Back in 2015, nearly a decade ago at this point, Glee‘s Darren Criss replaced Neil Patrick Harris in Broadway’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Belasco Theater. My mom surprised me with some wonderfully close orchestra tickets, and the rest, as they say, is history. Being a big fan of the movie and its rock ballad music soundtrack, I fell in love with Darren’s interpretation of that timeless character. Flash forward to 2024: Criss, now an Emmy-winning actor with plenty of experience under his belt, has just come off a successful and mostly sold out run of Little Shop of Horrors. Fate brings Darren Criss back to the Belasco Theater once more for Korean import Maybe Happy Ending—a mesmerizing and visually stunning musical whose contagious slow-burn romance proves that even robots are capable of love. In an age where artificial intelligence and robotics have become part of our everyday conversations, the show embraces its cutesy aesthetic with the help of immersive screens and emotive performances from Criss and co-star Helen J. Shen (The Lonely Few, Teeth).
Set in the Helperbot Yards outside of Seoul, Korea, in “the near future,” we follow two androids living out their repetitive existence directly across the hallway from one another without ever interacting for years. Oliver (Criss) still holds out hope that James (Marcus Choi), his jazz-loving master, will return to claim him. Claire (Shen) has a decidedly more pessimistic outlook, fully aware that she has been “retired.” Right off the bat, the obviousness of these two vastly different characters is only exacerbated by their actual tech specifications. Oliver, a Helperbot Model 3, has the friendly optimism locked down, particularly renowned for a trusty and nearly unbreakable charger. On the other hand, the much newer Helperbot Model 5 supposedly has higher capability for nuanced emotions, making Claire a well-rounded, more layered and expressive assistant bot. Even their rooms are opposite yet complementary color schemes. Their yin and yang relationship keeps this breezy fast-paced musical from ever overstaying its welcome.
As a robot, Criss gives perfect mannerisms, and an entirely believable performance. He is the lifeblood of the show, grounding Shen, who gives less artificial energy that goes hand in hand with her Model 5 persona. Initially, Claire only comes to Oliver’s door because her charger has given up the ghost. Staying in the Helperbot Yards, Helperbots no longer have access to ordering extinct replacement parts, or doing complex lookups in their software. Without a working charger, Claire would have to power down for good. A quick meeting leads to a regular occurrence, with Claire showing up to recharge like clockwork at the same time every single day. Against all odds, Oliver begins to genuinely care for Claire and her eccentricities. Oliver has a plan of his own—perhaps if James will not return to Oliver, then Oliver can instead travel to see James.
As previously noted, the sets and visuals are just as vital as the transformative lead roles. A constantly moving set coupled with the immersiveness of screens always adds depth to everything happening onstage. This can be as subtle as an exact framing of the characters and their plights to a much larger and significant depiction, such as close-up flashbacks, stage-setting information, or depictions of the date and time that the story unfolds. An interesting blend injects Korean into the show, albeit in an easily-digestible manner for the uninitiated. Jazzy interludes also allow The Voice‘s Dez Duron to play crooner Gil Brentley off on the sidelines. Somehow, all of these disparate elements come together to make Maybe Happy Ending feel sweet and genuine, particularly in the wake of its slow-burn romantic elements.
There is a bold humor here that just works, name-dropping plenty of pop culture phenomena while forging a destiny of a uniquely singular variety. A number of songs emerge with a succinct, almost melancholy bent to their melodies. For what it’s worth, Criss and Shen are phenomenal, but Duron has the hardest job here. His voice, rich with texture and definition, adds to the mood. The titular “Maybe Happy Ending” ends up being a signature tune—the relevance of the title only begins to form as its conclusion starts to take shape. As sweet as the songs are throughout, none of them are particularly memorable, nor do they soar in a Broadway ballad type of way. Instead, the show relies on its surprisingly strong and incredibly sweet narrative. Performing straight through its hour-and-a-half runtime free from an intermission means there is also very little fat.
Essentially a sugary sweet robot rom-com with shades of darker elements that emerge in the show’s back half, Maybe Happy Ending should definitely be one of the fall season’s most intriguing new shows. Immaculate staging, laugh-out-loud humor, and campy fun make for a great night on Broadway. The ending needs some work; maybe it will eventually grow on me, but it seems to take a sudden pivot away from the expected. Then again, the show’s title should serve as a question mark of a promise to curious viewers. Despite very minor flaws, the ensemble gives it their all, and the behind the curtain aspects regarding the staging of the production present a technical marvel akin to recently-closed Water for Elephants. Even though my mom was no longer around physically for my second trip to the Belasco Theater, I felt her presence as the magical wonderment of Maybe Happy Ending quickly won me over. Call him Nat King Cole, Blaine Anderson, J. Pierrepont Finch, or Oliver the Helperbot 3—Darren Criss was born for the stage.
Maybe Happy Ending is fully charged and ready for optimal viewing at New York City’s Belasco Theater.
