Turns out Darren Criss’ exit from Maybe Happy Ending was less of a “goodbye” and more of a “see you later.” Criss originated the role of HelperBot Oliver in the biggest new musical hit of the Broadway season, but his “final performance” was set for August 31. The announcement that Andrew Barth Feldman would replace Criss set off a firestorm in the Broadway community. Coming off the heels of Criss becoming the first Asian American to win a Tony for Lead Actor, critics took issue with a white actor would take on the role. (The character is a robot, so race isn’t inherent to the role, but the show is set in South Korea and includes many elements specific to the culture.) On Wednesday, the production announced that Criss will be back after Feldman’s nine-week engagement to play Oliver again through November 5, according to Playbill.
It’s hard not to see the move as anything but a regroup and reset from the Maybe Happy Ending team. Feldman’s casting earned a lot of backlash, and both the writers and performers shared we’re listening and we’re learning-type statements in its wake. In addition to being its star, Criss is also a producer of the show, so he has a vested interest in making sure it survives past his exit—usually, winning a load of Tonys will do that, but the show will clearly want to tread carefully before casting another Oliver. Bringing back Criss for a while will buy the production some time to figure out how to navigate the situation moving forward, or at least let the scandal blow over.
In his initial announcement of his exit from the show, Criss said in a statement, “When I first hit the road with Maybe Happy Ending, the only certainty was the shared passion everyone brought to it. It was a profoundly beautiful adventure I jumped into because I was madly in love with the piece and all the little robots involved. I didn’t know how far it would go; I just hoped it could be shared, for as long and with as many people as possible.” He added, “Maybe Happy Ending is much bigger than me, and I truly believe it will shine long after my time with this production. But for now, it gives me great joy to declare that I will be ‘…going to Jeju!’ eight times a week, every week, until August 31! And as I have for the last several magical months, I’ll be looking forward to it every single time.”
