As Andrew Barth Feldman‘s Broadway run in Maybe Happy Ending gets underway, his controversial casting is still making waves.
Constance Wu recently called out “whitewashing on Broadway” as she expressed that she’s “so disappointed” with the actor following a voice memo he sent her, despite previously having a “peaceful” and “in-depth” discussion with Feldman about the role that has been traditionally played by Asian actors.
“Recently, @andrewbfeldman_ reached out to me to talk and we had an in-depth phone call about Asian American representation and erasure in theater. It was a peaceful call and we spoke at length, followed up by several emails/texts. It made me hopeful,” she shared in a statement on Instagram. “But after a recent voice memo he sent me, all I can say is that l am so disappointed in him. And feeling pretty discouraged.”
Wu continued, “It’s hard to keep speaking up when it feels like no one is listening anymore in this new era. It’s exhausting and increasingly lonely. Once again, Asian Americans are left unheard, unacknowledged, invisible. Sadly, we’re used to this. A dozen or so folks bts at @maybehappyending have remained silent perhaps in the hopes that this will all fade away and you know what? It has. Your plan is working, guys—I heard your box office doing great.”
Although Feldman’s nine-week engagement has not outperformed his predecessor Darren Criss, the show grossing $1,216,108 in the week ending Sept. 14, selling out and grossing more than $1M every week.
Wu apologized to the signatories of BD Wong‘s recent open letter denouncing the casting decision, noting that Feldman “and the producers have yet to publicly acknowledge” the letter.
“And honestly, I’m sorry ABF that you’ve been (perhaps unfairly) saddled with this responsibility by your producers,” added Wu. “But sometimes we don’t choose our responsibilities, they choose us. So the question that remains is: what are you choosing to do with it?”
Last month, the Will Aronson/Hue Park show announced Criss is reprising his robotic role as Oliver on Nov. 5, following backlash around the casting of Feldman, the first actor not of Asian descent to step into the character.
In his letter, Wong called the response to the casting “a real, eternal outcry about race and representation, not an irrational rant about robots,” garnering more than 2,400 signatures from Conrad Ricamora, Anthony Rapp, Joaquina Kalukango, Jon Jon Briones, Telly Leung and more.
After Criss, who is of Asian descent, originated the role of Oliver on Broadway following the show’s Asian-led run in Seoul, Park and Aronson responded to recent backlash over the casting of Feldman, who is white.
“Our dream at the outset was that our allegorical robot show could one day miraculously become part of the American musical theater canon – a modern Fantasticks, able to be comfortably performed by anyone, anywhere – yet distinctly set in Korea,” they explained in a statement on Instagram. “This went against prevailing wisdom that we needed to set our show in America.”
Following the musical’s 2016 premiere in Korea and 2024 Broadway premiere, the pair added in part, “We’re extremely saddened that the show, a decade-long labor of love for us, could ever become a source of confusion, anger or pain.”
Park and Aronson concluded that they “will continue our conversations as Maybe Happy Ending continues its journey onstage.”
Maybe Happy Ending follows Oliver and Claire, two life-like robots who develop a connection in late 21st century Seoul. After its Broadway debut, the show won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Criss.
The post Constance Wu Is “So Disappointed” In Andrew Barth Feldman Over ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ Voice Memo: “Feeling Pretty Discouraged” appeared first on Deadline.
