Darren Criss will return to Broadway this fall in the new musical Maybe Happy Ending.
The musical features music by Will Aronson, lyrics by Hue Park, a book by Aronson and Park and direction by Michael Arden, who last directed Parade on Broadway. Criss will star opposite Helen J. Shen (The Lonely Few, Teeth) and Dez Duron (NBC’s The Voice), who will both be making their Broadway debuts.
Maybe Happy Ending will start previews at the Belasco Theatre on Sept. 18, ahead of an opening night on Oct. 17, 2024.
Related Stories
The musical follows two lonely robots in Seoul (Criss and Shen), who have a chance encounter that charts a path for friendship and maybe more.
Maybe Happy Ending was written in both Korean and English. The Korean-language version opened in December 2016 at DaeMyung Culture Factory in Seoul, while the English-language version had its U.S. premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta during the 2019-2020 season with Arden directing.
Criss, known for his roles in Glee and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, last appeared on Broadway in the 2022 revival of American Buffalo, opposite Sam Rockwell and Laurence Fishburne. He appeared in the off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors this winter and has also appeared on Broadway in Hedwig and the Angry Inch and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.
In addition to Parade, for which he won a Tony Award for best direction of a musical, Arden has directed revivals of Once on This Island and Spring Awakening on Broadway.
“I am so very happy to be joining the enchanting world of Maybe Happy Ending,” Criss said. “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. 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.”
Maybe Happy Ending is produced by Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold and Criss.
