Premiering in Seoul in 2016, Maybe Happy Ending has now arrived at Broadway's Beslasco Theatre. Posed as a robot love story, we are instead met with something human and emotionally tender. Find out our thoughts below.

The play opens with a mesmerizing futuristic set design, introducing us to HelperBot Olivier (Darren Criss) in his room. The opening number, World Within My Room', sets the stage for a retired personal assistant robot, content to spend his days listening to jazz records and talking to his house plants while waiting for his owner, James, to return and pick him up. The song is incredibly catchy, complemented by flawless set transitions that draw us into a deceptive sense of security. What initially appears to be a cheerful, carefree tune gradually reveals a melancholic undertone as we learn that Olivier has been waiting over 10 years for his owner's return.

We then meet Claire (Helen J Shen) in a charming, rom-com-style interaction as she asks to use Olivier's charger. Their initial encounter seems peculiar, with Olivier moving in a stereotypically robotic mannerstiff and emotionlesswhile Claire moves and speaks with a human-like fluidity. This apparent inconsistency is cleverly explained when we discover that Claire is a model 5, while Olivier is only a model 3. With Claire's battery failing, and Olivier desperate to reconnect with his owner, the two set out on their journey.

As Olivier and Claire embark on a road trip, the sets expand and transform into stunning cityscapes and lush forestssome of the most impressive aspects of this production. Recent theatre innovations, like extra screens and off-screen cameras, are masterfully employed in Maybe Happy Ending. When revisiting one of the humanoids' past memories, the entire stage becomes a canvas, displaying the memory from a first-person perspective and immersing viewers as if they were experiencing it themselves. The entire set design deserves high praise.

Throughout the musical, we are occasionally serenaded by a crooning, Frank Sinatra-esque character who narrates the story, adding to the retrofuturism aesthetic of the show. One standout track, Why Love', is so timeless and modern that it feels like it has always existed in our minds somewhere. Its lyrics poignantly encapsulate the show's theme with simple yet profound words: "Why love? Why even try love?". You'll find yourself humming this tune long after the curtain falls.

The true magic of this show lies in its ability to translate complex human emotions into something tangible. When we meet a potential lover or friend, we are always, on some level, aware that this person will eventually die, and we risk the pain of losing them. In our daily lives, we rarely confront this impending reality, just as Olivier rarely acknowledges Claire's deteriorating battery. For a musical that initially appears light-hearted, its core message is deeply heartbreaking.

In the last act, Olivier and Claire face a difficult decision: whether to erase their memories of each other, something many of us wish we could do at times, or to simply live with the pain. The musical ultimately poses a timeless question: is it better to have loved and lost, or never to have loved at all?