MAYBE HAPPY ENDING Reviews- Page 37

[binau]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 8:47am

I think Asian men face unique challenges being cast in lead roles that even Asian women don’t. Boris, I know it’s a weird question for me to ask but are you part of the gay community and do you know Asian men in the gay community? If you speak to them I think you’ll quickly see why. There is a challenge and ongoing struggle for Asian men to be seen as masculine, sexy, ‘leading’ status. It happens in gay dating and it happens in performing arts. Of course there are always exceptions but I think it would be naive to say there isn’t a unique struggle. This kind of struggle is also very unique to Asian men (east and south) and not something every one has to face. I don’t want to feed into the ‘oppression olympics’ but I think even black and Latino men have an easier time with this. 

This is why if there is an appropriate opportunity to ringfence a leading role for an Asian man in a musical ESPECIALLY one that isn’t playing into traditional Asian culture stereotypes it’s a godsend for some of these men who can finally feel there is a place for them without the ongoing frustration of how their ethnicity, which they had no choice or control over, can limit their careers. 

[binau]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 8:47am

…

[kdogg36]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 10:10am

MezzoDiva47 said: "this thread is exhibit a as to why we ended up stuck with trump as president"

I am so sick of statements like this. It can only be true if the mere existence of (arguably) over-enthusiastic social justice warriors is a good reason to vote for Trump. And that would be a ridiculous thing to claim.

The reason we're stuck with Trump is that we're surrounded by literal garbage that somehow has acquired the right to vote.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 12:41pm

This whole debacle is so sad. I fear they have tainted the show forever now with the fallout after this casting decision. I’m amazed Feldman has t stepped down honestly. I’m not saying he should- but the outrage is so loud, it puts him in a horrible position. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 12:49pm

A lot of suppositions in this thread are not backed up by easy to obtain data, the biggest: that the Tony-winning show doesn't need the right cast or a star and/or that the "anti-woke" crowd will flock to buy tickets.  Simply look at any random dates in September. The show isn't selling well, by any yardstick. I picked a handful of weeknights: on 9/09, 9/23, 9/30, fewer than 75 seats were sold; at 3 others, fewer than 150. In the 1,016 seat Belasco. Even folks who argue that tickets are purchased closer to the date - understood - have to agree: the show has no substantial advance. Okay, TKTS. But doesn't this return the show's market value to its prior struggling position? I'm aware that shows do well, using the booth. But this show was capitalized at $13 million, and hasn't run a year yet. The casting crisis isn't generating ticket sales. Losing Criss is hurting the immediate future. A star - Asian or non - is surely sought for performances after Feldman.   

Updated On: 8/2/25 at 12:49 PM

[hicaesar]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 1:00pm

Auggie27 said: "Losing Criss is hurting the immediate future. A star - Asian or non - is surely sought for performances after Feldman."

What Asian Broadway stars exist?  That's the catch 22. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 1:34pm

My post is intended to be racial-casting neutral, i.e., to point out a broader issue; that the show faces some box office issues sans Criss. What my post does suggest: the argument that the gifted Feldman is a "name" because he's an ex-Evan who also co-starred in a Jennifer Lawrence movie simply doesn't hold up. Yet. If a new advertising campaign - and they need one, like, yesterday - highlights Feldman in a meaningful away, and sales increase, I'll revisit this post. I'm trying to discuss the future of this show without its current star, or an announced future one, a challenge in its own right. 

Updated On: 8/2/25 at 01:34 PM

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 1:50pm

hicaesar said: "Auggie27 said: "Losing Criss is hurting the immediate future. A star - Asian or non - is surely sought for performances after Feldman."

What Asian Broadway stars exist? That's the catch 22."

Zach Piser is Asian. Also an ex DEH and was just in Redwood. Criss wasn’t selling tickets with his name for most of the run. Andrew won’t do much better. This was an opportunity to make the show the star. It’s not like Andrew is a Tony winner or something. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 2:11pm

Piser would sell less tickets than Andrew is selling. That would be a death sentence. He’s just another three-name who’s done Boq and a couple of flops. 

