Regional NewsNew Musical Maybe Happy Ending, Directed by Michael Arden, Opens January 29The American premiere plays Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre.
By
Andrew Gans
January 29, 2020
Cathy Ang and Kenny Tran
Greg Mooney
The Alliance Theatre’s American premiere of the new musical Maybe Happy Ending officially opens on the Coca-Cola Stage January 29 following previews that began January 21. Performances continue through February 16.
Directed by Tony nominee Michael Arden (Once On This Island, Spring Awakening), the Atlanta cast features Kenny Tran (Vietgone, Men with Money) as Oliver, Cathy Ang (We are the Tigers, KPOP) as Claire, Dez Duron (The Voice) as Gil Brentley, John D. Haggerty (You Never Touched the Dirt, Henry VI) as James/Helperbot Employee/John/Motel Clerk/Very Old Man/James’s Son/ensemble, Diana Huey as JiYeon/Ensemble, and Daniel J. Edwards as Suhan/Ensemble.
Kenny Tran
Maybe Happy Ending, which has a book and music by Will Aronson and a book and lyrics by Hue Park, is set in the not-too-distant future in Seoul, Korea, where two obsolete helper-bots are living an isolated existence in a robots-only housing complex on the edge of the city. When the two discover each other in the hall, they have a surprising connection that challenges what they believe is possible for themselves, relationships, and love.
“I am so thrilled to be working with these incredible artists to bring the work of Park and Aronson to audiences,” said director Arden in an earlier statement. “It’s a beautiful and human story that reflects how when you sign up to love someone, you in turn must sign up to lose them. I can’t wait for audiences to experience this incredible piece, led by this sensational company of actors.”
The production also has scenic design by Dane Laffrey (Once On This Island), costume design by Clint Ramos (The Rose Tattoo, Eclipsed), lighting design by Travis Hagenbuch, projections design by Sven Ortel (Newsies the Musical), sound design by Peter Hylenski (Beetlejuice, Once On This Island), orchestrations by Aronson, and music direction by Deborah Abramson.
Written in two versions—English-language and Korean-language—the Korean-language version had its world premiere in Seoul, Korea, in 2016, where it won six Korean Musical Awards including Best Book, Lyrics, and Music. The English-language version was awarded the 2017 Richard Rodgers Production Award.
A veteran character actor of the stage and screen, Mr. Cunningham's musical theatre career famously began in 1960 when he was plucked from obscurity by Moss Hart.
