Maybe Happy Ending

Maybe Happy Ending (Korean: 어쩌면 해피엔딩; RR: Eojjeomyeon haepiending) is a South Korean musical with lyrics written by Hue Park, music composed by Will Aronson, and book written by both Park and Aronson. The musical, which is performed without intermission, follows two life-like helper-bots, Oliver and Claire, who discover each other in Seoul later in the 21st century and develop a connection that challenges what they believe is possible for themselves, exploring relationships, love and mortality.

Directed by Kim Dong-yeon, Maybe Happy Ending had its premiere in Seoul at Lifeway Hall in DCF Daemyung Cultural Factory in 2016 to positive critical reviews. At the Korea Musical Awards, it was nominated for, and won, six awards, including Best Musical: Small Theatre, Music, Lyrics and Book. The musical also won four awards at the Yegreen Musical Awards including Musical of the Year and Music (Aronson). Maybe Happy Ending has been revived several times in Korea and internationally, including a Broadway production that opened in 2024 with another positive critical reception. It tied for a leading ten nominations at the 78th Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. It also won six Drama Desk Awards.

In 2014, Hue Park was sitting in a coffee shop in Brooklyn, New York, when he heard the song "Everyday Robots" by Damon Albarn (front man of the rock bands Blur and Gorillaz) playing. Park was familiar with Blur, as it had been popular in South Korea while he was growing up there in the 1990s. Part of the song lyrics caught his attention: "We are everyday robots in the process of getting home." Park imagined a world inhabited by 'robots that look just like humans', eventually thinking up a scene where 'robots with human-like appearances and emotions are abandoned and live lonely lives alone'. Park had recently ended a long-term relationship, so he thought about the closing of a chapter in his life. "I experienced some losses with people around me – parting and death – when I was writing the play," he said. "I realized that love is an act to open your heart even though you expect to feel the pain of loss one day."

Park sent an email to his friend Will Aronson. Aronson was intrigued by Park's ideas, and they eventually started to write the story together. They started the story planning in February 2014. They pitched Maybe Happy Ending to a producer at the Wooran Cultural Foundation, a nonprofit foundation in Seoul that supports young artists, which has supported "Seeya" programs. It was accepted into one of these programs, and by fall of 2014, it was developed further. Kim Dong-yeon, who worked together with Park and Aronson on the musical Carmen, joined the project as director. Jeon Mi-do and Jeon Uk-jin starred in a workshop performance. Maybe Happy Ending had a three-night tryout engagement at Project Box Seeya in Wooran Cultural Foundation in September 2015. Tickets were sold out within 3 minutes of opening.

The show was written in both Korean and English, with Aronson writing the initial draft in English and Park translating it into Korean. Both versions were performed at an industry workshop in New York City in 2016, as the first overseas development project supported by the Wooran Cultural Foundation. The English-language version of Maybe Happy Ending, then titled What I Learned from People, was awarded the 2017 Richard Rodgers Award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. As the full English production was developed with a different team, Aronson and Park used the initial English script as the starting point rather than re-translating the finished Korean version. As a result, the final Broadway version has some noticeable differences from the version that has been performed in Korea.

The musical's ending leaves it ambiguous as to whether Claire kept her memories like Oliver did. In the earliest draft of the musical, both characters kept their memories. The writers have said that as Claire is a more advanced model than Oliver, she would be better at lying if she kept them. In the Korean version, the actresses playing Claire are allowed to decide for themselves, with some changing their choice each night. For the Broadway version, the writers left it up to director Michael Arden and Claire actress Helen J. Shen to decide: Arden believes she erased her memories as he prefers a tragic interpretation, while Shen has declined to tell anyone her opinion.

