Title: Maybe Happy Ending
Location: The Belasco Theatre
Written By: Hue Park (book and lyrics) and Will Aronson (music, book, and lyrics)
Summary: A love story between two obsolete robots.
Highlights: Set in the future but with a retro feel, this story about two robots is a surprisingly moving human story. We open on Oliver - literally, the set opens up a window revealing Oliver's cute bright simple apartment in a home for retired "helper bots." Except Oliver doesn't think he's retired, he's waiting for his owner (whom he considers a friend) to come and get him. He meets the robot across the hall, Claire, when she starts having battery charging issues. She's a newer model with more features, but a less durable battery and charger. The two slowly develop a friendship, and go on an adventure to find Oliver's owner and see the fireflies that Claire remembers seeing with her owner. Throughout the show, we come to care for these robots, mourn their losses, and celebrate their developing love for each other. The show is so sweet and special, funny and wholly original, as it explores themes of grief, love, loss, and the ephemeral nature of life. These robots know they have a limited lifespan left, but that is the human experience too. And what these robots choose to do with their remaining precious life will give you all the feels.
The four-person live cast is so great (the video projections feature a few other actors). I've loved Darren Criss since Glee but this is my first time seeing him live, and he's truly a joy to watch. The physicality of his performance as this older model robot, who's not as human-like as the newer model, is endlessly entertaining and so specific and consistent. Helen J. Shen is making her Broadway debut as Claire and is just a delight as the more jaded Claire, softening as she falls for Oliver. Marcus Choi (who was Hamilton's Washington on tour) plays too many different characters to count, making each of them distinct. Rounding out the cast is Dez Duron as Oliver's favorite crooner Gil Brentley, with a dreamy crooner voice and a character who comes to life out of the record player, his songs almost like a commentary. Which brings me to this original score that is part crooner, part pop (composer Hue Park has also written for K-pop), with a backstage orchestra that gets one glorious moment on stage.
This is a fantastic new original musical that is already getting Tony buzz, and the design of it is truly incredible (someone said it's the most expensive set on Broadway right now). The set continues to reveal itself through the 105 minute show, not just Claire and Oliver's cube-like apartments, but also an elaborate rotating set of Oliver's owner's house that's on stage for maybe five minutes, a ship, a field of fireflies, and other wondrous moments. The use of projections is also very clever and modern, as we see videos of the robots' memories of their owners, fireflies, and other effects. The entirety of the design is truly magical and adds to the storytelling instead of distracting from it. Maybe Happy Ending is an unexpected gem of a musical.
