Last week, the Tony Award-winning musical Maybe Happy Ending announced that Andrew Barth Feldman would be taking over the role of Oliver, after actor Darren Criss leaves the show. The only problem is that the role of Oliver had, to date, been played by actors of Asian descent. In the days since that announcement, Broadway's Asian American artist community have roundly criticized the decision, with actors such as Conrad Ricamora, Jose Llana, Kay Sibal, BD Wong, and many others speaking out.
The latest voice to join the fray is the Asian American Performers Action Coalition, which received the 2022 honorary Tony Award for their work in advocating for diversity in theatre. In a statement sent to Playbill, the coalition expressed their "profound disappointment at the Broadway production Maybe Happy Ending's decision to cast a non-AANHPI actor in the role of Oliver."
The statement continues: "Set in South Korea, Maybe Happy Ending by Will Aronson and Hue Park opened on Broadway with six of its seven principal characters played by AANHPI actors, creating a rare opportunity for AANHPI actors to play both leading and supporting roles in its original Broadway cast and setting the precedent for future productions. Instead, a different precedent has been set; one that de-emphasizes cultural specificity and the opportunities for a far too often excluded population of actors that come with it. If the intent has been to show the story’s 'universality,' we are reminded that though we have long been expected to view white stories populated by only white actors as 'universal,' stories about people who look like us that are populated by people who look like us are rarely considered universal enough."
Request for a response from the producers of Maybe Happy Ending were not returned at the time of publishing. In previous interviews, the creators of the musical said that because Oliver is a robot, he could technically be played by an actor of any race. "At its core, Maybe Happy Ending is a story about the longing for connection and the complexities of being human (and Helperbot, and Vegetable)—universal themes that transcend all backgrounds. We’re proud to continue embracing infinite and exciting possibilities in casting, and to showcase this role as one that welcomes different interpretations and lived experiences," they said in a joint statement last week to Playbill.
But critics have pointed out that the show is set in South Korea, and first premiered in Seoul. And the current and previous cast of the musical, including its understudies, have been predominantly Asian or Asian American—and in winning the Tony for his performance as Oliver, Darren Criss made history as the first performer of Asian descent to win Lead Actor in a Musical. Wrote Tony-winning actor B.D. Wong in a statement posted to his Facebook page: "I can't speak for everyone. I can say Asian actors, in all their authentic individuality, internal diversity, talent, resilience, and weary idealism, don't buy this. They don't accept it. They don't accept it, frankly, because by now they've 'been to Korea.' They've been to the Korea that's celebrated in the show that now eschews them. They know that blossoming In That Korea, just over the garden wall, is respect and validation." Wong is currently collecting signatures in support of his statement; there are currently over 1,000 names attached.
In response to the casting decision and the ensuing outcry, Tony nominee Conrad Ricamora has launched "The Right to Be There" scholarship aimed at male actors of Asian descent pursuing a degree in performance. Wrote Ricamora: "Progress in our industry can be real and inspiring—but it's often fragile. Even after decades of work and some recent wins, Asian American men still face enormous barriers in the world of acting—especially in roles that are complex, leading, and human. And especially on stage." The scholarship has currently received over $47,000 in donations, with Ricamora himself donating $18,000. Other notable artists who have donated include Tony winner Francis Jue, Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, and Maybe Happy Ending's Tony-winning director Michael Arden.
The AAPAC Steering Committee comprises Pun Bandhu, Vichet Chum, Christine Toy Johnson, Julienne Hanzelka Kim, Eileen Rivera, Lipica Shah, Nandita Shenoy, Peter Kim. The full AAPAC statement is below:
AAPAC (The Asian American Performers Action Coalition) expresses its profound disappointment at the Broadway production Maybe Happy Ending's decision to cast a non-AANHPI actor in the role of Oliver, following Tony Award-winner Darren Criss’s departure from the show.
Set in South Korea, Maybe Happy Ending by Will Aronson and Hue Park opened on Broadway with six of its seven principal characters played by AANHPI actors, creating a rare opportunity for AANHPI actors to play both leading and supporting roles in its original Broadway cast and setting the precedent for future productions. Instead, a different precedent has been set; one that de-emphasizes cultural specificity and the opportunities for a far too often excluded population of actors that come with it. If the intent has been to show the story’s “universality,” we are reminded that though we have long been expected to view white stories populated by only white actors as “universal,” stories about people who look like us that are populated by people who look like us are rarely considered universal enough. It is the same perception (conscious or not) that once made "yellowface" accepted as the status quo and continues to justify “whitewashing" today.
While our community celebrates a historical number of Tony nominations and awards for AANHPI theatre artists this season, it is also a time when our histories are being rampantly erased, censored, and banned, and our stories colonized. This is a time when we need more intentionality, not less. We are acutely aware of how much representation matters, as does intent vs. impact, and we implore the producers and creative team of Maybe Happy Ending to consider the damaging ramifications of their actions, no matter their intent.
Acknowledging the strength of our many vantage points, AAPAC stands in solidarity with all our AANHPI colleagues including but not limited to CAATA (The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists), NAAP (National Asian Artists Project), Conrad Ricamora’s “The Right to Be There” scholarship, and BD Wong and the hundreds of co-signers of his cogent essay on the subject, in the ongoing fight for narrative justice and equity.
