The post-Criss collapse of Maybe Happy Ending is disheartening. Unlike The Outsiders, the show never became the star - even though I thought it could hold up better because it’s a well-crafted musical that could appeal to a wide audience.
But musicals, with fewer international tourists and pricey running costs, have such high margins for error, and even well-liked shows like MHE or Death Becomes Her or Buena Vista Social Club run out of steam.
I speculated last week about shows that might stick it out through Tony season and survive, in part they will be some of the few remaining musical options. But you can’t make people go to the theater to see shows they don’t really want to see, or already have seen.
The commercial failure of Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway, barring a comeback, is Exhibit A for why musicals, especially new ones, are a bad investment. Without international tourism, the audience is just smaller and fewer people want to see replacement casts.
Updated On: 6/16/26 at 06:53 PM