The musical is set in the near future in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Oliver and Claire are robots that look human, created to help people. They reside in an apartment for helper bots abandoned by their owners. Oliver is an earlier model Helperbot that lacks some functions and social ability but is durable, while Claire is a newer model but consumes a lot of battery power, among other issues, despite its many functions. Aronson has said:

Oliver, a male Helperbot-3 model, powers on in his apartment in Helperbot Yards, a living facility in Seoul for retired Helperbots. He initiates his daily routine while listening to a song by jazz singer Gil Brentley ("Why Love?"). Oliver goes through the cycle of listening to music, caring for his potted plant HwaBoon, and receiving his regular Jazz Monthly magazine and replacement parts, while awaiting the return of his owner James from a long trip to Jeju Island. Years go by, and Helperbot Inc. discontinues manufacturing his replacement parts, but he has faith that James will return ("World Within My Room"). One day Claire, a female Helperbot-5 and one of his neighbors, knocks on his door to ask for help as her charger is broken. Oliver reluctantly gives her his charger, but insults her by bragging about the superior durability of the Helperbot-3s compared to the newer Helperbot-5s. Offended, Claire returns to her room to try to fix her charger herself, with little success. She reaches out to her friends, but they are unable to help due to their own maintenance issues ("The Way That It Has to Be"). Eventually, Oliver offers to let her use his charger if she sticks to a fixed schedule of picking it up and returning it. Claire agrees, and the exchange becomes a routine for the two of them ("Charger Exchange Ballet"). One day, Claire does not show up, and Oliver checks on her. Claire has managed to jerry-rig an external power supply and no longer needs the charger. Oliver denies that he was concerned about her and claims that he is glad he will not have to deal with her anymore. Claire runs a diagnostic and learns that her battery life is failing. Later, she visits Oliver's place to thank him and discovers he has been collecting money through bottle deposits so that he can travel with HwaBoon to Jeju Island to reunite with James ("Where You Belong"). Claire expresses interest in also going to Jeju Island, as it is the only place left in the world to see fireflies. She proposes they go together using her car. Oliver accepts, and they prepare for their trip ("Hitting the Road, Part 1", "Goodbye, My Room", "Hitting the Road, Part 2"). As it is illegal for retired Helperbots to go out in public on their own, they plan to pretend they are a human couple on holiday and come up with a believable story of how they first met ("The Rainy Day We Met"). Claire makes Oliver promise they will not fall in love, recalling the relationship between her married former owners, Jiyeon and Suhan.

Claire starts to run out of battery as they drive to the ferry, so they stop to charge at a motel that turns out to be a love hotel. The pair book a room for the night without being discovered, despite awkward conversations with the motel owner and another guest ("Jenny"). While in the room they bond over watching the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day and mocking its depiction of robots; Claire begins to think that being with Oliver is not so bad ("How to Be Not Alone"). While Oliver is powered down, Claire accesses his memories, learning that James had lied to protect Oliver's feelings, and his move to Jeju Island was to be permanent, as was Oliver's retirement. On the road the next day, Claire frets over whether to tell Oliver the truth ("Hitting the Road, Part 3"). When they arrive at James's house on Jeju Island, Claire attempts to warn Oliver that James will break his heart ("What I Learned from People"). She shows Oliver her own memories of Jiyeon leaving her. Jiyeon had given Claire her administrative password so that she could access a deleted memory of Suhan making a pass at Claire: he was insecure about his lower social status than Jiyeon's, leading to the breakdown of their marriage. As Oliver protests that James is different, they are interrupted by the arrival of James's son, Junseo. Junseo reveals that James had died some years before, having moved to Jeju to be taken care of after he got sick, and that Junseo resented of Oliver for replacing him as James's son after his parents separated, and so he forced James to leave Oliver behind. Junseo bitterly gives Oliver a Gil Brentley record that James left for him. Oliver despondently tells Claire she was right, but she notes that James proved her wrong by leaving a gift for Oliver, showing he truly cared about him ("'Goodbye Love' Piano Solo"). Though upset, Oliver suggests they go see the fireflies as Claire had wanted. As they walk into the forest, the lightning bugs slowly appear ("Chasing Fireflies"). The two excitedly take in the sight and even manage to catch one, which they put into a jar ("Never Fly Away").