[YankeeDani]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 3:19pm

MezzoDiva47 said: "YankeeDani said: "MezzoDiva47 said: "

YankeeDani said:

"you sound unhinged. YOU and this type of attitude is exactly why things are how they are. Total disrespect and disregard for human decency and taking others for granted."



wrong

"

ignorance."



who made _you_ judge?

u created an account just to come on here and flame everyone else

i have the utmost respect and regard for human decency and i do not take anyone for granted

just like ppl trapped in the maga cult u need to break free of the woke cult and join the rest of us in the land of reasonable

until then you remain aligned with biased closed-minded arrogant elites whodont even realize that your views are predetermined by your own prejudices

u r part of the same flock who has tried to shove latinx down the throat of acommunity who never asked for it

the irony here is that the most liked post on this thread by far is the one which advocates for the same rational and levelheaded approach i am pleading for but admittedly is more eloquently written

the ppl who liked that post but havent posted in agreement are part of the underground who know they cant speak out without getting canceled by ppl like u

i hope that glass house u live in has air conditioning



MezzoDiva47 has spoken

bow down accordingly

"

"u r part of the same flock who has tried to shove latinx down the throat of acommunity who never asked for it" 

Never did which is how I know you are both ignorant and wrongfully misguided in your rage. How many POC friends do you have speaking from your high horse? 

[YankeeDani]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 3:22pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "Piser would sell less tickets than Andrew is selling. That would be a death sentence. He’s just another three-name who’s done Boq and a couple of flops."

 

Are you going to respond to binau's' eloquent and intelligent post or silly pretend it never exists? The reality is you have your head so far up your ass in your delusions you can't even think straight or acknowledge the reality in front of us. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 3:44pm

YankeeDani said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "Piser would sell less tickets than Andrew is selling. That would be a death sentence. He’s just another three-name who’s done Boq and a couple of flops."



Are you going to respond tobinau's' eloquent and intelligent post or silly pretend it never exists? The reality is you have your head so far up your ass in your delusions you can't even think straight or acknowledge the reality in front of us."

Congratulations Dani, you’ve barely been here a day and you’ve snatched the title of Ad Hominem Queef away from Matt without breaking a sweat. 

I am planning on responding to Binau but don’t have time just now to give it the attention it deserves - which is googolplex times the attention yours usually deserve. 

[YankeeDani]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 3:51pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "YankeeDani said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "Piser would sell less tickets than Andrew is selling. That would be a death sentence. He’s just another three-name who’s done Boq and a couple of flops."



Are you going to respond tobinau's' eloquent and intelligent post or silly pretend it never exists? The reality is you have your head so far up your ass in your delusions you can't even think straight or acknowledge the reality in front of us."

Congratulations Dani, you’ve barely been here a day and you’ve snatched the title of Ad Hominem Queef away from Matt without breaking a sweat.

I am planning on respondingto Binau but don’t have time just now to give it the attention it deserves -which is googolplex times the attention yours usually deserve."

 

Uh huh. I'll believe it when I see it. I've noticed you continuously and conveniently ignore posts with many upvotes that highlight your deficiencies and blindspots. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 3:54pm

You debating with a Republican who advocates for an Orange Rapist is a giant waste of your time. He asks dumb questions so someone like you answers it. He does not consider your answers, nor does he care about your point of view. His goal on this website is to offend, anger, troll, and harass everyone who thinks differently. Stop wasting your time talking to a bright red Wall of ignorance. He has no life and spends every single minute of his waking hours on here. Why are you still talking to him? You saying the same sh*t hundreds of times makes you as bad as the Russian MAGAt. Enough.

 

Updated On: 8/2/25 at 03:54 PM

[Bwaygurl2]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 3:59pm

Yankee dani, please stop quoting the troll. Many of us have it blocked because we don't want to see his crap. You can respond without quoting if you must,but you are just giving the troll oxygen. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 4:02pm

Day drinking again Sutton?

[hicaesar]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 4:10pm

Ensemble1698878795 said: "hicaesar said: "Auggie27 said: "Losing Criss is hurting the immediate future. A star - Asian or non - is surely sought for performances after Feldman."

What Asian Broadway stars exist? That's the catch 22."

