The 10th-anniversary performance of the musical “Maybe Happy Ending” (photo courtesy of NHN Link).
SEOUL, Nov. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — The Korean musical “Maybe Happy Ending,” which recently swept six Tony Awards including Best Musical, has returned to Seoul for its 10th-anniversary season, rekindling the quiet tenderness that moved Broadway audiences earlier this year.
Written by Park Chun-hyoo (also known as Hue Park) and Will Aronson, the production explores love through the lens of two helper robots in late-21st-century Seoul who begin to experience emotions beyond their programming.
Its minimalist storytelling and warm score balance humor and melancholy, drawing viewers into a meditation on connection, impermanence, and what it means to love.
Set in a near-future apartment complex, the musical follows Oliver, a companion robot who spends his days tending to plants and reading jazz magazines, and Claire, a neighboring helper-bot who disrupts his routine. As the two discover affection and longing, they also confront the limits of their mechanical existence.
Their realization that “love is another word for longing” becomes the show’s quiet thesis, culminating in a bittersweet finale that leaves audiences visibly moved.
The 10th-anniversary performance of the musical “Maybe Happy Ending” (photo courtesy of NHN Link).
The production features returning original cast members Jeon Mi-do, Kim Jae-bum, Choi Soo-jin, and Ko Hoon-jung, alongside newer performers such as Jeon Sung-woo, Park Ji-yeon, Shin Sung-min, and Park Jin-joo.
First staged as a tryout in 2015 and premiered the following year, the musical began as a small-theater work before expanding internationally. Its Broadway version, performed by an American cast, earned acclaim for its restrained lyricism and emotional depth—qualities that have carried over to the Seoul revival.
In this latest run, “Maybe Happy Ending” has enlarged its venue from 350 to 550 seats at Doosan Art Center’s Yeon-gang Hall, where all 50 scheduled performances are sold out through early next month. A third round of ticket sales opens November 6, with the show running through January 25.
As one reviewer noted, the musical’s enduring appeal lies not in its robots but in its humanity—“a reminder,” Park said in a recent interview, “that even the smallest spark of love can make us long for home.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
