I must admit I was not interested in seeing Maybe Happy Ending at all. While I love reading sci-fi, I’m more into sci-fi thrillers than romances. To help confirm my decision, I read a few reviews. The most notable criticism to me was that the show had no memorable (reviews of which I cannot find now to quote of course) and I didn’t think it was worth seeing a musical with no memorable songs.

 

Well, I sought some outside perspectives from my friends and coworkers who are also interested in theatre to try and challenge my perspective. After much discussion, I decided it was worth supporting a new, original Broadway musical and that I would love to see Darren Criss perform live, so I ventured on my first-ever solo date. 

 

I saw a Thursday night show in the very last row of the balcony. I was very, very high up. I arrived about 20 minutes before the show and observed as people entered the theater. I enjoyed listening to many love songs over the speakers and hearing the usher yell at people who were clearly not used to coming to the theater as I waited for the show to begin. Side note: I also realized how many people come to the theater alone, so I will definitely continue my solo dates. 

 

The show opens with Oliver, played by Darren Criss, singing about how much he loves his life in his small room as a Helpbot, a robot designed to help humans with everyday tasks. It sets the scene that he is truly alone and you begin to see that Oliver’s owner, James, has abandoned him and will not return, though Oliver does not recognize this. 

 

Oliver then meets his neighbor Claire, played by Helen J Shen making her Broadway debut, as she is about to run out of battery. Her charger has broken and she cannot get a new one because, much like Oliver, they have stopped making repair parts for her model. Oliver lets Claire borrow his charger and their relationship progresses from there. From the beginning, Claire understands that her time is limited, while Oliver does not. Together, they journey to find James, who Oliver believes will save him from obsolescence and ultimately fall in love. 

 

I found myself genuinely laughing throughout the show in a way that only a cheesy rom-com can make me laugh. The acting was sweet and genuine; you felt like these characters discovered love for the first time. The show felt like your typical journey of self-discovery and romance until the end where the show tackled a theme many rom-coms fail to address - the pain of losing someone you love. 

 

The Helperbots finally addressed their inevitable “deaths” that hung over every sweet moment within the show. Since they are Helperbots and not humans, they had the opportunity to decide if they wanted to live with the pain of losing someone they cared about, or wipe their memories and forget it ever happened. With little quips throughout the play addressing a human’s limited capability, it was obvious that this question was meant to apply to the audience’s personal experiences. 

 

While it did make me think, it did not make me sob as it did for those around me. I tend to be hyperemotional, so I was surprised to see people reacting like this. However, it is a rather interesting question. You often deal with so much pain and loss throughout your life, but would you jump at an opportunity to forget it all - the good and the bad? 

 

Ultimately, I think no, it’s not better to forget. The experience made you who you are today, and you wouldn’t be the same without it. You learn, grow, and move on. It takes time to heal, but it’s not worth forgetting the good experiences or losing the opportunity to learn from the bad. 

 

Oliver’s character seemed to agree with me, as he chose not to erase his memories while Claire did. I think that choice is really important; Oliver was much more hesitant to enter any sort of relationship and cared about following typical robot protocol. For him to decide that it was worth it to keep the memories showed me that the writers think that the inevitability of a sad ending does not give you any reason not to enjoy the present. I think I needed this reminder that life is fleeting and you should take every opportunity to enjoy the people around you. 

 

A few other notes about the production: the set design was incredible and futuristic! There were so many moving pieces and I was impressed with how the performers navigated the set. However, the stage directions confused me. With so many moving pieces, a good portion of the show took place downstage. This area of the stage was nearly impossible to see from the balcony. Every time the actors moved to the edge of the stage, I could see every person in the balcony shift forward, craning to see the performers. When buying my tickets, the theater had noted a few seats with an obstructed view and I avoided those purposely, yet I still ended up in a seat where I could not see! I was incredibly disappointed with the theater for not marking this and the director for not considering the view of those sitting in the balcony! And, in short, I completely agree with the reviews I saw that there were no memorable songs. 

 

Overall, I’m really happy to have had the opportunity to see this show (and Darren Criss!!!!!) and am very much looking forward to my next solo date!