‘Maybe Happy Ending’: Love Among the Machines
Darren Criss leads a brand new Broadway musical romance about the fickle nature of machines and mortals.
Ask Alexa if she’s ever been in love. Chances are, she’ll reply with a cheeky and playful answer that was preprogrammed by Artificial Intelligence. But if you’ve ever pondered the possibility that human form could exist behind your digital information gadget, your answer has just arrived at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre where Maybe Happy Ending, Will Aronson and Hue Park’s completely original musical about robot romance, has just opened.
That thumbnail description is unlikely to have folks jumping online or flooding the box office to secure tickets. But like love itself, this show is worth the risk.
Risk isn’t a friend to Oliver (Darren Criss), a Helperbot 3 who lives just outside of Seoul, Korea, in an apartment complex with other Helperbots, all of whom once possessed human-like qualities and were reliable aids to their Korean owners. But with newer models and improved technology, they were quickly replaced and discarded.
Oliver now spends his days with his plant, Hwaboon, safe within the confines of his apartment. “Who has time to go outdoors… ’cause I have enough here in the world within my room,” he sings in the jaunty opening number.
Guileless and somewhat naïve, Oliver is certain that his owner, James (Marcus Choi) will come back to retrieve him. He’s simply biding his time and doesn’t feel an ounce of obsoletion. After all, James once told Oliver that he can’t live without him so Oliver has convinced himself that he and James will happily reunite soon.
Claire (Helen J. Shen) knows better. She’s a Helperbot 5 who lives across the hall from Oliver, though she has never seen him since he never leaves his room. As her battery starts to fade, she urgently knocks on his door, hoping to be recharged. The two start to chat. Claire has resigned herself to the hard fact that her owners are not coming back. Unlike the peaceful and positive environment Oliver had with James, Claire’s owners were constantly fighting and she often felt underappreciated and used. For her, relationships are a non-starter.
What happens next is no surprise: One look at the show’s marketing posters and it’s obvious that romance awaits these two. Yet what makes Maybe Happy Ending so wonderfully unique is that it captures human folly through the lens of inanimate objects — objects that are so technologically advanced they are practically human themselves.
Criss, a Broadway favorite, is delightful as he moves mechanically through his days, all the while listening to Gil Brentley (Dez Duron), a Sinatra-esque jazz crooner with a velvet voice who hovers over the show like a heavenly cloud. With a crisp white shirt and tie, perfectly pressed pants, dashing good looks, and fine singing voice, Criss is instantly endearing as he pulls us into his journey.
Shen, making her Broadway debut, is a winning co-star and does a fine job of balancing the jaded with the joyful. Vocally, she delivers the score with purity and clarity, allowing us to understand Parks’ thoughtful, well-crafted lyrics. Together, their voices blend beautifully and create magical stage chemistry.
The best part about Maybe Happy Ending is that, on the surface, it can be viewed simply as a lighthearted romantic comedy. Yet to truly appreciate it is to delve into the philosophical and profoundly human lessons it offers about conspicuous consumption, finding personal freedom, breaking out of comfort zones, dealing with disappointment, our reliance on technology, and putting your heart on the line. Essentially, it’s a 100-minute therapy session with a gorgeous score.
Scenic and co-video designer Dane Laffrey, lighting designer Ben Stanton, and video and projection designer George Reeve have collaborated to create one of the most visually stimulating shows on Broadway, one with sliding sets that toggle between Claire and Oliver’s apartments, cool neon tones, and projections that depict memories and computer data. The natty costume design is by Clint Ramos.
Tony Award-winning director Michael Arden (Parade) guides this seemingly simple but incredibly sophisticated story with wistfulness, allowing the remarkable cast to impart the story with tenderness and care.
Maybe Happy Ending is not a stage adaptation of a movie or a novel, a biographical tuner about a pop star, a revival, or a Disney franchise — which is even more reason to go. It’s a wholly original, precious, awe-inspiring journey.
Maybe Happy Ending (★★★★★) is playing on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre, 111 West 44th St. Tickets are $74 to $249. Visit www.maybehappyending.com.
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