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Artist

Korean Original Musical Maybe Happy Ending

Six Tony Awards and the Artistic Vision of Park Cheon-hyu
Creativity Driven by Loneliness, Curiosity, and Collaboration

이재혁2025. 12. 03
The Korean original musical Maybe Happy Ending premiered in 2016 in a 300-seat Daehakro theatre and has since made its way to Broadway, achieving the remarkable feat of winning six Tony Awards, proudly placing Korean musical theatre on the global stage.
Centered on the love story between Oliver and Claire, helper robots programmed to learn emotions in a futuristic world, the musical asks the audience profound questions about AI, human feelings, and the meaning of connection.
Despite early challenges in entering Broadway, it achieved significant success—selling over $1 million in tickets and recording multiple sold-out performances—proving the potential of original Korean musicals.

At a Daehakro Literature Week event on the 3rd, Park shared his artistic philosophy. He stated, “The greatest power of art is that it lets us observe another’s philosophy and emotion, and reflect on ourselves.” He also expressed plans to write an essay collection. Balancing commercial demands and creative freedom, Park continuously seeks the essence and history in each work, shaping a distinct artistic perspective.

Through these efforts, Korean musicals continue to gain recognition worldwide, and audiences rediscover the meaning of humanity, emotion, and love through Oliver and Claire’s story.

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