Retired robots Oliver and Claire have been neighbors for more than a decade, living alone, in the future, in their one-room apartments at The Helperbot Yards outside Seoul, Korea, but they don’t meet until Claire’s charger is broken, her battery is going dead, and she can’t get replacement parts for her discontinued model, so she knocks on Oliver’s door for his help. Though their initial encounter is less than amicable, and their programmed personalities clash (she’s a later updated Helperbot 5 with more data, he’s an earlier but longer lasting Helperbot 3, and they compete over which is better), they get to know each other, become friends, and begin to fall in love (which robots aren’t supposed to do, so they pinky-swear not to), in the new musical comedy Maybe Happy Ending by Will Aronson (book and music) and Hue Park (book and lyrics), now making an absolutely adorable and affecting Broadway debut at the Belasco Theatre, following its 2016 world premiere in Seoul. Darren Criss. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman. Under the charming and tender direction of Michael Arden, which ranges in mood from delightfully funny to bittersweet, Emmy winner Darren Criss makes an irresistible return to Broadway as the optimistic Oliver, happily talking to and caring for his plant (and best friend) HwaBoom, brushing his teeth (and eyebrows!) each morning with an electric toothbrush, receiving deliveries from an overhead chute, and reading the monthly jazz journal and listening to vinyl jazz albums on a vintage record player, all gifted to him by his former owner James, with whom he shares a friendship and an appreciation of mid-century crooners. He also cheerfully awaits James’s expected return for him, as promised (though it’s been twelve years), and when he doesn’t arrive, saves money and plans a trip to visit him on Jeju Island (neither of which is permitted of robots). Though anthropomorphic in design, Oliver’s slightly angular robotic moves and mouthing of sounds and the voices of others (in perfect sync with the sound design by Peter Hylenski) are witty reminders that he’s not really human but humanoid, even if his attitude and stored memories sometimes suggest that he has the capacity to feel real emotions (not just feign them through AI). It’s a brilliant portrayal that will make you wish you had a Helperbot like Oliver. Darren Criss and Helen J Shen. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman. Playing opposite him, Helen J Shen turns in a terrific Broadway debut as the more pragmatic Claire, who recognizes their planned obsolescence, accepts that they both have a limited shelf-life, and acknowledges that hers is only for another year. But she becomes increasingly light-hearted and drawn to Oliver, moves in with him, and convinces him to move up his trip so she can go with him to see the natural beauty of the rare fireflies on the island. They do, laughably changing their names and identities so as not to get caught (the one he chooses and where they end up spending the night are hilarious!), and by pulling up their stored memories and past experiences with the owners who disposed of them, find out more about each other and themselves. But are memories worth saving, or is it better to delete them, to forget the pain that comes with attachment, love, and mortality? Or are they the things that make life worth living and underscore the urgency of enjoying it while we can? It’s a Helperbots’ conundrum that serves as a metaphor for what it is to be human. Marcus Choi and Darren Criss. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman. The funny, sensitive, and captivating lead performances are supported by the chameleonic Marcus Choi as James (who genuinely cares about Oliver) and the other people the robots encounter on their adventure, from the off-beat motel clerk to the ferryman (who looks just like James!) on route to Jeju, and James’s estranged son Junseo, who explains the reasons for their long separation. And swoon-inducing vocalist Dez Duron appears as Gil Brentley, Oliver’s favorite smooth jazz crooner, who manifests in scenes of him listening to his old records, singing nostalgic love songs (e.g., “Why Love” and “A Sentimental Person”) that resonate with him. Bentley’s masterful solos punctuate the total of 24 original musical numbers (with orchestrations by Aronson and music direction by conductor John Yun) that include four mood-setting orchestral pieces (“Charger Exchange Ballet,” “Chasing Fireflies,” “Touch Sequence,” and “Memory Sequence”) and pleasantly tuneful songs that express the evolving thoughts and situations of the lovable robots (Oliver’s satisfaction with the “World Within My Room,” Claire’s realization of “How Not To Be Alone” and “What I Learned from People,” and the couple’s duets on “When You’re in Love” and the titular “Maybe Happy Ending”), delivered with touching sincerity in the stars’ appealing and evocative Broadway-quality voices. Dez Duron. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman. Of paramount importance to the production is the artistic design, which contrasts the traditional home, musical taste, and comfortable attire of the human James with the sleek beyond-post-modernist stylings of Oliver and Claire and their small rooms in the Helperbot Yards, with large round windows and shiny white polymer walls. His dark black hair and eyebrows (hair and wigs by Craig Franklin Miller), bright red lips (make-up by Suki Tsujimoto), and outfit (costumes by Clint Ramos) have a distinctly artificial robotic look, whereas the appearance of her newer model is more natural. And the active set design (by Dane Laffrey), with scene changes signaled by the expansion and shrinking of sliding downstage walls surrounded by strips of neon in the darkness and changing solid colors of illumination inside their rooms (lighting by Ben Stanton), large-scale projections of their memories, the different locales on their journey, and digital messages on the monumental back and side screens (video design by George Reeve, with additional videos by Laffrey), transports us into the not-so-distant age of the Helperbots. Helen J Shen and Darren Criss. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman. Despite all the futuristic digital high tech and AI inherent in its theme, setting, and robotic characters, Maybe Happy Ending tells a consummately human story of connection, love, and loss that everyone experiences in life and poses the questions we ask ourselves about the uncertainties of relationships and the inevitability of death. When you go to see this uniquely sweet, original, and poignant show – and you should – don’t forget to bring some tissues to wipe away the tears it generates with its timeless and uplifting message that “love is never obsolete.” Running Time: Approximately one hour and 45 minutes, without intermission. Maybe Happy Ending plays an open-ended run at the Belasco Theatre, 111 West 44th Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $74-249, including fees), call (212) 239-6200, or go online.