MAYBE HAPPY ENDING Reviews — Page 25

The Distinctive Baritone said: "This just in: Feldman is out, andOkieriete Onaodowan will be taking in the role of Oliver instead.

Just kidding…but seriously, if I were FeldmanI would absolutely drop out. It’s not worth the hate."

Not going to happen.

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Ensemble1698878795 said: "GiantsInTheSky2 said: "They “took away the opportunity”…for nine weeks.

You guys are acting like they have indefinitely decided this is a white-only role and will only see white actors from here on out. This is so ridiculously overblown. Please look outside of yourself."

What is "only 9 weeks" to you is weeks of health insurance of an Asian actor unfulfilled. It's so overblown until you're living it -which you obviously aren't. I on the hand have many outraged friends who are Asian and not working. So sure, Jane. Diminish the conversation so you can replace Criss with a white actor who won't even bump the box office.”

Your outraged & out of work friends were not going to be getting this temporary replacementjob regardless. Sorry to break it to you.


You don’t know that, but sure! Just respond to have something witty to say.

Wayman_Wong said: "From the Facebook of Broadway veteran Jose Llana:

'So to be clear, [Oliver] was never supposed to be Asian? Got it. Thank God. Us Asian men have waaaaay too many opportunities to be leading men. We should really spread the love ... to white men.''"

He’s being disingenuous. The writers are saying the part can be played by an Asian and anyone else. The part was just played by an Asian. In workshops it wasn’t. The writers can change their mind about what works after seeing it in a longer run. Does he really want to pull down a production, a la Cynthia and Great Comet, that has Asian actors in it?

This guy has been a lead on Broadway EIGHT times. And he’s saying there aren’t enough opportunities? Let alone Aladdin which is still running and hasn’t historically been Asian in other media, Aaron Burr in Hamilton, Amos which recently had an Asian in the role, plus all the cover opportunities like the Asian guy who covered Joe in Sunset and couldn’t even SING IT? Please tell me how roles are not available to Asians. Maybe the actors are just not auditioning well enough to be in more roles, could that be a possibility?

Is he going to say that one Asian lead in Hamilton isn’t enough, and that black men should give up some of their roles to Asians?

Jose and anyone who thinks like him can fuc right off.

Updated On: 7/26/25 at 06:27 AM

It’s just really exhausting here, and the posters who think a certain way are never going to change their mind when people actually in the industry say things from their perspective and from personal experience. Most here don’t know what it’s actually like to be an Asian actor in musical theatre. There have been so many measured responses from people in the theatre community, but none of them heard, at least not here. The reaction from the Asian American theatre community should have been expected from a mile away, but the mostly-white people in charge have decided to alienate the marginalized group who has been their loudest cheerleader since day one. Most here won’t understand, and the loudest will force people who are rightfully angry about this back into lurker mode. Rinse; repeat.

There is deep hurt and disappointment in the AAPI theatre community right now, I’ll just say that.

abcd12 said: "Ensemble1698878795 said: "abcd12 said: "Ensemble1698878795 said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "But if he turned out to be 1/64th Mongolian would you be okay with him playing the role?

Andrew if you’re reading this I’ll pay for the test myself!"

Jokes to deflect reality. A MAGA technique. He's white and if he was Asian they would’ve promoted it."

Implying that anyone who disagrees with your outrage (over the casting of a white person as a ROBOT) is an MAGA Trumper is just - beyond comprehension."

Density is a theme today. Can you read? I didn’t say MAGA supporter, I said MAGA technique. Can you decipherthe difference? Your lack of comprehension is beyond me.


"

I JUST realized you’re the same poster who wanted Patti LuPone burned at the stake for her comments a few months ago.

I bet you’re a blast at parties!

Density does seem to be a theme in every thread you post in. Wonder what the common denominator is there…

Sorry you’re so miserable! Have a wonderful weekend!"

I’m having a great weekend. I’ve actually had some lovely interactions on these boards with people who have intelligence and compassion for others. I’m sorry that gene skipped your family line. Have a fantastic weekend. Maybe go see MHE before the lead gets completely white washed. Here here.

MB124 said: "abcd12 said: "Ensemble1698878795 said: "abcd12 said: "Ensemble1698878795 said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "But if he turned out to be 1/64th Mongolian would you be okay with him playing the role?

Andrew if you’re reading this I’ll pay for the test myself!"

Jokes to deflect reality. A MAGA technique. He's white and if he was Asian they would’ve promoted it."

