‘Maybe Happy Ending’ writer Park Chun-hue: ‘I had breakfast with the Tony trophy on my table’

Tony Award-winning playwright Park Chun-hue, whose musical “Maybe Happy Ending” won six Tonys, speaks during a press conference held at Community House Masil in Jung-gu, Seoul, on June 24. / Yonhap News

"Creating a musical is like waiting for the planets to slowly fall into alignment. It takes an extraordinary mix of luck and perseverance before the opportunity finally comes. As an immigrant who moved to New York later in life, I faced many twists and turns, but by enduring those moments, I was eventually given my first major break as a Korean playwright."

On June 24, Park Chun-hue, 42, the writer of the musical “Maybe Happy Ending,” which won six awards at the 78th Tony Awards on the 8th, met with reporters at Community House Masil in Myeong-dong, Seoul. “I had breakfast with the Tony trophy sitting on my modest dining table in my house in New York. It still feels surreal,” he said. When asked why the musical resonated so deeply on Broadway, he answered, “If I knew, I’d keep writing hits,” but added, “Will [Aronson] and I are the kind of collaborators who can spend days debating over a single word or letter. I think that kind of sincerity was something the audience could truly feel and understand."

“Maybe Happy Ending” is being hailed as a milestone in “K-musicals” because it was written by a Korean playwright, premiered in Korea, and is set in Korea. Park said, “To be honest, the term ‘K-musical’ isn’t as widely used as something like ‘K-pop,’” but continued, “It was a proud moment when audiences recognized it as a Korean musical and when cast members backstage studied Korean and greeted each other with phrases like ‘Have you eaten?’”

Just as Korean audiences affectionately referred to themselves as “Helperbots,” a fanbase called the “Fireflies” has emerged in the U.S., drawing attention. Like Korea’s so-called “revolving door” audience, those who return to see shows multiple times, American audiences also show a high rate of repeat attendance. Park said, “What struck me most was that American audiences laughed and cried at the same moments as Korean audiences,” adding, “When Oliver and Claire confirm their love or share their first kiss, American audiences tend to respond more physically with applause and cheers.”

The musical’s origin in a creative development program run by the Wooran Cultural Foundation has also sparked conversations about how to better support emerging creators.

“Just like how living abroad made us realize how great Korea is, I’ve come to appreciate how well-structured Korea’s support system for creative works is,” Park said. “But since Korea’s musical history is only 20 to 30 years old, the systems for compensation, like royalties, are still lacking.” He added that when the show had a tryout in Atlanta of the U.S., he was impressed by its regional partnership program that supported the work at the local level, and hopes similar regional support can be offered in Korea to help creators develop their work.

Park believes that “Maybe Happy Ending” succeeded precisely because it defied conventional expectations. “It’s an original story with no famous source material. Darren Criss, while well-known, doesn’t exactly have Broadway box office power and is still seen as a young actor. And about the setting, robots in the future in Korea, some people said, ‘Who would want to see that?’ But maybe that’s exactly why it resonated.”

He also shared the backstory behind his now-famous acceptance speech line, which is “Unlike in the show, I’m still single.” “Everyone told me to keep my speech short and witty, but I got a little irritated,” he laughed. “People think Will and I are a couple, but he’s happily married, and I’m the only single one. So I just said, ‘We’re not a couple. I’m single,’ and I didn’t expect it to make such waves.”

Park has often talked about his sense of being an outsider, shaped by living between New York and Seoul. “Writing ‘Maybe Happy Ending’, ‘Ghost Bakery,’ and ‘Il Tenore,’ I’ve come to realize I’m someone deeply drawn to loneliness,” he said. "As a writer, I feel compelled to create works that empathize with the feeling and offer comfort."

He made headlines after revealing that he received a congratulatory message from filmmaker Steven Spielberg following his Tony win. Park said he took the opportunity to tell Spielberg about “Il Tenore,” which is set in colonial Seoul during the 1930s. He also expressed hope that some of his other works premiered in Korea could be staged internationally.

“Sometimes I wonder if a musical set in 1930s Korea with 24 Asian actors on stage is too ambitious. But then I remember ‘The King and I,’ set in 19th-century Siam. It’s a performance that virtually every Asian actor aspires to be a part of. One of the things I want to accomplish before I die is to bring ‘Il Tenore’ to Lincoln Center and make it into the 21st-century version of ‘The King and I.’”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.