On November 11, the sci-fi adventure rom-com Maybe Happy Ending—the show that brought robots to Broadway—celebrated an electric opening night. Stars Darren Criss and

Darren Criss and Helen J Shen star in a moving new musical about two robots whose emotional story touches on very human themes.

NEW YORK — On paper, nothing about “Maybe Happy Ending” should work. The ambitious new musical, which opened Nov. 12 at the Belasco Theatre, follows two lonely robots as they take a road trip and fall in love in late 21 st century South Korea.

A tenderhearted meet-cute rom-com tinged with poignance, laughs and break-your-heart melancholy , Maybe Happy Ending just might be this season’s answer to Kimberly Akimbo. A near-perfect little fable of set-for-the-scrap-heap robots learning to love and knowing whatever happiness they find will be short-lived,

Meet Claire (Helen J Shen) and Oliver (Darren Criss), two isolated and retired robots who have come not to save us, but to teach—or perhaps to remind—us what it is to love and be human. There is no “maybe” about it when it comes to the brilliance and winning charm of Maybe Happy Ending (Belasco Theatre,

Darren Criss chats with USA TODAY about the new Broadway musical "Maybe Happy Ending," where he's a robot in search of love and belonging.

This Broadway show about robots in love has rapturous music and lyrics, innovative staging and a superb cast. In short, an extraordinary work of theatre artistry.

Is Broadway ready for a quiet musical? The timing is perfect. Recently, a mini-war broke out on Broadway when an actor in "The Roommate," Patti LuPone, asked that something be done about the loud music seeping into her theater from the walls of the theater that's home to "Hell's Kitchen.