They return to Seoul but feel their dynamic has changed ("A Sentimental Person"). Realizing that they've fallen in love with each other ("When You're in Love"), they admit their feelings and share a kiss ("Touch Sequence" (instrumental)). They realize their relationship has a time limit, but they continually put off ending it to do the things they think a human couple would do, even attempting to have a fight ("Then I Can Let You Go"). Eventually, Claire's body starts to fail her more, with her battery life continuing to diminish. Claire has at most a year of functionality left, while the durable Oliver has much longer. Hoping to spare each other pain, they try to end their relationship but cannot stop thinking of each other ("Goodbye, My Room" (reprise)). One day, Junseo visits Oliver, requesting some good memories of his father. While loading the memories onto a drive, the two talk about the importance of sharing happy memories with loved ones even if they feel painful, which causes Oliver to realize he cannot simply forget Claire. Before leaving, Junseo gives Oliver his administrative password as a peace offering. As both of them have their passwords, Oliver and Claire are able to erase their memories of each other. They decide this would be the best path for both of them; they agree that it is not a tragic ending but a kind of happy ending as their experiences still occurred ("Maybe Happy Ending"). They both get rid of objects that would remind them of their past, including the firefly they caught together, and seemingly erase their memories ("Memory Sequence" (instrumental)).

Sometime later, Oliver powers on in his apartment and greets HwaBoon before initiating his daily routine ("Why Love" (reprise)). He is interrupted when Claire knocks on his door asking to borrow his charger. He hesitantly lets her in and gives her the charger before whispering to HwaBoon, "Don't tell her." While Claire charges she makes conversation, repeating some of the prior things she had initially said to Oliver. He responds with his prior bragging about the superiority of Helperbot-3s to Helperbot-5s. After a moment, however, he admits to some advantages of the newer model by listing things Claire helped him with before. Touched, Claire asks, "Do you think it'll be okay?" Oliver responds that he hopes so ("Finale").

The English-language version of Maybe Happy Ending largely follows the same plot as the Korean version, with the addition of several songs. In the Korean version, Oliver is a Helperbot-5 and Claire is a Helperbot-6. Gil Brentley is a new character in the English version, a specter, who occasionally physically interacts with Oliver and Claire. He is nameless in the Korean version, where he is part of the James/Multi-man role. Claire's friend John in the Korean version, a fellow Helperbot-6 who visits her apartment to help her fix her charger, is cut from the English version. James' son Junseo is new in the English version; Oliver's interaction with James' family takes place offstage in the Korean version. Claire's owners Jiyeon and Suhan, portrayed in pre-recorded video, are absent from the Korean version, where their relationship is portrayed via a duet between the onstage band's violinist and cellist. The English version adds a subplot about Helperbots' administrative passwords; in the Korean version, Claire and Oliver are able to erase their memories without a password. In the Korean version, there is a subplot involving a clasp that Oliver makes for Claire as an adapter for his charger. The English version runs about 10 minutes shorter than the Korean version, cutting the scene and song "Nevertheless" (그럼에도 불구하고), which explicitly depicts Claire breaking down, at one point losing one of her arms.

In 2016, Maybe Happy Ending was one of the musicals selected for Seeya Stage and the premiere was held at Lifeway Hall in DCF Daemyung Cultural Factory 2nd Building from 20 December 2016 to 5 March 2017, running for 51 performances. The production was directed by Kim Dong-yeon, who also directed the tryout performance of the work. Designers were Nam Kyung-sik (set), Lee Dong-jin (lighting) and Doyeon (costumes). Jung Moon-sung, Kim Jae-bum, and Jung Uk-jin shared the role of Oliver; Jeon Mi-do and Choi Soo-jin played Claire; Ko Hoon-jung and Jong Wan-seong shared James. The opening performance was well received, with all tickets for the preview performance selling out after the opening, recording a 92% average occupancy rate. The show set a box office record for original musicals. The Wooran Cultural Foundation produced the original soundtrack and offered to donate the proceeds to establish a virtuous cycle in the culture and art industry. The production company, Daemyung Cultural Factory, and the creators participated in the donation.

A reunion concert with the original cast, as well as American cast members Josh Dela Cruz as Oliver and Ephie Aardema as Claire, was held at Project Box Seeya in Seoul 18–20 June 2017 and at the Playce Camp Jeju Spinning Wolf on 23 June. An encore performance was held at the DCF Daemyung Cultural Factory 2nd Building from 23 October to 12 November 2017, with the original cast reprising their roles. The encore run was also sold out.

