Theatre Review by Ron Fassler . . .
If you haven’t heard by now, Maybe Happy Ending, a new meet-cute musical with two robots as its leading characters has just opened to excellent reviews on Broadway. It’s melted the hearts across the board of even the toughest souls and there’s a reason for that. Usually it’s when a well-written book or a memorable score are offered (hopefully both) leaving critics grateful. However, those aren’t this show’s major attributes. No, what’s on stage at the Belasco Theatre is mainly being hailed for its originality—and rightly so. Not only due to having non-humans at the core of its story, but also because director Michael Arden (Tony Award winner for Parade) has done a smashing job aided by a truly innovative scenic and video design from Dane Laffrey (in conjuction with George Reeve), and brilliant lighting by Ben Stanton, both of whom Arden collaborated with on the visual enchantments of A Christmas Carol (2019). Trust me when I tell you that Maybe Happy Ending looks like nothing you’ve seen on Broadway.
Written and composed by Will Aronson and Hue Park, it marks Aronson’s Broadway debut and the return of Park, who contributed lyrics to KPOP, which ran briefly on Broadway in 2021. This production premiered in Soul, Korea in 2016 and had other successful versions performed in China and Japan. There’s no doubt that Maybe Happy Ending will be welcomed by a wealth of different countries and eclectic cultures. With the future inching closer towards the present by each passing day, the musical taps into people’s fascination of the pleasures and fears of technology on a grand scale.

It’s all about an obsolete and retired Helperbot 3 robot named Oliver. Placed by his former owner in a small apartment in Seoul, Oliver has not given up hopes for a reunion even after twelve years. Addicted to jazz records and doting on his plant, Hwaboon, his routine is interrupted when Claire, a Helperbot 5 robot and a neighbor he’s never met, shows up at this door to borrow his charger. Their encounter forces Oliver into a reluctant friendship that takes them on a road trip and perhaps to something assimilating human love. Over the course of an hour and forty intermissionless minutes, their journey is one of connection— and who can’t relate to that?
This slim plot is aided by a dazzling physical production and loads of heart provided by Arden and his two lead actors, the affable and winning Darren Criss (How to Succeed . . ., Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and American Buffalo) and Helen J. Chen, making a striking and memorable Broadway debut. The charm factor is off the charts and though I didn’t leave the theatre fully accepting of plot holes and such a simplistic storyline, this is still a show well worth seeing. The skill of its creators and cast transcend the material and, as Stephen Sondheim once told a journalist about The Wiz (1975), “it’s the one show which makes you feel better when you come out of it than you did when you walked in.” Would the master have been so inclined to offer the same praise for Maybe Happy Ending had he lived to see it can only be conjecture, but something tells me he would love its inventiveness, spirit, and high standard of theatricality.

As a jazz aficionado, Oliver is enamored of Gil Brentley (Dez Duron), a made-up 1950’s singer, who is used well throughout. Slyly and obliquely commenting on the action in the style of Bobby Darin-like songs, his presence effectively passes the time without overreaching. The only other actor employed in the show is Marcus Choi, who brings a mournful elegance to the dual roles of the man once Oliver’s owner and his adult son. Mention should also be made of Clint Ramos’s costumes which suggest the future subtly and efficiently, and a robust sound design from Peter Hylenski. Shout out as well for a lovely set of orchestrations by co-composer Will Aronson. I wish the songs lingered in memory better, but perhaps a listen to the cast recording upon its release will help me appreciate it more.

Maybe Happy Endings deserves the success it’s poised to receive. The timing couldn’t be better for the feel-good musical of the season. After all, in November of 2024, why wouldn’t you want to walk out of a theatre feeling better than when you walked in?
Maybe Happy Ending is in an open-ended engagement at the Belasco Theatre, 111 W 44th Street, NYC. For further information, please visit: https://www.maybehappyending.com.
Photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.
Headline photo: Darren Criss and Helen J. Chen in Maybe Happy Ending.