The Alliance Theatre’s American premiere of the new musical Maybe Happy Ending began performances January 21 for a run through February 16, with opening night scheduled for January 29.
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.
Watch Kenny Tran and Cathy Ang Sing ’My Favorite Love Story’ From Maybe Happy Ending
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.
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 K. 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.
