson |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Darren Criss |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | George Reeve |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Dane Laffrey |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | Peter Hylenski |
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