Broadway’s ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ casting of white actor sparks calls for accountability

The Broadway musical “Maybe Happy Ending” became the focus of industry scrutiny after producers announced in July that white actor Andrew Barth Feldman would assume the lead role of Oliver in a show set in Seoul.

Feldman will begin his nine-week run at the Belasco Theatre on September 2, replacing Darren Criss, who is of Filipino and European descent and originated the lead male role for the Broadway run. Artists, advocates and community leaders say the new Broadway casting undermines years of progress toward authentic representation on stage.

“Maybe Happy Ending,” a musical about two robots searching for love in Seoul, premiered in Seoul in 2016 and earned multiple Korean Musical Awards for its all-Asian cast and storytelling rooted in Korean culture. Its U.S. premiere at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre in 2020 continued that legacy of casting Asian American actors, including Kenny Tran as Oliver. When the show opened on Broadway last year, Darren Criss took on the role of Oliver and won a Tony Award for his performance, starring alongside Helen J. Shen as the female lead Claire.

The shift to Feldman was seen by critics as a break from the show’s original vision and sparked concerns about erasing Asian identities from a narrative deeply connected to Korea. The Asian American Performers Action Coalition described the casting as a “setback for progress.”

BD Wong, Tony Award winner and longtime advocate for Asian American representation, criticized the decision. In an op-ed he posted on social media, he wrote, “Some say robots know no race but ‘Maybe Happy Ending’s’ world actually supports the use of actors who’ll deliver us to that Korean place. If he’s not, though, he will clash with the Korea-verse.”

Michael K. Lee, a leading Asian American Broadway actor and advocate, spoke to the sense of loss in a heartfelt video: “For the first time in a very long time on the grandest of all stages on Broadway, it was being shown through an Asian lens with Asian faces, and they were rewarded for it with the top prize in theater, the Tony Award for Best Musical. We thought this was ours. We thought that this was our moment to share our culture, our faces with the world … And now, whether it be intentional or not, that’s being taken away from us.”

Shen, who continues in the role of Claire and is Feldman’s real-life partner, publicly addressed the disappointment felt by many in the Asian American community. “I know the hurt that people feel. A part of me is mourning that along with the community,” she said. Shen also urged, “I hope the conversation can center on building opportunities for us, not just policing who gets to participate.”

Writers Hue Park and Will Aronson issued a joint statement defending their vision: “We understand that for many in the AAPI community, the makeup of our opening night cast became a meaningful and rare point of visibility. We’ve heard how strongly people connected to that representation, even if it wasn’t our original intent, and how this casting decision has re-opened old wounds. We’re extremely saddened that the show, a decade-long labor of love for us, could ever become a source of confusion, anger or pain.” The creators stressed that their goal was always to tell a universal story set in Korea, and said they remain grateful for audiences who have embraced the show’s journey.

Producers have scheduled a post-show panel with Asian American theater leaders to address questions of casting and representation. While advocacy groups continue to call for dialogue with the show’s creative team, the Broadway run, featuring Feldman and Shen, is expected to proceed as planned.