'Maybe Happy Ending' review: A tender, inventive musical that pushes all the right buttons
Courtesy of Broadway in Detroit
A rare original musical in a sea of recycled and exploited intellectual property, Will Aronson and Hue Park’s “Maybe Happy Ending” is a refreshing reminder that sometimes the smallest stories have the biggest hearts. It’s a genuinely earnest and disarmingly sweet production about the beauty and imperfections of life, one that doesn’t necessarily push the boundaries of musical theater but instead finds considerable value in keeping things simple. There are no grand revelations about the human condition, nor does the show reinvent the wheel when it comes to storytelling. Rather, it pushes all the right buttons through its plucky sincerity, gentle humor and an unlikely romance that will all but melt your heart.
A year after winning the Tony Award for Best Musical, “Maybe Happy Ending” has embarked on its North American tour, currently playing at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre through November 1. Its story of two retired Korean robots who fall in love might sound like an odd premise for a musical, especially with the implications of artificial intelligence staring us squarely in the face, but Aronson and Park have crafted something remarkably tender out of it. Imagine a little “WALL-E” sprinkled with Spike Jonze’s “Her” and a dash of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” for good measure, and you’ll have some idea of what to expect. Yet what makes “Maybe Happy Ending” so affecting is how it thrives in the quieter moments, finding meaning in life’s fleeting pleasures and reminding us that something as small as a firefly can make the world feel extraordinary, even when our days are numbered.
Set in the near future, the musical takes place at a retirement complex outside Seoul, South Korea, where outdated Helperbots are sent to live out the remainder of their days until they become obsolete, lose their ability to hold a charge or can no longer obtain replacement parts. Steven Huynh plays Oliver, a Helperbot 3 model who has spent the last twelve years inside his modest one-bedroom apartment, obsessing over jazz magazines, listening to the soothing vocals of Gil Brentley (Francisco Javier González) and tending to his beloved plant, HwaBoon. The latter becomes something of a companion in its own right, not unlike Wilson in “Cast Away,” which should give you an idea of just how isolated Oliver has become.
Abandoned by his former owner, James (James Seol), Oliver clings to the belief that the two will eventually reunite. He’s been secretly saving money, something Helperbots are forbidden from possessing, in the hopes of making the journey back to the man who once treated him with such kindness. His carefully regimented existence is interrupted, however, when his neighbor Claire (Claire Kwon), a newer Helperbot 5 model, comes knocking after her charger stops working.
Claire is more technologically advanced, capable of driving and navigating the outside world with greater ease, though her battery life isn’t nearly as dependable as Oliver’s. Their differences initially make for some amusing exchanges, particularly as Oliver’s old-fashioned sensibilities clash with Claire’s more adventurous personality. What begins as a reluctant friendship gradually develops into something neither robot was programmed to anticipate, and therein lies the musical’s central question: What happens when two machines begin experiencing emotions that make them seem more human than the people who created them?
The answer isn’t especially difficult to predict. The moment Oliver begins discussing his plans to reunite with James, it’s fairly obvious that disappointment is waiting somewhere down the road. Likewise, when Oliver and Claire make a pinky promise not to fall in love, you can practically hear the wheels of romantic inevitability turning. Aronson and Park aren’t particularly interested in subverting these familiar conventions, and the musical occasionally telegraphs its emotional developments well before the characters arrive at them. Yet there’s something appealing about its willingness to embrace an old-fashioned love story without becoming overly sentimental or manipulative. The writing understands that the emotional payoff doesn’t necessarily come from surprising us, but from making us care about the people, or in this case robots, experiencing it.
When Oliver and Claire eventually venture beyond their retirement complex, devising a plan to blend in with the human population despite restrictions on what Helperbots can do without supervision, the musical opens up considerably. Their journey becomes less about reaching a particular destination and more about discovering what makes life worth living in the first place. Huynh and Kwon are enormously likable together, striking a delicate balance between the mechanical mannerisms of their characters and the emotions gradually bubbling beneath their programming. Neither performance leans too heavily into robotic caricature, allowing the relationship to develop with a sweetness that feels surprisingly natural.
Director Michael Arden keeps the production moving at a pleasant clip, with a runtime of approximately 100 minutes without intermission. Our performance was briefly halted by a technical difficulty early in the evening, though things resumed about five minutes later without another hitch. Hey, that’s live theater!
Dane Laffrey’s scenic design is especially impressive, creating a series of beautifully framed environments that make the stage resemble a collection of moving illustrations. Oliver and Claire’s neighboring apartments are particularly effective, furnished with meticulous detail while visually reinforcing the isolation of their respective lives. As the story expands beyond those confined spaces, George Reeve’s video design helps transport us into a futuristic world that feels both familiar and just beyond our reach. The production makes extensive use of projections, a technique that has become increasingly commonplace in contemporary musical theater, but here they complement the physical scenery rather than overwhelm it. There’s an almost storybook quality to the staging that suits the material beautifully.
The songs, meanwhile, aren’t necessarily the sort of showstopping numbers that send audiences rushing to stream the cast recording on their way home. Aronson and Park favor softer melodies and conversational storytelling over bombast, which makes the score an appropriate extension of the characters and their modest surroundings. “Where You Belong” is an early standout, providing a touching glimpse into Oliver’s relationship with James and the emotional attachment that continues to shape his existence. I also appreciated the recurring presence of Gil Brentley, whose jazzy interludes accompany several of Oliver and Claire’s discoveries. González brings a wonderful warmth and charisma to the role, and his appearances lend the production a welcome musical flourish without disrupting its intimate atmosphere.
If there’s a notable weakness, it’s that “Maybe Happy Ending” has some difficulty knowing when to say goodbye. The final third introduces additional complications and emotional revelations that, while understandable in their intentions, begin to stretch a story that has otherwise benefited from its simplicity. A late development involving someone connected to James feels particularly unnecessary, as though the writers are searching for another source of dramatic conflict when the relationship between Oliver and Claire already provides more than enough. The musical also seems to arrive at several natural stopping points before pressing onward, slightly diminishing the impact of an ending that would arguably resonate more strongly with a little restraint.
Still, those shortcomings hardly diminish the considerable affection “Maybe Happy Ending” generates for its characters. There’s something rather beautiful about watching two discarded machines, deemed no longer useful by the society that created them, discover a sense of purpose through one another. Their technological limitations become a reflection of our own mortality, and the show’s most poignant observation is that knowing something cannot last forever doesn’t make experiencing it any less worthwhile.
“Maybe Happy Ending” may not be the most groundbreaking musical to come along, but its originality, sincerity and emotional generosity make it a welcome departure from the increasingly familiar properties dominating Broadway. It’s a lovely little show about two unlikely companions learning to appreciate the world around them, even when that world has seemingly forgotten about them. And sometimes, that’s more than enough.
IF YOU GO:
The North American tour of MAYBE HAPPY ENDING continues through November 1 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. Tickets are available by clicking here.
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