Maybe Happy Ending

In early 2025, when I was planning my next trip to Broadway, Maybe Happy Ending wasn’t even on my radar. I knew I wanted to see Redwood and SMASH, but that was about as far as I had gotten. Later, I was attending an Opening Night celebration for the play Golden at ACT Theatre in Seattle, when the topic came up with one of the theatre’s interns. He told me, “You have to see Maybe Happy Ending!”

I went home, looked up the show, and immediately recognized Darren Criss. Whoa, how did I miss this show? As a fan of Glee, I thought how fun would it be to see Darren Criss back to back with Jonathan Groff (I had already booked Just In Time tickets by this point). I watched some clips from the show, and Helen J. Shen’s character was hilarious. I was now just as excited to see Helen as I was Darren.

The next surprise was to find out my daughter is a huge fan of Darren Criss, even though she had not watched Glee. “How do you know Darren?” I asked her. “Duh, he is totes lowkey rizz (or something like that) in A Very Potter Musical!”

In booking this show, I was a bit stressed about seat selection, considering some of the reviews. I tend to do my research about seat selection, since it can be so different from venue to venue and from show to show. The consensus for this show is to try and be center, and the front row balcony has an annoying safety rail. I encountered such a safety rail at Gypsy, where I did indeed need to frequently lean forward, but it did not bother me (see my review of Gypsy for more on this topic).

Some reviewers commented how you would not be able to see parts of the set if you were not dead center. I can now say after seeing the show that it really is not critical to see each and every item that is on their bedroom walls, which is what some reviewers viewed as a requirement. I do respect their enthusiasm and dedication for wanting to be able to study the set in detail. My brain just can’t take in that much detail over a 100 minute show.

I don’t remember if front row mezzanine (my usual preference for a musical) just wasn’t available, or if I was scared off by some reviews, but I chose a center orchestra seat in Row F. This seat felt just slightly too close a few times, as some moments in the show are fairly high up, but it was otherwise a fantastic seat. I really got lucky having a short person seated in front of me, as (1) there seems to be almost no slope from row to row in this part of the venue, and (2) the person in front of me seemed immediately in front of me and not offset where I could look between heads. It was a dangerous seat choice, and I lucked out. I would pick this seat again if I could be promised nobody tall would be in front of me.

When I return with my daughter to see the show later this year, I got her an aisle seat in left orchestra in Row F, and I will take the risk with the seat next to her, since I have seen the show before. I will be in trouble with a tall person in front of me, but she should have an unobstructed diagonal shot to the stage, which is what I like about aisle seats on the sides. A good friend is doing front row mezzanine in July, so I can report back if she has any issues with the railing. The center orchestra seat I had was perfection, but it’s risky. I would only pick center orchestra if you are tall.

This was my favorite show (musical or play) of all nine shows I saw this trip, and I agree with it winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. I will also call out Just In Time for being my favorite experience of the trip (I had banquette seating on a sofa on the floor, which was so immersive). Maybe Happy Ending and Just In Time are the two shows (out of nine) that I am taking my daughter to and seeing again. I would likely also take her to SMASH and Sunset Blvd., but they will both be closed by that trip.

If you can only see one show, this is the one to see. The story, the music, the cast, the set, and the overall production are simply the best right now. The Tony Award voters agree. If you are for some reason on the fence, you can listen to the cast recording on your favorite music streaming service to preview the show a bit.

In this show, Darren Criss stands out for his physical acting, and Helen J. Shen stands out for her comedy and delivery. She is very funny, and I am confident we will be seeing much more of her on stage in the future.

See more show reviews from 2025.