by Lola Furbee
On March 14th, the original Broadway cast album of the musical Maybe Happy Ending was released. Directed by Michael Arden, this one-act musical tells the simple but breathtaking story of connection, friendship, and love between two robots. With an on-stage cast consisting of only four people and a seemingly niche storyline based in South Korea, you wouldn’t assume this musical could be much of a hit on the bustling streets of Times Square. But after its official opening last November, Maybe Happy Ending has received nothing but praise and adoration from critics and theatre-lovers alike. And the appreciation for this musical doesn’t just span to the blocks of New York City as it’s found a way into my heart, over eight-hundred miles away from the Belasco Theatre where performances run each night.
You may be curious as to how I became so infatuated with a musical that, tangibly, feels so far away. However, if you’ve been one of those (un)lucky few to bear witness to one of my theatre-related rants I’m so fond of giving, you probably would’ve honed in on the director of this show and immediately understood my captivation. Michael Arden is one of my favorite–if not my favorite–directors of all time. I’ve been a massive fan of his work for years, and I’ve done my best to keep up with all of his projects ever since. Subsequently, when I heard the news that the small musical about robots he directed in Atlanta in 2020 was getting a transfer to Broadway in 2024, I was completely stoked.
In addition to Arden as the director, the cast of Maybe Happy Ending is truly the definition of small but mighty, and they’ve become a huge reason as to why I’ve grown so fond of this musical. Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen star as Oliver and Claire, respectively, with Dez Duron and Marcus Choi rounding out the main cast. Many are probably familiar with Criss’s work on the television show Glee and his past theatrical pursuits, while Shen’s work in this musical is quickly proving her to be one of the next greats. Furthermore, I find it awesome that a musical that’s faced such acclaim is of South Korean origins and whose cast is primarily made up of Asian-American actors. Being from China, I can’t say I’ve had the chance to experience a musical that boasts such a strong image in Asian representation before. Now though, I find it incredibly special that this piece of media has made its way into my life.
Adding on, I find the very existence of Maybe Happy Ending inspiring, with its ability to exist in an industry that seemingly doesn’t have the space for it anymore. In a stacked Broadway season filled with revivals and adaptations like Sunset Boulevard and Death Becomes Her, it feels impossible for a completely original piece like this to make a lasting impact within the theatre district these days. Nevertheless, this musical’s success alone is proof of the love theatre-goers still have for new works and hopefully serves as a reminder to producers of the greatness that can come with the fresh and unfamiliar.
Getting back on track as to why I wanted to make this write-up about Maybe Happy Ending in the first place, the cast album was released this past week, and I simply need somewhere to rave about it. I’ve spent the past few months listening to the five preview tracks the production released to SoundCloud some time last year. Those five demo versions of the cast album truly kept me afloat while I anxiously waited for the album to be released in full this month. So, it’s to no surprise that I’ve been listening to the cast album on repeat ever since its release. It’s difficult for me to pick favorites when I haven’t had the time to sit with the full album for long, and I’m sure the songs would be even better consumed through their on-stage personas. However, there are a few songs on the cast album that I’ve been gravitating toward more than others, namely “Why Love,” “The Way That It Has to Be,” and the three parts of “Hitting the Road.”
Aside from the traditional sung-through pieces on the Maybe Happy Ending cast album, the LP also provides the instrumental tracks that are played throughout the show. Oftentimes, musicals will contain purely instrumental pieces that can be heard throughout a show–whether if it’s embedded underneath a scene, a song that’s entirely instrumental, or some other accumulation of lyricless music entirely. However, it’s not always the case that these pieces will be included within a traditional cast album, so I was very pleased to see that the instrumental songs made it into the Maybe Happy Ending cast album. The orchestrations sound so ambient and dynamic through the track, making me wish even more that I had the ability to witness the music combined with the action on stage for myself.
Undoubtedly, I’m a big fan of Maybe Happy Ending and its cast album, and I feel confident in saying that without having seen the show with my own two eyes yet. And while I might dream of winning the lottery so I can fly out to New York City and see this production, it appears to be slightly more realistic for me to hope the show embarks on a national tour soon so I can observe it a little closer to home. But that’s time I’m ready and willing to wait for, so I’ll be content with blasting the Maybe Happy Ending cast album on repeat in my headphones for the time being.
