Darren Criss Returning To Broadway With Helen J Shen In New Musical ‘Maybe Happy Ending’

Greg Evans
·3 min read
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Emmy and Golden Globe-winner Darren Criss (American Buffalo, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story) will return to the stage alongside Helen J Shen (The Lonely Few, Teeth) in the Broadway premiere of the new musical Maybe Happy Ending.

Maybe Happy Ending will begin previews on Wednesday, September 18, at the Belasco Theatre, with an opening night on Thursday, October 17.

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With music by Will Aronson, lyrics by Hue Park and book by both Aronson and Park, Maybe Happy Ending will be directed by Tony Award-winner Michael Arden (Parade, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Once on this Island).

Maybe Happy Ending will also feature Dez Duron (NBC’s The Voice) who makes his Broadway debut along with Shen.

Final casting as well as ticketing and on-sale information will be announced at a later date.

The synopsis: “Inside a one-room apartment in the heart of Seoul, Oliver (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 (Shen) asks to borrow his charger, what starts as an awkward encounter leads to a unique friendship, a surprising adventure, and maybe even…love? 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.”

“I am so very happy to be joining the enchanting world of Maybe Happy Ending,” said Criss. “It’s already such a special piece, but all the more exciting for me to get to build it for Broadway with people I admire – namely my ol’ pal Michael Arden, a visionary I’ve been wanting to work with for longer than I care to admit, as well as the very talented Will Aronson and Hue Park.”

He continued, “Their inventive book and music, combined with Michael’s direction, is exactly the kind of alchemy that gets me most excited about what musical theater can be. I can’t wait for audiences to take part in this wonderfully original theatrical experience, and behold a story from a future that explores one of the most ancient questions of humanity – why love?”

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.

Having led the visual development of the piece since 2018, Tony Award-nominee Dane Laffrey (A Christmas Carol, Once on This Island) will design 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 will be the Music Director.

Maybe Happy Ending is produced on Broadway by Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold, Darren Criss (making his Broadway producing debut), Rebecca Gold, Spencer Ross, Adam Zotovich, Kayla Greenspan, M/B/P Productions, Fahs Productions, Ken Greiner, Ruth Hendel, Willette and Manny Klausner, Cody Lassen Mix and Match Productions, The Nederlander Organization, Jacob Stuckelman & John Albert Harris. Allan Williams serves as Executive Producer.

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