MAYBE HAPPY ENDING Reviews — Page 66

AC126748 said: "I have a feeling the same people who raised a stink over Andrew Barth Feldman are going to be real quiet now."

Without a doubt. It was never because Feldman isn't Asian. It was always because he's white.

Back when people were sane, there was a word for that. It was called racism.

BroadwayRox3588 said: "AC126748 said: "I have a feeling the same people who raised a stink over Andrew Barth Feldman are going to be real quiet now."

Without a doubt. It was never because Feldman isn't Asian. It was always because he's white.

Back when people were sane, there was a word for that. It was called racism."



the woke mob strikes again

the writers have already gone out of their way to publicly dismiss this nonsense

and yet some ppl think their opinion magically overrules the creative team's intentions

andrew barth feldman and savy jackson have more than proven they have earned their casting

sanity is actually what has returned to the landscape

we now know that identity politics is self-defeating

and agitating up a bogus controversy like this one

is lame

Yeah, I'm not sure the producers of this show are attempting to uphold white supremacy. The more likely explanation is they can't get anyone with a name (be they Asian, black, white etc) to star in this thing and boost the box office. So they just promoted the understudy because that's the easiest thing to do.

I have reached the point where I just take the creative team at their word. They don’t believe the robots need to be played by Asian-American actors and probably think they are playing the long game for when the show is licensed. (We will see how that plays out.) The Asian-American cast angle was helpful for the Tony Awards and then turned into an unwanted burden for the producers and creatives after that.

I don’t think they have any illusions that Jackson is going to save the show but are making a point to cast a non-Asian actor. Maybe Happy Ending is winding down its Broadway run and I admit to overestimating its commercial appeal - but it is not the only musical to fall into that category in recent years. Because the show started with Asian-American stars, albeit with a lead actor who many people thought was white, I think the creatives set up expectations that they weren’t interested in meeting.

I don’t blame anyone for being disappointed or upset with how this whole saga played out.

I agree that this is indicative of two things

1. This is indicative of a closing soon

2. The team really did shoot themselves in the foot with the AAPI cast and PR blitz for the Tonys, only then to realize they now had to work themselves out of the hole they (and Katherine Quinn) created. Even if they never intended these roles to be AAPI only, their PR blitz during the Tonys indicated otherwise. They are now reaping the consequences.

Updated On: 10/6/26 at 03:57 PM

You were bothered by Amy's casting (who will be incredible) because you are a racist. Announcing proudly that you are a Zionist makes that crystal clear.

Caught the national tour in Durham last night.

The show has come at a very interesting time in the world. We’re currently living in an era where AI has become a reality. Naturally, there are a ton of discussions regarding the use of it. Some have argued that AI can be used for good. Although others have expressed concerns about it replacing people in the workplace and/or potentially getting out of control. In Maybe Happy Ending, it imagines a future where robots can live alongside humans as a helping hand. As someone who really doesn’t support AI, I actually appreciated that approach.

The musical itself is about an hour and 45 minutes long with no intermission. As book writers, Will Aronson & Hue Park have crafted a story that’s full of surprises. There are several scenes where just when you think it’s about to become predictable, it becomes unpredictable. That alone can be very challenging to pull off in this day and age, and the duo accomplished just that. Plus, as the show has no intermission, it really helps make the journey feel continuous. As for Aronson & Park’s score, it’s absolutely stunning! The orchestrations, crafted by Aronson himself, help bring his melodies to such wondrous life.

Under Michael Arden's direction, his staging comes across as, fittingly enough, very innovative. The world he creates onstage truly feels like the closest audiences will ever get to experiencing a technology-advanced future in real life. George Reeve’s astonishing projections/video designs alone play a great part in that. Although Dane Laffrey also pulls off such an impressive set design that’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen in the theatre before. The lighting designed by Ben Stanton elevates the visuals with quite a vibrant look. Not to mention the costumes designed by Clint Ramos are very imaginative.

The production only has a cast of four people onstage. Under Arden’s guidance, each of them makes quite an impression. The whole story is centered on the relationship between Oliver and Claire. When they first meet, they don’t really get along. Yet they soon start to care for one another, even before their journey begins. As the show goes on, their chemistry together grows even more so. It’s such a compelling arc that may sound familiar, but doesn’t feel so. The performances by Steven Huynh as Oliver and Claire Kwon as Claire are so endearing that you really feel for them. They both work so well together, that you can’t imagine one of them being as good without the other. They may be playing robots, but they still bring a lot of humanity to their characters. As for the other two cast members, James Seoul impressively pulls off multiple roles, including James. Meanwhile, Francisco Javier González gives quite a slick stage presence as Gil Brentley.

In an era where most new musicals that come to Broadway are based on established IP, it’s a miracle whenever we get something completely original. Let alone the fact that it becomes successful. With Maybe Happy Ending, to say it’s easy to see why this one did would be an understatement. There may be a number of breathtaking images, but it still tells such a poignant story that’s very emotionally resonant. If you ask me, this has to be the most empowering new musical of the decade (so far)!

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Ensemble1698878795 said: "iluvtheatertrash said: "Ensemble1698878795 said: "iluvtheatertrash said: "I find it very rich seeing so many people who would be outraged that a BPOC performer loses work to a white performer vehemently defending this casting, a BPOC performer taking a role from an AAPI performer."

This is silly. A BIPOC performer is not "taking a role away" from an AAPI performer. The creative team decided that's the casting direction THEY wanted to go in. It wasn't taken, I imagine it was earned.You're actually playing into white supremacy by blaming her for taking work in a very thin, celebrity driven climate. You're pitting folks of color up against each other over a role that at the end of the day is a robot. In workshops multiple backgrounds played these roles. This isn't Miss Saigon or King and I.

Many of you need to touch grass and realize there are much bigger issues in the world than thecasting replacement of a character that's a ROBOT. FFS."

Well, some of us were bothered by the casting of Maria Von Trapp. And we were told we were being "racist". But hey, since it's just a robot, I guess my white behind can play The Lion in The Wiz now and no one will complain, right?"

Babes, there's already a white version of The Wiz. It's called The Wizard of Oz. Racism is why The Wiz was created. Try again, idiot."

You're calling me an idiot while missing the point entirely.

"She's a robot, her race doesn't matter."
Cool. So I can play Simba in The Lion King? I can play The Lion in The Wiz?

And there have been, and will continue to be, black people in productions of The Wizard of Oz.

So all you've done while calling me an idiot is further expose the double standard. Idiot.

First look at Stella Cole

https://www.instagram.com/p/DeuapC9IHS4/?img_index=1