The Broadway Theatre Review: Maybe Happy Ending

By Ross

It’s the classic musical tale, of girl-bot meets boy-bot for a bit of love and a recharge. And it couldn’t be done more beautifully and engagingly than it is being presented here on that well-framed stage at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre. Written gently and engagingly by Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending, the new Broadway musical is touching and deliciously tender, as we connect with James, a Helperbot 3, whose function is to serve his human/owner to the best of his ability for the entirety of his shelf life. But those days have come to an end, for some unknown reason. He’s been put out to pasture, in a way, into a retirement home for past-their-prime Helperbots – sorta like that junk drawer most of us have of old tech gear that, although still work, are not required or desired anymore. But, these humanoid assistants aren’t so easy to discard as that old iPod of yours that you loved so dearly, as they seem to comprehend attachment and engagement, maybe in ways their owners never really gave them credit for. Or never wanted to believe.

The neon framing opens up in segments, magnificently designed by Dane Laffrey (Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol) with perfect lighting by Ben Stanton (MTC’s Mary Jane) and impeccable video by George Reeve (West End’s Oliver!) – all Tony Award-worthy. We are introduced to an isolated but content Oliver, in his little “World Within My Room“, fulfilling his requirements for the day, charging to capacity, while reading and listening to jazz albums on an old-fashioned record player by a smooth singing fictional Gil Brentley, embodied deliciously by Dez Duron (Cape Fear’s Music City). This is his existence, waiting for his owner and ‘friend’, played by the versatile Marcus Choi (Broadway’s Wicked) to return and take him back home.

Oliver, you see, doesn’t seem to know that he has been retired. He wasn’t informed by his owner, James, that he has been sent to this sweetly curated room for the rest of his timeline, and as this first, sweetly crafted scene plays out to gentle perfection by the wonderful Darren Criss (“Glee“; Broadway’s American Buffalo), we slowly see that no more replacement parts are coming his way. Helperbot Inc. has ceased production for this model type, and it’s only a matter of time until he, basically, breaks down and can’t function anymore. And we feel a pang of love and care for this soulful robot, wanting happiness for him, albeit understanding we all have an end-date implanted in our frame, and we all have limited time in our own little world. But everything changes with a robot-meet-cute that is as sweetly charming as it is witty and wise, when a Helperbot 5 by the name of Claire, played to perfection by Helen J. Shen (MCC’s The Lonely Few), knocks on his door in need of some recharging assistance.

A misfunctioning charger is the catalyst that brings Oliver’s spritely neighbor from across the hall into his safe, meticulously well-kept room, and the way Criss embodies that moment is magical and utterly specific, just like the show’s well-formed costumes by Clint Ramos (Broadway’s Slave Play) that tell us so much about everyone on that stage. She’s a model 5 – and who knew how many solid jokes could be ignited from that information- and he is a series 3. She’s a different breed of Helperbot, and the way she moves and engages with Oliver’s more angular and sharply staccato methodology is smartly defined and completely captivating. We see the electronic sparks fly, even if the two don’t realize they have an answer to that, and we are instantly smitten by the two. She pokes at his rigidness in the most perfect of ways, playing with his need to respond as programmed while lovingly pushing back on his routine of no surprises and timely constructs. It’s like a rom-com masterclass of mismatched engagement, played out to magical music by robots whose parts don’t quite sync up, and we couldn’t be more charmed.

Directed with clarity and vision by Michael Arden (Broadway’s Parade), Maybe Happy Ending, with music direction by John Yun (Broadway’s Hell’s Kitchen), soars, but quietly and gently, delivering some cleverly stitched-in commentary on humans who become too needy of or too attached to their humanoid creations. This is mainly because they cater to their every wish in a way that becomes almost overwhelming to those around them, creating jealousy and discomfort in sons and lovers. But those moments, cleverly encapsulated in video projections across the magnitude of the space, give added weight to the feelings that creep up most lovingly in these two abandoned Helperbots who start experiencing care and love for one another in a very optimal human way. Even in love, these robots find a better way of engaging and taking care of one another.

The music and story unfold in a refreshingly atypical manner, thanks to the clever and tender writing of Park and Aronson (the musical adaptation of the film “Bungee Jump“). It’s effortlessly touching and sweet, as we watch these two come together, promising things they don’t realize they can’t keep, and going on a road-trip adventure seeking illuminating fireflies and similar themed answers that will challenge their senses and her battery life. With captivating history and spectacular crooning floating up and down on that sharply defined stage, this new musical finds its way through ingeniously, drawing us in with its simple honesty, especially inside the music that is delivered pitch-perfect by Criss, Shen, and the phenomenal Duron, giving a Broadway debut that will be remembered in our hard drive for a long time.

And although the musical doesn’t really have the big showstopping moment that most musicals do at the 11 o’clock hour (the show is a well-crafted 105minutes, no intermission), Maybe Happy Ending is sure to engage in a surprisingly authentic manner, from the cute contemporary apartment for outdated robot toys, through the Korean sex motel that makes Criss’ Olliver wave delightfully at himself, to the forest setting filled with fireflies who can recharge themselves, but who also have the shortest of lifespans. It’s a framing that sits sweetly and sadly in our souls as we navigate the approaching end dates of these two robots in love. With that energy inside us, we leave the Belasco Theatre with our hearts uplifted and our human souls touched in the most surprising of ways. I only hope Maybe Happy Ending has the happiest of endings way way down the road before its battery runs out. It’s not the biggest of shows musically, like the juggernauts of now (I’m talking about you Sunset), although the visuals are out-of-this-world. The robot heart of Maybe Happy Ending is fully charged and I hope this show remains unpacking those feelings for a long time coming.