'I hope these stories feel personal': Korean musical brings robots, Jeju and a Glee star to Broadway

Music & Performance

Published: 31 May. 2024, 01:08 Updated: 03 Jun. 2024, 14:54

'I hope these stories feel personal': Korean musical brings robots, Jeju and a Glee star to Broadway

Writers Hue Park, left, and Will Aronson of the homegrown musical "Maybe Happy Ending" [CJ ENM]

In an increasingly connected world, loneliness can sometimes be hard to spot. But musical writers Hue Park and Will Aronson are familiar with its tricks.

“We've been outsiders before, me in New York and Will in Seoul,” Park said. “Being in a different country puts into perspective the human disposition for loneliness.” The pair tapped into that sentiment to create the Broadway-bound musical “Maybe Happy Ending.”

“Maybe Happy Ending” is a futuristic romance that follows Seoul-dwelling abandoned robots Oliver and Claire on a journey around Jeju Island to find the former's human owner, James.

It is the first homegrown show to be staged on Broadway, having premiered at the DaeMyung Culture Factory in 2016. Locally touted as a poignant and well-made new musical, the Korean production is already gearing up for a fifth run at the Yes24 Stage in Jongno District, central Seoul, starting June 18.

The pair told the press that they have always been interested in writing a “simple” and “intimate” love story on Thursday in central Seoul. More specifically, Park was inspired when he heard the song “Everyday Robot” by Damon Albarn, a member of one of his favorite rock bands, Blur.

“I was sitting at a cafe after work, and the song was playing,” Park said. “Its lyrics were about lonely people always looking down at their phones like robots, and the idea of making a musical with robot protagonists hit me. I immediately phoned Will and we developed the story together.”

A scene from the Korean production of ″Maybe Happy Ending″ in 2017 [NEO PRODUCTION]

Park, who wrote the book and lyrics, has a master's degree in visual arts from New York University and made his theater writing debut with the musical “Bungee Jumping on Their Own” in 2012, after stints in other art fields including K-pop lyric writing. Aronson, who wrote the book and music, has a bachelor's degree in music from Harvard University and a master's degree from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He works as a musical writer and composer in Korea and America.

“Maybe Happy Ending” is the second show that the two have worked on together publicly, following “Bungee Jumping on Their Own.”

Its Broadway production, which has been in the works since 2017, stars Glee star and Emmy and Golden Globe-winner, Darren Criss, alongside University of Michigan graduate Helen J. Shen, who is making her Broadway debut.

The writers said that they appreciated Criss' "kindness and sense of innocence," likening his disposition to that of a young boy.

"We've gone through many different actors to play Oliver and Claire in Korea and noticed that we are drawn to actors with a gentle image," Park said. "[Criss] is an older actor but had that boyish innocence that we saw fit for the role."

The Broadway production slightly varies from the Korean one: The original's three-person cast has expanded to four, and some songs have been swapped out. But the story and setting remain the same.

“It was very important that we keep the setting in Korea,” said Park.

A scene from Hue Park and Will Aronson's musical ″Il Tenore″ which premiered in Seoul in December 2023. [OD COMPANY]

In fact, all of the Park-Aronson duo’s shows are based in Korea. Their other musicals include “Il Tenore,” a tragedy of young, passionate people during the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945), inspired by Korea's first-ever Italian opera and the country’s pioneering tenor Lee In-seon (1906-60) which premiered in Seoul in December.

“Basing shows in Korea is a great source of pride for us and a motivator to continue writing,” said Park.

The leveraging of diverse identities is what makes their shows unique, according to the duo.

“Our musicals inevitably carry both an Asian and Western feel and often delve into the sentiment of being on the outside,” Park said. “This mix of heritage might feel a bit uncanny, but that is our style.”

Their musicals are also known to carry distinctive warmth, intimacy and subtle beauty, no matter the production scale.

“We strive to tell stories about life, and life is always funny — even its saddest moments can be funny,” Arsonson said.

Park added, “There is a quote in 'Il Tenore' that I think sums up our shows and that is life is just as beautiful as it is tragic.”

The pair teased an upcoming musical as well. “Ghost Bakery,” set in Seoul in the 1970s, tells the story of a girl who spends her every last penny to open up a bakery but must deal with a stubborn "creature" she encounters inside the shop.

“We both love ghost stories and always thought that we wanted to make a musical about it at some point,” Aronson said. The show is slated to open in Korea late this year.

But no matter the plot, Park and Aronson ultimately strive to create a unique world where audiences can further discover themselves.

“I believe the act of watching theater is to be reminded about life,” Park said. “As audiences spend two or three hours peering into a character’s world, they ultimately find themselves in the story. Whether that be in the future, like ‘Maybe Happy Ending,’ or the 1930s Korea of ‘ll Tenore,’ I hope these stories feel personal to everyone who comes.”

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]