[The Miracle of the Original Musical 'Maybe Happy Ending' ③] More Support Needed for Creators to Foster the Next 'Maybe Happy Ending'

The Tony Awards are considered the highest honor in the American performing arts industry, comparable to the Academy Awards in the film industry. This is why 'Parasite,' which won four awards at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020, is mentioned in connection with the six Tony Awards won by 'Maybe Happy Ending.' Unlike director Bong Joon-ho, who had already gained international attention with works such as 'Snowpiercer' before 'Parasite,' the creators of 'Maybe Happy Ending,' Park Chunhyu and Will Aronson, made their Broadway debut with this musical and immediately won Tony Awards, making their achievement even more dramatic.

Industry experts agree that in order for the miraculous success of 'Maybe Happy Ending' to continue, more support must be provided to creators. They pointed out that most current musical support policies focus on the production process, which is the stage where the work is created. In other words, support is being given mainly to production companies rather than to the creators themselves.

Creators of the original musical 'Maybe Happy Ending,' Park Chunhyu (left) and Will Aronson, are taking a commemorative photo at Radio City Music Hall in New York, USA, where the 78th Tony Awards ceremony was held on April 8 (local time).
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

Ji Hyewon, head of the Department of Cultural Arts Management at Kyung Hee University, emphasized, "The most important thing is whether or not the work resonates with the emotions of global audiences," adding, "Musical creators must also have an understanding of global audiences and their sensibilities." She continued, "It is extremely important that Will Aronson is American and Park Chunhyu also studied abroad. Because they already understood the sensibilities of Americans well, 'Maybe Happy Ending' was able to succeed on Broadway."

Park Chunhyu, who became the first Korean to win a Tony Award, completed his undergraduate studies in Korea before going to New York University to study abroad, where he met Will Aronson and began collaborating on musicals.

Professor Ji also mentioned the Korea Arts Council's representative performing arts support program, Changjak Sansil, stating, "Currently, public support is provided on a work-by-work basis, meaning it supports the process of creating a work. This is support for production companies, not for individual creators," and added, "There also needs to be support aimed at discovering and nurturing creators."

Musical critic Choi Seungyeon also pointed out that there is much less support for creators compared to production support. Choi explained, "In the case of Changjak Sansil, during the script competition process, which only assesses potential, a production company is not required. However, in order to be ultimately selected as the new work of the year, a production company is absolutely necessary. This means the work must be tailored to the characteristics and vision of the production company."

As production companies get involved, the final work may end up differing from the creators' original intentions.

Choi also emphasized, "The Tony Award for 'Maybe Happy Ending' is ultimately a victory for the work itself," and stressed, "We need creators who can produce works of artistic merit."

'Maybe Happy Ending' had its world premiere in Korea in 2016 and also held a reading performance in English in the United States. At that time, renowned Broadway producer Jeffrey Richards saw the work, which eventually led to 'Maybe Happy Ending' making its way to Broadway.

Choi concluded, "The reason Jeffrey Richards made what was, in some ways, a risky decision to produce 'Maybe Happy Ending' was ultimately because the work was excellent," and emphasized, "It is important to nurture creators who can attract the attention of many international producers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.