Rehearsals are underway for Alliance Theatre’s American premiere of the new musical Maybe Happy Ending, which will play the Coca-Cola Stage January 21–February 16. Directed by Tony nominee Michael Arden (Once On This Island, Spring Awakening), the Atlanta cast features Kenny Tran, Cathy Ang, Dez Duron, and John D. Haggerty.
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 will also have 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), 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.