Inside a one-room apartment on the outskirts of Seoul, Oliver (Darren Criss) 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 (Helen J Shen) asks to borrow his charger, what starts as an awkward encounter leads to a unique friendship, a surprising adventure, and maybe even…love?
Helen J Shen and Darren Criss in Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway
(Matthew Murphy)
Winner of 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. Helmed by visionary director and Tony Award winner Michael Arden (Parade, Once on This Island), with a dazzling scenic design by Dane Laffrey (A Christmas Carol) and book, music, and lyrics by the internationally acclaimed duo Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending is a fresh, original musical about the small things that make any life worth living.
Darren Criss in Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway
(Matthew Murphy)
Now in previews, the show opens on Tuesday, November 12 at The Belasco Theatre. Tickets are on sale to the general public through Maybe Happy Ending or Telecharge or by calling 212-239-6200.
Darren Criss and Helen J Shen in rehearsal for Maybe Happy Ending (Michaelah Reynolds)
A musical preview of select songs from the upcoming new romantic musical comedy are available here.
- “When You’re in Love” (With Darren Criss and Helen J Shen)
- “World Within My Room” (With Darren Criss)
- “A Sentimental Person” (With Dez Duron)
- “The Way It Has To Be” (With Helen J Shen and Cast)
- “Maybe Happy Ending” (With Darren Criss and Helen J Shen)
Helen J Shen in Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway
(Matthew Murphy)
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 Miserables, National Tour) who round out the production as the understudies. They join Criss (American Buffalo, Little Shop of Horrors, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”), Shen (The Lonely Few, Teeth), Dez Duron (NBC’s “The Voice”) and Marcus Choi (Wicked, Flower Drum Song).
Having led the visual development of the piece since 2018, Tony Award-nominee Dane Laffrey (A Christmas Carol, Once on This Island) designed the Set and Additional Video, while 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.
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. The acclaimed production was hailed by The Atlantic Journal Constitution as a “dazzling, new musical…a tour-de-force” and Atlanta InTown said the show is “breathtakingly beautiful to watch. You will see stage magic that you’ve never experienced in person in the live theatre.” Broadway World noted the show is “marvelous…the story is interesting and beautifully realized, and it’ll leave you both eager and afraid to access your own relationship to love.”
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