In the week since the casting of Andrew Barth Feldman in the role of Oliver in Maybe Happy Ending, the decision has sparked backlash. The musical is set in South Korea, and the role of Oliver was originally played by Darren Criss, an actor of Filipino descent. Many believe that the casting of Feldman, who is white, was wrong, as the character should be played by an Asian actor.
Now, the writers of Maybe Happy Ending, Will Aronson and Hue Park, have spoken out about this backlash, defending their decision and explaining their thought process when creating this production.
"Our dream at the outset was that our allegorical robot show could one day miraculously become part of the American musical theater canon – a modern Fantasticks, able to be comfortably performed by anyone, anywhere – yet distinctly set in Korea. This went against prevailing wisdom that we needed to set our show in America," the statement reads.
They also acknowledge the hurt being felt by the AAPI community over the casting, stating, "At the same time, 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."
The statement went on to say that it was a conscious decision to not cast only Asian performers because, "To say that seeing *any* Asian actor on stage 'quickly suggests Korea' seemed not only like a stretch, but regressive, or even offensive to the uniqueness of Korean culture."
"With Maybe Happy Ending, we wanted to write a show in which every role could be played by an Asian performer, but without the intention that the robot roles always would be," they wrote.
Read the full statement below:
Feldman is set to join the cast beginning on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 for a special limited 9-week run through Saturday, November 1, 2025. The cast also includes Helen J Shen, Dez Duron, Marcus Choi as well as Steven Huynh, Hannah Kevitt, Daniel May, Christopher James Tamayo and Claire Kwon rounding out the production as the understudies.
Maybe Happy Ending opened on Broadway on November 12, 2024 at the Belasco Theatre. In addition to continuing on Broadway, Maybe Happy Ending will embark on a multi-year North American tour beginning in the Fall of 2026. Launching in Baltimore at the Hippodrome Theatre at The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, the tour has stops planned in 30+ cities including Los Angeles, D.C., Chicago, Tampa, St. Louis, Detroit, San Francisco, Providence and many other cities. Additional engagements, casting and the route for the tour’s first year will be announced soon.
