Park Chun-hyu, the writer of 'Maybe Happy Ending' which has rewritten the history of Korean musicals, revealed the behind-the-scenes of the award.
On the afternoon of the 24th, a press conference was held for Park Chun-hyu to commemorate the Tony Awards win of the musical 'Maybe Happy Ending' at the Community House Masil Live Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul.
The musical 'Maybe Happy Ending' tells the story of Oliver, a 'helper bot' created to assist humans in future Seoul, and Claire, who experience love for each other. After its domestic premiere in 2016, it officially opened at the Belasco Theatre in Manhattan, New York last November, making headlines as the first original story created in Korea to reach the Broadway stage in the United States.
In particular, the musical 'Maybe Happy Ending', which made its way to Broadway, won 6 awards at the 78th Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Book, and Best Score. At the 78th Tony Awards held on June 8 (local time) at Radio City Music Hall in New York, it was nominated in a total of 10 categories, including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Direction, Best Scenic Design, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, and Best Sound Design, sweeping the major 6 categories including Best Musical. This is the first time a musical written by a Korean writer, premiered in Korea, and set in Korea has won at the Tony Awards.
Park Chun-hyu said, “(When we won 6 awards) I received a lot of calls. I put the trophy on the table and had breakfast while looking at it. It was so amazing. It’s incredible that such a symbolic trophy exists, and I thought I should work even harder, given its weight.”
He continued, “In fact, I was someone who tried not to have expectations (when we were nominated). I thought there would be disappointment if I expected something and it didn’t happen, so when the nominees were announced, I was very happy, but I thought, 'Could we really win? Let’s not get our hopes up.' I remember that. That day was very chaotic. It felt like a marathon. It started early in the morning, and I was so happy and flustered, wondering if I deserved this much love. It was quite complicated,” he laughed.
'Maybe Happy Ending', co-created by Park Chun-hyu and Will Aronson, began conceptualization in 2014, had a tryout performance in 2015, and had its domestic premiere in 2016, with a total of five seasons planned until 2024.
Park Chun-hyu shared, “The inspiration started from something personal. At that time, I had just broken up with someone I had been dating for a long time, and my best friend passed away from cancer after 8 months. It was a personally difficult time. I thought that if I hadn’t liked them, I wouldn’t have been hurt, and one day while sitting in a café, a song played. I listened closely to the lyrics, and they were all about people looking at their phones. The moment I heard that song, I looked up and saw that everyone was just staring at their laptops and phones. At some point, I thought, what if I wrote a story with a robot as the protagonist, seeing how people were more focused on the screen than the person sitting across the table?”
The success of 'Maybe Happy Ending' in its English version as 'Maybe Happy Ending' on Broadway was possible due to the long-standing passion and effort of the Will-Hyu duo, who approached the work with localization in mind from the early stages of its conception. Starting with a reading performance in New York in 2016, through a tryout performance in Atlanta in 2020, and after the pandemic, it has continuously evolved to fit local tastes, leading up to its opening on Broadway in November 2024. As a result, despite being an original story set in Korea, a fandom known as 'Fireflies' has formed, and it quickly gained popularity, especially on social media.
Park Chun-hyu stated, “Every process was an educational one. From the moment the script was completed, it became a collaborative effort. It’s true that the staff was divided into specialized roles, and at the same time, I had a cautious mindset, thinking that as long as I fulfilled my duties, I wouldn’t cause any harm. As an immigrant, I always had a personal burden, thinking that since I’m not from here, I might not be able to do it this way. So, I tried to get along with everyone like an extrovert, even though my personality is more introverted.”
Above all, regarding the driving force behind the high-quality work, he pointed to the 'sincerity' of the Will-Hyu duo. Park Chun-hyu expressed, “Honestly, I really don’t know. The only thing I can say honestly is that Will and I worked intensely. We would argue for days over a single word. It was sincere. I think if we weren’t embarrassed in front of each other, that would resonate with the audience as well.”
Additionally, Park Chun-hyu mentioned that the support of Korean audiences was significant in winning the Tony Award, stating, “If the audience in Korea hadn’t resonated with it enough, I think I would have changed the setting. Because there was a buildup of empathy in Korea, I was able to believe in this and stubbornly pursue it, and the driving force was the Korean audience.”
He continued, “I am very grateful that they laughed, empathized, and cried at the same points. I thought our performance had a fanbase only in Korea, but I heard that the rewatch rate is also high on Broadway. One difference is that in Korea, people tend to express their emotions internally when they are moved, while on Broadway, they applaud and express their reactions physically. That’s a bit different.”
Based on its steady rise, 'Maybe Happy Ending' has recorded sold-out performances as of June, coinciding with its Tony Award win. The Broadway performance is an open-run show, and tickets are currently available until January of next year, with a North American tour also scheduled to start in the second half of next year.
The Will-Hyu duo plans to return to Korea to prepare for the 10th-anniversary performance set to open in October. Reflecting on their journey, the 10th-anniversary performance of 'Maybe Happy Ending', which will be naturally refined to fit the new venue, will be performed at the Doosan Art Center's Yeonggang Hall from October 30 to January 25, 2026.
Producer Han Kyung-sook stated, “The Korean stage designer is under a lot of pressure. I believe that this performance is like a Broadway manual. The script and music of this performance are perfect. The two creators have meticulously captured every line, detailing the scenes that need to be realized on stage. I see it as the best approach to complement it to fit the new venue. I am working hard to make it a familiar and welcoming stage for those who have seen it before, while also providing a fresh emotional experience for new audiences.”
Park Chun-hyu stated, “The script and music will not change. I don’t want to change this performance, which has been running for 10 years and has received a lot of positive responses on Broadway, and it’s a very happy thing to meet again while preserving our emotions.”
[Myeongdong (Seoul) = Son Jin-ah, MK Sports Reporter]