Since then, it has been revived in Seoul in 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2024.^{[unreliable source?]} The 2021 production was filmed and streamed online three times on Naver TV's 'C-Mu by CJ ENM MUSICAL' channel on 15, 22 and 29 November 2021. A fifth revival is planned for later in 2025.

Selections from the musical, then titled What I Learned from People, were first presented in English at the Songwriters' Showcase for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's 28th Annual Festival of New Musicals on 27 October 2016 at New World Stages in New York City. Josh Dela Cruz as Oliver, Ashley Park as Claire, and Marcus Choi as James performed the songs "Where You Belong" and "How to Be Not Alone". Dela Cruz and Park also recorded an English-language concept album.

Maybe Happy Ending had its English-language debut at Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta where it ran from 18 January until 17 February 2020. The production was directed by Michael Arden, with Arden's husband Andy Mientus as associate director, and designs by Travis Hagenbuch (lighting), Clint Ramos (costumes), Sven Ortel (projections) and Peter Hylenski (sound). The cast included Kenny Tran as Oliver, Cathy Ang as Claire, Dez Duron as Gil Brentley, and John D. Haggerty as James. As the musical featured a largely Asian-American cast, Jesse Green of The New York Times praised the show for its casting inclusiveness.

The Broadway production of the English version of Maybe Happy Ending, also directed by Michael Arden, opened on 12 November 2024 at the Belasco Theater after previews beginning on 16 October. Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen star as Oliver and Claire, joined by Duron as Gil Brentley, Marcus Choi as James, and Young Mazino and Arden Cho in the pre-recorded roles of Suhan and Jiyeon. The start of previews was delayed for a month due to supply chain issues with the set, and several investors pulled out after a TikTok theatre influencer speculated the production would be cancelled; the producers were unable to raise the needed $16 million capitalization until the week of the opening night. The production opened to unanimously positive reviews but the show struggled financially, grossing well below its $765,000 weekly running costs during previews and in its first weeks after opening. Theatre insiders, Aronson and other creative team members believed it would close early. Encouraged by positive reviews and word-of-mouth, producers raised an additional $1.75 million on marketing; weekly grosses improved past $1 million for the first time during the Christmas holiday and continued to exceed its running costs afterwards.

The show was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won six: Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor, Best Direction and Best Scenic Design. It also won six Drama Desk Awards out of nine nominations, including Outstanding Musical, Music, Lyrics and Book; three Outer Critics Circle Awards (including Outstanding Musical); and two Drama League Awards (including Outstanding Musical).

A national tour is expected to begin in late 2026, starting from the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore.

The first Japanese production of Maybe Happy Ending took place at Sunshine City Theater, Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan, from 19 to 28 May 2017. This version was produced by Synthwave with a new cast and production team including Kim Ji-ho as director and Im Jin-ho as choreographer. Oliver was played by Choi Dong-wook, Seong-je and Kevin Woo. Kim Bo-kyung and Song Sang-eun were both cast as Claire, with Rajun playing multiple roles including James. Synthwave produced another production that played in Yokohama and Osaka in 2018. Choi Dong-wook and Seong-je reprised their role as Oliver, joined by Yesung. Song Sang-eun reprised her role as Claire, joined by Kim Joo-yeon. Ra Jun and Kim Nam-ho shared James. A third Japanese production followed in Tokyo in 2020, starring Kenji Urai as Oliver, Shoko Nakagawa and Kana Hanazawa sharing Claire and Kenji Sakamoto and Shinji Saito as James.

A Chinese staging was produced by SAIC Shanghai Culture Square. Despite the travel inconvenience caused by the pandemic, Kim Dong-yeon came to Shanghai to direct. The Chinese tour began at the Theater Above, Shanghai, from 1 to 3 July 2021, and then visited Chengdu, Xiamen, Nanjing and Hangzhou in August, Wuxi in September and Tianjin in November. Oliver was played by Lars Huang, Claire by Yaorong Guo, and James by Bin Jiang.

Notes

A film adaptation entitled My Favorite Love Story premiered in 2023 but has yet to be released in theaters.

• Broadway Website
• Maybe Happy Ending at CJENM