Darren Criss Earns First Tony Award for Sci-Fi Romance Musical Maybe Happy Ending
Actor joins Broadway’s elite as the futuristic robot love-story also claims Best Musical.
NEW YORK — 9 June 2025
Broadway favorite Darren Criss added “Tony winner” to his résumé on Sunday night, capturing Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his performance as Oliver, an obsolete HelperBot who discovers love, in the original musical MAYBE HAPPY ENDING. The win at Radio City Music Hall marks Criss’s first Tony nomination and award.
A heartfelt speech — and a nod to family
Criss used his acceptance speech to spotlight co-star Helen J. Shen, praising her “Broadway debut for the books,” before turning emotional as he thanked wife Mia Criss for “bearing the brunt of raising two tiny friends under three so that I could raise a singing robot at the Belasco eight times a week.”
A banner night for Maybe Happy Ending
The whimsical, near-future romance went on to seize Best Musical and finish the evening with six trophies, the most of any production. Written by American composer Will Aronson and South-Korean lyricist Hue Park, the show opened at the Belasco Theatre on 12 November 2024 after a developmental run at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre and an earlier Korean-language premiere.
The field he bested
Criss edged out a competitive slate that featured Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw), Tom Francis (Sunset Blvd.), Jonathan Groff (Just in Time), James Monroe Iglehart (A Wonderful World), and Jeremy Jordan (Floyd Collins).
From Glee to HelperBot
Best known to television audiences for Glee and to the stage for turns in Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Little Shop of Horrors, Criss first encountered the Maybe Happy Ending script in 2018 but saw his involvement delayed by the pandemic and industry strikes. “Finally the stars aligned in a way that I’m so grateful for,” he said during a recent Broadway round-table discussion.
What’s next
Ticket demand for the Belasco production spiked overnight, with new blocks added to keep up with post-Tony interest. Criss, now a bona fide Broadway leading man, will continue headlining the limited run while also serving as a producer as the creative team eyes a national tour for 2026.
As the confetti settles on Broadway’s biggest night, Criss’s shiny new medallion signals not just personal triumph but fresh validation for a show that asks audiences to believe even robots deserve a happily-ever-after.
Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com
