Maybe Happy Ending

Maybe Happy Ending is an original musical about a chance encounter that leads to connection, adventure, and the possibility of love. The deeply human story asks what it means to be human, even when the characters are not. The production has been praised by critics as joyful, heartbreaking, cutting-edge, and among the best musicals in years.

Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the show is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Arden, whose credits include the Tony-winning revival of Parade. This National Theatre engagement features the musical’s first national touring company.

When: October 6–11, 2026

Showtimes: The page provides a date-selection schedule for performances during the engagement. The listed accessible performances are Saturday, October 10, at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 11, at 7:30 p.m.

Run time: 1 hour and 40 minutes, with no intermission.

Tickets: Price not available.

Age recommendation: Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Accessible performances: The October 10, 2026, 2:00 p.m. performance includes American Sign Language interpretation. The October 11, 2026, 7:30 p.m. performance includes audio description.

Cast: Steven Huynh plays Oliver. Claire Kwon plays Claire. James Seol plays James, Junseo, and other roles. Francisco Javier González plays Gil Brentley. HwaBoon reprises the role of HwaBoon. The standby performers are Bryan Chan for Oliver and James; Mia Nicole Nelson for Claire and Gil Brentley; Kennedy Kanagawa for James, Junseo and other roles, and Oliver; and Erica Durham for Gil Brentley and Claire.

Creative team: Will Aronson and Hue Park wrote the book, music, and lyrics, with Aronson credited for the book, music, and lyrics and Park credited for the book and lyrics. Michael Arden directs.

Creative background: Aronson and Park are the creators of the original Maybe Happy Ending, which has received the Richard Rodgers Production Award and six Korean Musical Awards, with productions in Korea, China, and Japan. Their other projects include the musicals Il Tenore, Bungee Jump, and the upcoming Ghost Bakery. Aronson has also written music for My Scary Girl, Mother, Me & The Monsters, Pete the Cat, Wind-Up Girl, and Hansel & Gretl & Heidi & Günter. Park has written K-pop lyrics and translated major musicals for the Korean stage.

Director background: Arden won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for Parade and has also received Tony nominations for Once On This Island and Spring Awakening. His other directing work includes Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and productions of Maybe Happy Ending, as well as film, television, and site-specific theater projects.

Venue: National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004.

Group tickets: Group ticket inquiries are available. The page lists group options for churches, colleges, corporations, government groups, high schools, temples and synagogues, social and family groups, schools, senior citizens, tour operators, youth groups, and other organizations. Groups may request seating preferences, accessibility accommodations, and information about group sales and ticket offers.

Season tickets: The production is available as part of a season package.

Planning information: The National is surrounded by dining, parking, and major Washington, D.C., landmarks. Participating restaurants offer Broadway fan pre-theater menus with special pricing.