Zach Piser is Asian. Also an ex DEH and was just in Redwood. Criss wasn’t selling tickets with his name for most of the run. Andrew won’t do much better. This was an opportunity to make the show the star. It’s not like Andrew is a Tony winner or something."

Does anyone consider Zach Piser a star? I'm not saying Andrew is either. Darren Criss is. 

The idea that Darren's name wasn't selling tickets is silly. 

 

[Ensemble1726583963]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 5:20pm

YankeeDani said: "oh GEE yes I wonder WHY these 3 specifically are so defensive about this awful casting choice? HMMM what could be the reason??

So FYI you're saying a few Asian actors out of work is more important than what this signifies for FUTURE GENERATIONS for years to come who would perform Maybe Happy ending.

Educate yourself."

Obviously they have a vested interest in the show's success and might see things differently than the average theatre-goer as a result, but it doesn't mean their views aren't also worthy of consideration; and they certainly don't deserve condemnation. Everything is always so black and white, especially in online spaces, with no room for disagreement, and if you dare to do so you're called a bigot, or uneducated, or some other ad hominem attack meant to discourage participation in the conversation.

To your last point, yes, I do think it's important that the Asian actors currently in these roles (and everyone in the production) keep their jobs, rather than be lost to some larger ideal that doesn't even guarantee the results you seek. People should be free to voice their discontent, but those who created and embody the roles in question should have their say respected, too.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 5:59pm

Meanwhile, the Oracle has used the casting notice screenshot as the basis for his latest video. He might have given credit to the poster and this forum having found it here. He makes it sound like he did all the detective work himself. 

[bear88]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 9:48pm

I remain unpersuaded that Maybe Happy Ending cannot stand on its own as a well-liked Best Musical winner without gimmicks or star casting. Casting is important, of course, because the dynamics between Oliver and Claire must work. It’s basically a two-hander.

Dear Evan Hansen ran for years trotting out unknown actors in the title role and did just fine. The show was always going to take a short-term hit after Darren Criss, who is really good as Oliver and won a Tony for the role, departed. 

Maybe Happy Ending is about universal themes but it’s also set in a specific place that is a key part of the story. I think the producers and creatives forgot the latter part of this and ignored the predictable response when a white actor is cast as the first replacement for Oliver in the same year Yellow Face won great acclaim on Broadway. 

But if the producers, who still haven’t made a profit on the show, think they need a star, they’re probably going to need to do better than Andrew Barth Feldman - whose main non-theater credit is the movie with Jennifer Lawrence a few years ago. And even if I’m wrong about Feldman’s drawing power, he is only a short-term fix. They still need to replace Oliver in November, and Claire soon as well.

One last thing about Darren Criss: I think he is a fine actor (who many people did not realize has a Filipina mother) but no one was saying he was a big draw until word of mouth and the Tony Awards turned Maybe Happy Ending into a hit.

If Criss announced he was starring in a new musical next year, people would not be clamoring for tickets to see him in that show. They would be curious and wait and see. He’s not on Jonathan Groff’s level as a Broadway star. Few leading men are.

Maybe Happy Ending has plenty of flexibility when it comes to age. Shen’s eventual replacement could be up to 20 years older, depending on who is playing Oliver.

My gut feeling is that the producers and creatives are underestimating the popular appeal of their own musical. That’s easy for me to say. I’m not an investor. But one of the show’s great appeals was that it addressed serious topics but mostly avoided the depressing issues lingering just outside the theater. By making this casting decision, the producers invited the outside world inside.

[YankeeDani]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 10:40pm

PaigeTurner2 said: "YankeeDani said: "oh GEE yes I wonder WHY these 3 specifically are so defensive about this awful casting choice? HMMM what could be the reason??

So FYI you're saying a few Asian actors out of work is more important than what this signifies for FUTURE GENERATIONS for years to come who would perform Maybe Happy ending.

Educate yourself."

Obviously they have a vested interest in the show's successand mightsee things differently than the average theatre-goer as a result,but it doesn't mean their views aren't alsoworthy of consideration; and they certainlydon't deserve condemnation. Everything is always so black and white, especially in online spaces, with no room for disagreement, and if you dare to do so you're called a bigot, or uneducated, or some other ad hominem attackmeant to discourage participation in the conversation.

