[1] The musical follows two life-like helper-bots, Oliver and Claire, who discover each other in Seoul in the late 21st century and develop a connection that challenges what they believe is possible for themselves, relationships, and love.
[2] In 2014, Hue Park was sitting in a coffee shop in Brooklyn where he heard the song "Everyday Robots" by Damon Albarn (front man of the rock bands Blur and Gorillaz) playing.
Oliver has been staying in an apartment for abandoned helperbots for ten years, thinking that his old owner, James, would come back to pick him up as he promised ("In My Room").
Claire soon wakes and tries to thank him, but Oliver argues with her over the differences between 5s and 6s, eventually kicking her out when she points out it matters little since they are both retired models.
Eventually, Oliver reaches out and offers to let her borrow his portable charger if she comes at specific times each day to drop it off and pick it up.
It's illegal for robots produced before the year 2044 to drive, so to avoid being caught, they plan to pretend to be a human couple going on a holiday.
They arrive at a motel to stop and charge, where Claire easily helps them get past the hotel staff and into their room without being discovered ("Old Love Songs" / "Jenny").
They quickly rush out of their rooms and apologize to each other for breaking the promise, before sharing a tentative kiss ("Touch Sequence (Instrumental)").
Afterwards, they spend many happy days together holding hands while charging and trying to do what they think a human couple would do, even attempting to have a fight ("First Time In Love").
Sometime later, Oliver wakes up and begins his daily routine as usual ("Why We Loved (Reprise)"), only to be interrupted by Claire knocking on his door once more asking to borrow his charger.
He greets his potted plant HwaBoon and begins his daily routine while listening to a song by jazz singer Gil Brentley ("Why Love?").
Oliver goes through the cycle of listening to music, caring for HwaBoon, and receiving his regular Jazz Monthly magazine and replacement parts, all while awaiting the return of his owner James ("World Within My Room").
Later, she visits Oliver's place to thank him and discovers he has been collecting money through bottle deposits so that he can travel to Jeju Island to reunite with James ("Where You Belong").
Afterwards, they spend many happy days together holding hands while charging and trying to do what they think a human couple would do, even attempting to have a fight ("Then I Can Let You Go").
Maybe Happy Ending premiered at Project Box Seeya in Wooran Cultural Foundation for a three-night tryout engagement in September 2015.
Both versions were performed at an industry workshop in New York City in 2016, as the first overseas development project supported by the Wooran Cultural Foundation.
It was premiered at Lifeway Hall in DCF Daemyung Cultural Factory 2nd Building on 20 December 2016, to 5 March 2017, and ran for 51 performances.
I want to create a stage where those emotions can be conveyed intact.The music director was Joo Yeon-jo and sound engineer was Kwon Ji-hwi.
The production company, Daemyung Cultural Factory, and the creators agreed to the good cause and decided to participate in the donation.
This version, produced by Synthwave, featured a new cast and production team, using new direction and stage design to adapt to the local market.
[26] The role of Oliver was cast with idol-actors, Choi Dong-wook (Seven), Seong-je (Supernova) and former U-KISS member Kevin (Woo Seong-hyun).
Actresses Kim Bo-kyung and Song Sang-eun were double-cast as Claire, with actor Rajun playing multiple roles including James.
[27] The musical was revived in Vivaldi Park Hall, Daemyung Cultural Factory Building 1, Seoul from 13 November 2018, to 10 February 2019.
Kim Jae-beom from the premiere reprised his role as Oliver, performing alternately with three newly cast actors Moon Tae-yu, Jeon Sung-woo, and Shin Joo-hyeop.
[31][32] The cast included Kenny Tran as Oliver, Cathy Ang as Claire, Dez Duron as Gil Brentley, and John D. Haggerty as James.
For me personally, it's very meaningful to be able to take on the challenge of a musical with a solid story at this time, and I'm extremely happy that it was this work.Shoko Nakagawa was praised for her innocence and cute performance.
In this Season, artificial feeling was added to the acting style and vocal tone of the actors to clarify the identity of the robot character.
Following the premiere in Shanghai, the musical moves on to Chengdu, Xiamen, Nanjing and Hangzhou in August, Wuxi in September and Tianjin in November.
[43] The production was revived for its fourth season once again at the Yes24 Stage 1, Daehangno, Seoul on 22 June 2021, with Jung Uk-jin from premiere returning in the title role Oliver.
The Broadway production of the English version of Maybe Happy Ending, once again directed by Michael Arden, opened on 12 November 2024 at the Belasco Theater, following a delayed start of previews on 16 October due to supply chain issues.