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On Monday, Darren Criss and Helen J Shen visited Late Night with Seth Meyers to discuss the new Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending.
Set in the future, the two stars play helper bots that find an unexpected connection with one another. In the interview, Criss admits that the subject material doesn’t necessarily seem like musical fodder at first glance. However, he likens it to other subversive titles in the musical canon- The Phantom of the Opera or Sweeney Todd, for instance- that are ultimately successful onstage.
“It’s about what’s going on in the heart of it, what’s really happening in the story, the characters, and all the wonderful other things that we love about good storytelling,” Criss explains.
The show originally premiered in Seoul and, along with its predominately Asian-American cast, has attracted audience members from that background as well.
“To me, as an Asian American actor, that’s what I am. I am that audience member,” Shen noted during the interview. “I am that person at the stage door championing and just trying to cheerlead my way through. And whenever I see that amazing representation, I’m so excited about the door that that opens. It’s so humbling to now stand on the other side of that barricade and be part of something like this.”
Maybe Happy Ending stars Darren Criss and Helen J Shen with music by Will Aronson, lyrics by Hue Park, book by both Aronson and Park, and direction by Tony Award-winner Michael Arden. The cast also includes Steven Huynh, Hannah Kevitt, Daniel May, and Christopher James Tamayo.
Inside a one-room apartment on the outskirts of Seoul, Oliver (Criss) lives a happily quiet life listening to jazz records and caring for his favorite plant. But what else is there to do when you’re a HelperBot 3, a robot that has long been retired and considered obsolete? When his fellow HelperBot neighbor Claire (Shen) asks to borrow his charger, what starts as an awkward encounter leads to a unique friendship, a surprising adventure, and maybe even…love? Winner of the Richard Rodgers Award, Maybe Happy Ending is the offbeat and captivating story of two outcasts near the end of their warranty who discover that even robots can be swept off their feet. Helmed by visionary director and Tony Award winner Michael Arden (Parade, Once on This Island), with a dazzling scenic design by Dane Laffrey (A Christmas Carol) and book, music, and lyrics by the internationally acclaimed duo Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending is a fresh, original musical about the small things that make any life worth living.
Maybe Happy Ending was written in both Korean and English-language versions. The Korean-language version opened in December of 2016 at DaeMyung Culture Factory in Seoul and subsequently won six Korean Musical Awards including Best Musical. The English-language version was awarded the 2017 Richard Rodgers Production Award and had its U.S. premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in the 2019-2020 season under the direction of Michael Arden.
ays a retired helper bot who is looking to reconnect with his former owner.
discuss Helen’s dad icing her out after seeing the show for the first time and explain how a plant has become the main character of the show.