To your last point, yes, I do think it'simportant that the Asian actorscurrently in these roles (and everyone inthe production) keep their jobs, rather than be lost to some larger ideal that doesn't even guarantee the results you seek.People should be free to voice their discontent, but those who created and embody the roles in question should have their say respected, too."

Of course people who have jobs now are going to be more invested in a bad idea than the rest of their community. They made their choice already. They already HAVE JOBS so of course it doesn't concern them.

 

And for the record, I can see their perspective bc it's their money and rent. I cannot understand people outside of that thinking this way because they are not invested in it. This is SOO much bigger than what 3-4 people's rent may be when it can affect generations to come. 

[YankeeDani]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 10:42pm

bear88 said: "I remain unpersuaded thatMaybe Happy Endingcannotstand on its own as a well-liked Best Musical winner without gimmicks or star casting. Casting is important, of course, because the dynamics between Oliver and Claire must work. It’s basically a two-hander.

Dear Evan Hansenran for years trotting out unknown actors in the title role and did just fine. The show wasalways going to take a short-term hit afterDarren Criss, who is really good as Oliver and won a Tony for the role, departed.

Maybe Happy Endingis about universal themes but it’s also set in a specific place that is a key part of the story. I think the producers and creatives forgot the latter part of this and ignored the predictable response when a white actor is cast as the first replacement for Oliver in the same yearYellow Facewon great acclaim on Broadway.

But if the producers, who still haven’t made a profit on the show, think they need a star, they’re probably going to need to do better than Andrew Barth Feldman - whose main non-theatercredit is the movie with Jennifer Lawrence a few years ago.And even if I’m wrong about Feldman’s drawing power, he is only a short-term fix. They still need to replace Oliver in November, and Claire soon as well.

One last thing about Darren Criss: I think he is a fine actor (who many people did not realize has a Filipina mother) but no one was saying he was a big draw until word of mouth and the Tony Awards turnedMaybe Happy Endinginto a hit.

If Criss announced he was starring in a new musical next year, people would not be clamoring for tickets to see him in that show. They would be curious and wait and see. He’s not on Jonathan Groff’s level as a Broadway star. Few leading men are.

Maybe Happy Endinghas plenty of flexibility when it comes to age. Shen’s eventual replacement could be up to 20 years older, depending on who is playing Oliver.

My gut feeling is that the producers and creatives are underestimating the popular appeal of their own musical. That’s easy for me to say. I’m not an investor. But one of the show’s great appeals was that it addressed serious topics but mostly avoided the depressing issues lingering just outside the theater. By making this casting decision, the producers invited the outside world inside."

It's absolutely baffling they didn't just go with someone of 1/4 or 1/2 asian decent who is white passing like Darren. This seems to stem just because he is dating the lead actress over anything they used for their Tony voting. 

[YankeeDani]

Posted: 8/2/25 at 11:51pm

So there are zero moderators on this board??

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 12:05am

“It's absolutely baffling they didn't just go with someone of 1/4 or 1/2 asian decent who is white passing like Darren. This seems to stem just because he is dating the lead actress over anything they used for their Tony voting.”

For the third time I’ll say there’s offering and then there’s accepting. Before offering, a person has to audition and be able to do what it requires technically. Even then, a person might not want to audition at all because replacing in a musical is not the aim of some performers. Especially when the first actor won an award. Even if the show is a smash hit. It’s just not an option for some actors and their agents.

Piser might have been offered and might have turned it down, because someone like him likely wants to shape a career where he isn’t known as the Eurasian who replaces the other Eurasian. 

Sweeney Todd went through multiple offers before Tveit and Foster accepted, and you can tell that just by seeing how Wrong they were for the parts. A Sweeney and Lovett from a dinner theatre in Arkansas would have been more appropriate.

And yes I’m also wondering why you haven’t been moderated. 

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 2:00am

BorisTomashevsky said: "Piser would sell less tickets than Andrew is selling. That would be a death sentence. He’s just another three-name who’s done Boq and a couple of flops."

Trust me Andrew isn’t a name folks know in middle America. Andrew could also be a death sentence and your point would be mute. You’re missing the point but then again I forgot you’re racist and don’t care!