THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.
Maybe Happy Ending at the Belasco Theatre offers a touching story of two helperbots navigating the complexities of love and memory. This is a review of a preview and the final show may be different than what I saw. Set in a future where androids are left behind by their human owners, and actually relocated to their own segregated apartment buildings, this tender piece explores abandonment, loyalty, and impermanence. Though the show has many beautiful moments, some minor elements, particularly the ending, left me with mixed feelings.
From the opening number, “Why Love?” sung by Dez Duron as the jazz singer Gil Brentley, the production establishes an intimate, almost melancholy tone. Gil’s jazz interludes, representing Oliver’s love for jazz, act as atmospheric commentary, adding a wistful backdrop to Oliver’s journey. At first, these songs felt like fillers rather than fully integrated parts of the story. However, on reflection, knowing they are original jazz pieces composed for the show helped me appreciate them more. While one or two still felt unnecessary, they fit into the larger world the musical seeks to create, and Duron’s vocal performance was fantastic, bringing warmth and depth to each piece.
Darren Criss as Oliver, a Helperbot Model 3, captures the character’s earnestness and charm but doesn’t completely break new ground in the role. Criss’s portrayal is engaging, and his chemistry with Helen J. Shen, who plays Claire (a Model 5), makes their relationship believable. However, Criss’s performance felt “safe,” and there were moments—very brief one-note pitch issues and slight dialogue stumbles—that temporarily took me out of the show. While these moments were minor, they were noticeable.
Oliver’s journey largely revolves around reconciling his loyalty to his former owner, James, with his growing feelings for Claire. Shen is delightful and nuanced, adding warmth to her interactions with Oliver. Their push-and-pull dynamic emerges in songs like “The Way That It Has to Be,” where her optimism clashes with his skepticism. Oliver still holds onto the hope that James will come back for him, while Claire has already been hardened by the changeability of her human owners. This tension creates moments of endearing frustration, with Claire’s hopeful outlook sometimes clashing against Oliver’s reluctance to move forward. Shen’s standout moments, including “How To Be Not Alone” and “What I Learned From People,” anchor the story with genuine vulnerability as she accepts her own deteriorating state.
The show reaches an emotional peak in “What I Learned From People,” when Claire warns Oliver against seeking closure with James. The subsequent scene, marked by the tender piano solo “Goodbye Love,” is one of the most poignant in the show. Oliver’s disillusionment when he learns of James’s death becomes a powerful comment on the frailty of human connections. Claire comforts him, and together they decide to see the fireflies on Jeju Island. “Chasing Fireflies” and “Never Fly Away” capture this rare moment of shared vulnerability, becoming the foundation for their love.
However, the ending left me conflicted. While I liked the concept, I felt that the roles should have been reversed in terms of who erased their memory. The memory erasure sequence, set against “Memory Sequence” and the reprise of “Why Love?” is haunting, but lacks the clarity needed for a strong emotional impact. Oliver’s decision to retain his memory of Claire, contrasted with her willingness to erase him, felt unbalanced. Claire, who has less than a year left, sacrifices the memories of their love, while Oliver has 3-4 years to live with them. This choice left me wondering if Claire’s acceptance of memory erasure was pragmatic or simply resignation, and I couldn’t help but feel that a different resolution might have left a stronger impression on me.
The music, despite being enjoyable in the moment, ultimately lacks memorability. Numbers like “World Within My Room” and “When You’re In Love” are pleasant but fail to leave a lasting impression, which feels somewhat at odds with a story about the fragility and endurance of memory. Even “Maybe Happy Ending,” the titular song, struggles to anchor the story’s emotional weight in a memorable way.
Where Maybe Happy Ending truly excels is in its inventive staging. The production’s moving set and frames shift fluidly to spotlight various parts of the stage, creating a sense of physical and emotional distance—or closeness—between Oliver and Claire. Watching the two androids’ apartments move on and off stage, sometimes closer together, sometimes further apart, adds a playful and cinematic quality that mirrors their growing connection. This dynamic staging feels symbolic of the way the characters tentatively step in and out of each other’s lives. The “Charger Exchange Ballet” sequence, where the two connect physically while highlighting their limitations, is another standout, reinforcing the show’s delicate and restrained atmosphere.
In the end, Maybe Happy Ending succeeds as a story about love’s impermanence and the heartbreak—and beauty—in memory. Its android protagonists confront human questions about love and loss, even as their lives are winding down. However, pacing issues, the slight disconnect of the jazz interludes, and an ambiguous ending prevent it from fully reaching its potential. With tighter focus and a more unified musical vision, Maybe Happy Ending could be a powerful exploration of love’s endurance, but as it stands, it’s a well-intentioned story that leaves us pondering its questions long after the curtain falls.
