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Maybe Happy Ending
어쩌면 해피엔딩
Official English Title
SOURCE
original
SETTING
Korea
BOOK
original
Two helper robots fall in love
Korean Premiere
2016
Korean Premiere Theatre
Daemyung Culture Factory, Seoul
Further Korean run reference:
https://namu.wiki/w/%EC%96%B4%EC%A9%8C%EB%A9%B4%20%ED%95%B4%ED%94%BC%EC%97%94%EB%94%A9
The Musical search cue — “어쩌면 해피엔딩”
Summary
In near-future Seoul, two obsolete helper robots discover love, mortality, and the fragile beauty of connection during one unexpected journey.
Origin & Development
Developed through Wooran Cultural Foundation’s SEEYA Studio program beginning in 2014, Maybe Happy Ending underwent an internal reading and a public tryout at Project Box Seeya in Seoul on September 21–22, 2015. Its first full Korean production opened at DCF Daemyung Culture Factory in December 2016.
Full Synopsis
In 2060 Seoul, obsolete helperbots live quietly in aging apartment buildings. Oliver, a Helperbot-5, follows the same routine each day while waiting for his former owner James, who promised to return. Although James now lives on Jeju Island, a monthly jazz magazine sent in his name gives Oliver reason to keep waiting.
One night, Claire, a Helperbot-6 from the neighboring apartment, knocks because her charger has failed. Oliver allows her to recharge in his room and begins lending her his portable charger. Their repeated encounters gradually become companionship.
Claire learns that Oliver has been collecting coins for a journey to Jeju to find James. Because public transportation is dangerous for helperbots, she borrows a car and offers to travel with him. Pretending to be a human couple, they begin a road trip across Korea.
On Jeju Island, Oliver discovers that James died a year earlier and that his family now uses a newer helperbot. James left Oliver a vinyl record as a final gift. Claire comforts him, and together they visit a forest filled with fireflies.
After returning to Seoul, Oliver and Claire recognize that they miss each other and conclude that what they feel may be love. Their happiness is shadowed by the difference in their remaining lifespans: Claire’s failing battery may last only another year, while Oliver is expected to function much longer.
Unable to face the separation ahead, they agree to erase their shared memories. Oliver returns to his former routine, apparently unaware of their relationship. When Claire once again knocks with a broken charger, however, he instinctively moves his plant aside, opens the door for her, and watches while she recharges. Asked whether everything will be all right, Oliver answers, “Maybe.” (Korean Original Version)
メイビーハッピーエンド
2018
2018-05-03
to
2018-05-06
Country:
Japan
City:
Yokohama
Production Type:
Full Production
Language:
Korean
Venue:
PACIFICO Yokohama Conference Center
Performed in the Korean original version with Japanese surtitles at PACIFICO Yokohama, a much larger venue than the small theatres where the work was usually staged.
Maybe Happy Ending
2020
2020-01-21
to
2020-02-16
Country:
United States
City:
Atlanta
Production Type:
Full Production
Language:
English
Venue:
Alliance Theatre
Directed by Michael Arden on the Coca-Cola Stage, this was the first English-language staging and the start of the development path toward Broadway. U.S. coverage emphasized the work's Korean origin and cross-Pacific creative team.
メイビー、ハッピーエンディング
2020
2020-08-11
to
2020-08-30
Country:
Japan
City:
Tokyo
Production Type:
Licensed
Language:
Japanese
Venue:
Theatre Crea
Produced by Toho and starring Kenji Urai, Shoko Nakagawa, and Kana Hanazawa (alternating), the production's publicity highlighted the show's Korean premiere and its U.S. staging earlier the same year.
也许美好结局
2021
2021-06-27
to
Unknown
Country:
China
City:
Multiple Cities
Production Type:
Licensed
Language:
Chinese
Venue:
Multiple Venues
The fourth self-produced musical of SAIC Shanghai Culture Square, directed by Kim Dong-yeon, who travelled from Korea to work with the Chinese company, with three rotating casts and a live chamber orchestra. It premiered at Theatre Above in Shanghai, with performances through July 4, 2021.
A tour was announced for Chengdu, Xiamen, Nanjing, and Hangzhou in August, Wuxi in September, and Tianjin in November 2021. The schedule may have changed because of COVID-19 restrictions, and the actual tour dates have not been confirmed.
也许美好结局
2022
2022-03-04
to
Unknown
Country:
China
City:
Multiple Cities
Production Type:
Licensed
Language:
Chinese
Venue:
Multiple Venues
The first national tour of the Chinese-language production, starring Huang Zihongfan and announced for the Poly Theatre circuit from March to May 2022.
It opened at Haikou Bay Performing Arts Center (March 4–5, 2022) and played Wuhan Qintai Grand Theatre (May 23–24). Further stops were announced in Fuzhou, Changsha, Wenzhou, Kunshan, Yantai, and Taizhou. The schedule may have changed because of COVID-19 restrictions, and the actual dates of these stops have not been confirmed.
也许美好结局
2023
2023-02-14
to
2023-09-29
Country:
China
City:
Multiple Cities
Production Type:
Licensed
Language:
Chinese
Venue:
Multiple Venues
A tour of the Chinese-language production on the Poly Theatre circuit (保利院线).
It played Chongqing Grand Theatre (February 14, 2023), Zhuhai Grand Theatre (February 19), Yichun Culture and Art Center (February 23), Fuzhou Strait Culture and Art Centre (February 26), Xiamen Jiageng Theatre (March 1–2), Wuhan Qintai Grand Theatre (March 5–6), Changsha Meixihu International Culture and Arts Centre (March 9), Feidong Grand Theatre in Hefei (March 12), and Weifang Grand Theatre (March 15), followed by a performance at Shanghai City Theatre on September 29.
Maybe Happy Ending
2024–2027
2024-11-12
to
Open Ended Run
Country:
United States
City:
New York
Production Type:
Full Production
Language:
English
Venue:
Belasco Theatre
Directed by Michael Arden and starring Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen, the Broadway production began previews on October 16, 2024. It won six Tony Awards in 2025, including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score, becoming the first Korean-authored musical to win Broadway's top prize.
Maybe Happy Ending
2026–2027
2026-09-19
to
2027-08-29
Country:
United States
City:
Multiple Cities
Production Type:
Full Production
Language:
English
Venue:
Multiple Venues
A national tour of the Broadway production, launching in September 2026 and visiting more than 30 cities across the United States through 2027.
メイビー、ハッピーエンディング
2026
2026-11-28
to
2026-12-13
Country:
Japan
City:
Tokyo
Production Type:
Licensed
Language:
Japanese
Venue:
Theatre Crea
A revival of Toho's Japanese-language production, first staged at Theatre Crea in 2020, with Japanese translation, lyrics, and direction by Kazutoshi Ueda. It returned to the same theatre in Hibiya as the first Japanese staging since the Broadway production won six Tony Awards in 2025.
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