Maybe Happy Ending Broadway — Local services in New York

I still can't believe this was my first ever musical because there hasn't been any piece of fiction that has moved me so much in YEARS. Maybe Happy Ending isn't just a beautiful show, it's one of the best productions to ever grace Broadway, and yes I am COMPLETELY aware of how ironic me saying that is.

I knew nothing about staging going into the musical, so it'd be an understatement to say just how blown away I was. It's genuienly not something you can put into words because the sheer use of technology is insane. I couldn't get enough of each and every transition and the usage of projections, "holograms", and scene changes was just CRAZY. When that final climatic scene happened (ifykyk), the entire theater was dead silent. I'm not ashamed to admit my jaw was in he'll. I could go on for hours and I still wouldn't be able to do the staging justice, so please go experience it for yourself!!

The acting is something people will probably overlook because like of course musical actors should be good actors, but Darren Criss and Helen Shen were something special (especially the former). Darren truly stole the show with how well he performed as a robot, like as I started to get really into it sometimes I'd literally forget he was a human being (I'm not joking). I fear I'm hoping and praying he wins Best Actor at the Tonys. Helen didn't commit at all to that side of things but it made complete sense why plotwise, and it didn't take away from her performance at all because she was equally amazing. They brought Claire and Oliver to LIFE and I genuienly can't imagine ANYONE ELSE playing those characters now. And yes, I'm fully in denial of how common that is on Broadway.

Finally, the story. And wow, what a story. I've seen a lot of comparisons to prime Pixar and honestly? They're all completely correct. The book takes an objectively simple story and turns it into something truly unforgettable. There were so many hilarious, heartwarming, and heartbreaking scenes that by the end of the production, I was almost brought to tears. And I'm someone who rarely ever cries, so getting me that close is a HUGE accomplishment. Your entire perspective on love and human connection will be altered and I mean that in the very best way possible. Once again, PLEASE experience it...

The stage work was amazing. Thoroughly novel and defying expectations.

Unfortunately it was not enough to create a cohesive and satisfying experience.

Let me start by saying that we are in our 50s and the shows that hit big for us are The Great Comet, Hamilton, Wicked, Les Mis, Phantom, etc. I think that there is likely a difference in preference and also the impact of being on this earth for 50+ years that has impacted our tastes.

Our impression of the show was that all the components for an outstanding performance were present - Great use of the stage; creative sets: good acting and a solid story. However, these components seemed to exist separately from each other and never combined cohesively.

The songs were fine and light but easily forgotten. We are definitely not humming them the following day.

The characters are so close to something great in terms of their relationships and interactions but they never quite get there. Instead the story arc seems to float just above. The bond between the main characters didn’t fully translate. Neither did the bond with their former owners.

We kept waiting to connect with the characters but it never happened. The magic of this story should have been the undercurrent of emotion despite the main characters being artificial life forms (think the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz or Data from Star Trek).

Based on the reaction from the audience, we are in the minority with our opinion. Perhaps the show simply appeals to a younger crowd, those who are newer to broadway shows or we simply have different tastes.

Either way; we were excited to see the show and had high expectations and unfortunately were so very...

tl;dr: Amazing, heartfelt show! Get center seats. Note that there's no intermission.

I was frankly skeptical; a show about two robots maybe falling in love sounded just really hokey, and I'm generally meh on seemingly romance-themed entertainment, so I almost didn't go see this.

But it seemed that pretty much 100% of experienced reviewers thought this show was great to outstanding, so I took a chance... and I'm so glad I did! The show was somehow both gut-punching and uplifting... and a lot of fun! Someone described it as a genuine warm hug, and that fits :).

The music is understatedly beautiful, the actors are convincingly 'real', and the staging... well, I've seen many dozens of shows, and this is in the top 5% of WOW. Felt almost like movie magic, but at the same time, more immersive and personal.

TIPS: Expect a lovely story and beautiful music, but no big dance numbers or bombastic ballads. This is an intimate story with just two main characters and five total folks on stage. Pee beforehand; there's no intermission Sightlines are a bit less-forgiving for this show, so do splurge a bit on middle seats in either the mez or orchestra. All the cast is friendly and typically comes to the stage door to say hi and give autographs, but Darren ("Oliver") sometimes takes up to an hour to come out and he respectfully declines selfies to ensure he has time to meet and greet everyone. Note that the theater has quite a few accommodations for hearing-impaired folks. And the show itself is rather hearing-friendly, with the cast clearly enunciating and the orchestra deftly complementing vs. overpowering the singing (or the...