Winning streak fuels Tony Award hopes
“Maybe Happy Ending,” the Broadway adaptation of the beloved South Korean musical, added to its accolades on Sunday, taking home six honors at the 69th Annual Drama Desk Awards in New York.
Among the night’s biggest winners, the show claimed outstanding musical and outstanding director for Michael Arden. Writers Will Aronson and Park Chun-hue, also known as Hue Park, achieved a sweep in the musical writing categories, winning outstanding music, lyrics, and book of a musical.
These wins mark a major milestone in the show’s remarkable journey from small theaters in Seoul to the heart of Broadway. Last month, “Maybe Happy Ending” was also named best musical by the New York Drama Critics’ Circle — America’s second-oldest theater award after the Pulitzer Prize.
Sunday’s win fuels hopes for the show's prospects at the upcoming Tony Awards, for which the musical earned 10 nominations, including best musical, best direction for Arden and best actor in a musical for Darren Criss. The winners will be announced at the 78th Annual Tony Awards on June 8.
Set in a near-future Seoul, “Maybe Happy Ending” follows the story of Oliver and Claire — two outdated HelperBot androids discarded by their human owners — who find each other and form a bond neither expected. Starring Darren Criss as Oliver and Broadway newcomer Helen J. Shen as Claire, the show blends science fiction with poignant emotional realism, bringing themes of connection, obsolescence and hope to life.
The show’s origins go back to 2014, when it was developed with funding from Korea’s Wooran Foundation. It premiered in Seoul in 2016 and ran for five seasons in small theaters in Daehagno, before its English-language adaptation made it to New York's Belasco Theatre in November 2024.
Marking the 10th anniversary of its creation, the original Korean-language version of "Maybe Happy Ending" will return to the stage in Seoul in October.
gypark@heraldcorp.com
