Darren Criss and Helen J Shen Go Robotic in First Look at Broadway's New Futuristic MusicalMaybe Happy Ending(Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Darren Criss in ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ on Broadway.Photo:Matthew Murphy

Matthew Murphy

Darren Crissreturns to Broadway alongside newcomerHelen J Shenin the futurist new musicalMaybe Happy Ending, and PEOPLE has a first look at the pair in action.

The two actors — he an Emmy winner for his role inThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, and she/they making her Broadway debut in the production — lead the four-person show that takes place on the outskirts of Seoul in 2060 and follows two humanoid-looking Helperbot robots near the end of their warranty who make a powerful new connection with one another after they’re abandoned after their owners and traded in for newer models.

On paper, it’s an offbeat concept for a story, but a romantic one that surprisingly shows the humanity in the small things that make any life worth living.

Helen J Shen and Darren Criss in ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ on Broadway.Matthew Murphy

Direction comes from Tony Award winner and visionary artist Michael Arden (Parade,Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol,Once on this Island), who is one of the industry’s biggest talents and most sought-after directors.

In fact, it was Arden that drove Criss to the show, the actor told PEOPLE last month at his theatre-themed music festival ElseFest.

“He’s been a longtime friend, and if you stick around long enough, you see your friends do cool things and you wonder, ‘Oh, I hope one day I get to work with them.’ And then that day finally came and he called me and here we are now,” Criss said. “and I’m truly beside myself with gratitude and excitement. And I know that’s a cliché thing for artists to say when they’re promoting something, but I don’t know any other way to express that. There’s something special here and I can’t believe I get to be a part of it.”

Helen J Shen in ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ on Broadway.Matthew Murphy

Criss isn’t just a part of it; he’s also in a role he’s never been in before: a veteran of the boards, leading Shen through her first show. TheGleebreakout was made his debut on Broadway in 2012 as a replacement inHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and has since starred inHedwig and the Angry Inch(2015) andAmerican Buffalo(2022).

“This is now my fourth Broadway show — which I can’t believe I’m saying that, this is crazy. But Father Time is undefeated in the ring and he continues to throw his punches, so I am now in the senior position here. And that is one of the new experiences for me,” he says.

“The great thing about youth is that it’s always going to be there to remind you what is exciting about the next thing,” Criss continues. “So it’s a joy for me to be able to be present for Helen and the other members of our company as they make their ascents. It’s a big moment; it can power cities, that excitement and that raw energy, and it’s an exciting and invigorating thing to be around. So on top of the show being something that we genuinely love and are excited to be a part of it, it’s this sort of unbelievably delightful cocktail that I’m just going to guzzle every day until it’s time to go.”

Preview performances forMaybe Happy Endingbegan on Oct. 16 at the Belasco Theatre in New York City. An opening date is officially scheduled for Nov. 12.

A Korean-language version was first performed at the DaeMyung Culture Factory in Seoul South Korea in 2016. That production subsequently won six Korean Musical Awards including best musical. It’s been revived in Korea multiple times since, and has also been performed in Japan and China.

Arden directed the English-language, American premiere of the show at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia in 2020. It won the 2017 Richard Rodgers Production Award.

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In addition to Criss and Shen,Maybe Happy Endingstars Dez Duron (NBC’sThe Voice) and Marcus Choi (Wicked, Flower Drum Song).

Tickets toMaybe Happy Endingare now on sale.

source: people.com