A new, original musical has announced a Broadway run this season. Written by Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending will play Broadway's Belasco Theatre beginning September 18 ahead of an October 17 opening night. Michael Arden is directing.
Broadway favorite and former Glee star Darren Criss will lead the cast opposite Helen J Shen (Teeth, The Lonely Few). The Voice star Dez Duron will co-star, with further casting to be announced. Criss is also making his Broadway producing debut with the production, alongside fellow lead producers Jeffrey Richards and Hunter Arnold.
Set in South Korea, the musical follows a Helperbot 3 that has been deemed obsolete. When his Helperbot neighbor drops by to borrow a charger, a bond is formed, the beginning of a surprising and romantic adventure. The original work features music by Aronson and lyrics by Park, and both have collaborated on the book.
Park is a former K-Pop lyricist, working with Music Cube as a college student. Later attending New York University, Park met Aronson, and a musical theatre collaboration was born. Working mostly in Korea, the pair has previously written musicals Bungee Jump (based on the Korean film) and Il Tenore, and will premiere Ghost Bakery at Seoul's Doosan Arts Center later this year.
Aronson and Park have written both English- and Korean-language versions of Maybe Happy Ending, with the latter having premiered in 2016 in Seoul. The English version won the 2017 Richard Rodgers Production Award, playing Atlanta's Alliance Theatre in 2020.
Maybe Happy Ending will feature scenic and additional video design by Dane Laffrey, costume design by Clint Ramos, lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design by Peter Hylenski, video design by George Reeve, music supervision by Deborah Abramson, and music direction by John Yun. Justin Scribner will serve as production stage manager. Casting is by Telsey & Co's Craig Burns.
"I am so very happy to be joining the enchanting world of Maybe Happy Ending," says Criss in a statement. "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 theatre 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?"
Producing alongside Richards, Arnold, and Criss will be 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, and Jacob Stuckelman and John Albert Harris. Allan Williams is serving as executive producer.
Visit MaybeHappyEnding.com.