Implying that anyone who disagrees with your outrage (over the casting of a white person as a ROBOT) is an MAGA Trumper is just - beyond comprehension."

Density is a theme today. Can you read? I didn’t say MAGA supporter, I said MAGA technique. Can you decipherthe difference? Your lack of comprehension is beyond me.


"

I JUST realized you’re the same poster who wanted Patti LuPone burned at the stake for her comments a few months ago.

I bet you’re a blast at parties!

Density does seem to be a theme in every thread you post in. Wonder what the common denominator is there…

Sorry you’re so miserable! Have a wonderful weekend!"

Yep. They derailedTHAT thread and here we are back at square one. Clearly they still haven’t found a more productiveoutlet for their passion for social justice, so arguingwith a bunch of theater queens it is!"

Or maybe theater queens don’t deserve a space to ignore racism any more. And for the first time your cesspool of a thread has some push back and accountability in it. Telling people where they should place their social justice is a choice. You don’t know what other things I do. But I’ve observed the bs on here and we can make it miserable for all of us.

Respectfully, my point about Hadestown was a much broader annotating argument for casting far and wide to create a shapeshifting buzz around any show. In September the show adds not only Wolfe (agreed, he alone will not but butts in seats though I've read enthusiasm), but Paulo Szot as Hades, and jazz iconoclast Kurt Elling as Hermes (trust me, he has a genuine following and his concerts sell out in every major city). This is after casting Ani Di Franco, Stephanie Mills, Betty Who. My larger point is: casting can widen/expand theater audiences by drawing from other genres, other media. This piece, which has a wonderful supporting role for a singer, and a protagonist part that doesn't make strenuous vocal demands, could welcome a range of known and semi-known performers. Moulin Rouge has done the same.

My post fairly notes that TKTS sales will likely keep this show at capacity. I was merely noting that almost no one has purchased seats for September or October. I honestly was not predicting anything close to failure.

Updated On: 7/26/25 at 11:20 AM

There are fundamental limitations on trying to discuss the opportunities for Asians actors focusing on a single casting decision, so I was just reading THE VISIBILITY REPORT (2021–2022) by the Asian American Performers Action Coalition.

During the 2021-2022 season on New York stages, 7.5% of the roles went to Asian American actors.

7.2% of the US population identifies as Asian, so in one context, that's reasonable representation. The problem is 14.5% of New York City is Asian-American.

Also only 3.1% of the time were Asian-Americans cast in racially nonspecific roles. So this probably doesn't apply to Oliver in MHE specifically because it's set in Seoul, but generally speaking Oliver is the type of role Asian actors are statistically less likely to get, if defined as racially nonspecific.

The much bigger problem appears to be gatekeeper roles. For example, 100% of non-profit artistic directors in the city are White and 0% of Broadway lead producers were Asian-American.

In the 78-year history of the Tony Awards, Darren Criss became the first Asian-American to win Leading Actor in a Musical. He knows the significance of his casting, telling the L.A. Times in March: ''Let's call a spade a spade here — I'm the white-passing Asian of our group, but it is my identity. The AAPI [Asian American Pacific Islander] community in the arts is a smaller, if not marginalized, group, so to be up there, I feel that excitement and encouragement from the community at large. It's important, and I hope this show can continue to have that legacy and be an inspiring call to action in other artistic spheres.'' Toward that end, I'm sure it's no accident that his two understudies in "Maybe Happy Ending" are Asian-American, too. But now Criss' replacement after he leaves Aug. 31 is a Caucasian actor. Is it any wonder that Asian-American actors feel disappointed and slapped in the face?

Thirty-five years ago this month (July 1990), I was the N.Y. Daily News reporter who broke the story about the controversy over "Miss Saigon'' casting Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer for Broadway. The show defended its casting, claiming a worldwide search had been made to find an Asian actor suitable to play the Engineer, but none could be found. After Equity OK'd Pryce, "Miss Saigon" admitted that no such search had been made. So "Miss Saigon" was willing to make a then-unknown Asian actress (Lea Salonga) a star, but slander the talents of Asian men sight unseen and deny them an equal shot to become a star.

Asian-American men almost never get to star in a Tony-winning musical. Just as "Maybe Happy Ending" provides a star-making opportunity for an unknown Asian-American actress like Helen J Shen, it could be a springboard for an unknown Asian-American actor, too. The default shouldn't be casting a Caucasian (who's dating the leading lady).

Updated On: 7/26/25 at 01:12 PM