Controversy ignites following a Broadway production's decision to swap a white actor for an Asian counterpart, promptly triggering a flurry of criticism

In the heart of New York City, the Broadway musical "Maybe Happy Ending" is making headlines for reasons beyond its captivating storyline and impressive performances. The love story between two helper robots, set in a futuristic version of Seoul, has been a hit in South Korea and on Broadway, but the casting controversy surrounding the lead role has sparked heated discussions.

The controversy centers around the replacement of an Asian actor with a white one for the male lead role. Critics argue that the producers leaned on the Asian American community to get the show on Broadway, only to then cast a non-Asian actor for the lead role. This has led to comparisons with the whitewashing controversy around Scarlett Johansson's casting in "Ghost in the Shell."

The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists has called on producers to recast the lead with an actor of Asian descent. More than 2,400 people have signed an open letter asking the musical's creators to reconsider their casting choice. Notable figures such as Donna Murphy, Ali Stroker, Awkwafina, Bowen Yang, Anthony Rapp, and Leigh Silverman have added their names to the petition.

The show's creators wrote the roles as androids created by a global company, but the script and direction illustrate an Asian-presenting lead actor is crucial to the plot. Hye Won Kim, an assistant professor of English at Kennesaw State University, argues that the controversy surrounding the casting of "Maybe Happy Ending" is an example of the tensions and transformations that often occur when musical theater becomes transnational.

The controversy has not affected the success of Asian American performers in the 2025 Tonys, with Francis Jue, Nicole Scherzinger, Marco Paguia, and Daniel Dae Kim all winning awards. However, the industry-wide numbers are less buoyant, with only 3.7% of all actors on Broadway being of Asian descent, in a city where Asians make up 14.5% of the population. Asian American actors secured just 2.8% of all lead roles in musicals; white actors nabbed 52.8%.

The original star, Darren Criss, will be out for nine weeks starting Tuesday, but has announced his return for November 4. Telly Leung, a Broadway veteran, responded to the controversy by acknowledging the difficult position Shen, an Asian American actor making her Broadway debut, has been put in, and agreeing that the conversation about the casting is necessary, but should be had with grace and kindness.

Michael R. Jackson, the playwright behind the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "A Strange Loop," defended the musical, Feldman, and its makers in a Facebook post, decrying what he called "a bourgeois racial tribunal." Leslie Ishii, the artistic director of Perseverance Theatre in Alaska and a consortium board member, expresses compassion for Feldman, but asks for him to step aside due to the harmful dynamic of systemic racism that the controversy has created.

As the debate continues, it serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for representation and diversity in the theater industry.

Controversy ignites following a Broadway production's decision to swap a white actor for an Asian counterpart, promptly triggering a flurry of criticism