The Korean original musical "Maybe Happy Ending" has swept 6 categories at the Tony Awards, the most prestigious award ceremony on Broadway in the United States, including Best Musical.
"Maybe Happy Ending" achieved a total of 6 awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, and Best Scenic Design of a Musical, at the 78th Tony Awards held on the 8th (local time) at Radio City Music Hall in New York. It is the most awarded work at this ceremony.
The Tony Awards is the most prestigious award ceremony in the U.S. theater and musical industry, which began in 1947. Along with the Academy Awards in the film industry, the Emmy Awards in the broadcasting industry, and the Grammy Awards in the music industry, it is considered one of the top four major award ceremonies in the U.S. Entertainment industry. The winners are determined by voting from local performance and media experts.
This is the first time that a Korean original musical has won in the Best Book of a Musical institutional sector at the Tony Awards. Furthermore, it is the first case of an original musical created in Korea winning the highest award at the Tony Awards, which is Best Musical.
The Best Book and Best Original Score, awarded to playwright Park Cheon-hyu and American composer Will Aronson, has become the first case of a Korean winning a Tony Award.
Playwright Park Cheon-hyu noted to the local media Playbill, "I tried not to cry all day today and it’s much bigger than I dreamed. I sincerely thank the musical industry for fully embracing us."
Michael Arden, who won the Best Direction award, is a veteran director with a history of winning Tony Awards. Darren Criss, who received Best Actor, is an Emmy and Golden Globe winner who previously appeared in the famous musical series "Glee." The Best Scenic Design Award was jointly won by Dane Laffrey and George Lee.
This work is set in Seoul in the late 21st century. It tells the story of an abandoned spherical robot named Oliver and Claire who form an unexpected emotional bond.
Playwright Park Cheon-hyu was inspired one day while sitting in a café listening to the song "Everyday Robots" sung by British singer-songwriter Damon Albarn.
American critics praised this work for its original storytelling technique and emotional authenticity. "Maybe Happy Ending" surpassed $1 million in sales in the last week of December last year, recording a seat occupancy rate of 99.52 %.
Before the Tony Awards, "Maybe Happy Ending" also showed strong performances at other awards ceremonies. It swept 6 categories at the Drama Desk Awards, 4 categories at the Outer Critics Circle Awards, and 2 categories at the Drama League Awards.
USA Today described it as "one of the most visually stunning shows to hit New York's Broadway in years."
This award signifies that Korean original musicals have gained recognition for their world-class quality, overcoming the barriers of language and culture. It is expected to be an important turning point for the entry of Korean musicals into the global market.
It took more than 10 years for this work to receive an award. "Maybe Happy Ending" first made its debut in 2014 with the support of the Wooran Cultural Foundation. After its premiere in Seoul in 2016, it received love for five seasons in theaters with a capacity of 300 to 400 seats.
It wasn’t until 2020 that it held its first performance in English at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, United States.
In October of this year, it plans to hold a reprise of the original Korean version in Seoul to celebrate its 10th anniversary. With the increased global recognition from the Tony Award win, additional expansions into various Asian countries are also anticipated.
The Broadway performance has already been extended until January 17 of next year. Vogue reported, "From the end of next year, a nationwide tour is scheduled to begin at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland."