#ben stanton

[d-criss-news]

Maybe Happy Ending: Anatomy Of A Scene "Where You Belong"

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The 76th Tony Awards draw nearer, so here’s a compilation of the Best Lighting Design of a Play nominees!🕯️💡✨

Neil Austin – Leopoldstadt

Natasha Chivers – Prima Facie

Jon Clark - A Doll’s House

Bradley King - Fat Ham

Tim Lutkin – Life of Pi

Jen Schriever – Death of a Salesman

Ben Stanton – A Christmas Carol

Wait… SEVEN nominees?? That’s the most ever in the Lighting Design categories!

Neil Austin – Leopoldstadt

Neil’s previous Broadway designs include…

Company (2021) - Tony nomination

Ink (2019) - Tony win

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2018) - Tony win

Red (2010) - Tony win

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Natasha Chivers – Prima Facie

Natasha also designed the lighting for the Broadway adaptation of 1984.

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Jon Clark - A Doll’s House

Jon has also designed lighting for…

The Lehman Trilogy (2021) - Tony win

The Inheritance (2019) - Tony nom

King Charles III (2015)

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Bradley King - Fat Ham

Bradley is also known for his lighting in…

Flying Over Sunset (2021) - Tony nom

Hadestown (2019) - Tony win

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (2016) - Tony win

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Tim Lutkin – Life of Pi

Tim was the associate lighting designer for Matilda The Musical (2013), and his work will be seen in the upcoming Back to the Future: The Musical.

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Jen Schriever – Death of a Salesman

On Broadway, Jen has also designed…

A Strange Loop (2022) - Tony nom

What the Constitution Means to Me (2019)

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Ben Stanton – A Christmas Carol

Ben’s work could also be seen in…

Junk (2017) - Tony nom

Spring Awakening (2015) - Tony nom

Fun Home (2015) - Tony nom

This year, Stanton also designed lighting for the play Good Night, Oscar.

Who's going to shine brightest as this year's winner?

Leopoldstadt

Prima Facie

A Doll’s House

Fat Ham

Life of Pi

Death of a Salesman

A Christmas Carol

Voting ended onJun 7, 2023

More Tony Awards compilations to come!🎭

[d-criss-news]

Darren Criss, Clint Ramos, George Reeve, Will Aronson, Hue Park, Michael Arden, Dane Laffrey, Peter Hylenski, Ben Stanton, Jeffrey Richards, and Hunter Arnold attend the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet The Nominees Press Event at Sofitel New York on May 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)

[d-criss-news]

Darren Criss, Jeffrey Richards, Ben Stanton, George Reeve, Dane Laffrey and Hunter Arnold attend the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet The Nominees Press Event at Sofitel New York on May 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

[d-criss-news]

Inside 'Maybe Happy Ending,' the revolutionary robot musical that has Broadway audiences aglow

This intimate spectacle was a hit in Asia for years, before the isolation of the pandemic and the existential threat of AI. The Times spoke

Inside ‘Maybe Happy Ending,’ the revolutionary robot musical that has Broadway audiences aglow

A line in “Maybe Happy Ending” describes the lives of fireflies, the once-ubiquitous insects that magically produce their own light. “They only live for two months. But what a beautiful two months.” The same was nearly said of the stage show itself. Of all the new musicals debuting on Broadway this season, “Maybe Happy Ending” is the sole entry not based on true events, archival music or any other existing material, which made it a box office underdog when it opened last November. Its unabashed originality has since become its biggest boon. Set in Seoul circa 2064, the one-act adventure centers on two retired Helperbots who set aside their solitude and head to Jeju Island; Oliver, optimistic by design, hopes to reunite with his former owner, and Claire, cynical from experience, wants to witness the fireflies’ glow before her own obsoletion. Along the way, these robots fall in love, their narrative needle dropped by jazz standards of a bygone era. This intimate spectacle — already a hit title in Asia for years, before the isolation of the pandemic and the existential threat of AI — is a singular exploration of human connection and the beauty of being alive, even though the only living thing in their apartments is a potted plant named HwaBoon. The Times spoke separately with members of the musical’s cast and creative team about developing the standout show in Asia, witnessing its remarkable rise to Broadway acclaim and pulling off an ending that fascinates audiences to the tune of repeat viewing.

[HQ] Marcus Choi, Helen J Shen, Dez Duron and Darren Criss of the Broadway musical “Maybe Happy Ending,” photographed at the Belasco Theater in New York. (Photo by Justin Jun Lee / For The Times)

Darren Criss (actor, Oliver): Let’s call a spade a spade here — I’m the white-passing Asian of our group, but it is my identity. The AAPI community in the arts is a smaller, if not marginalized, group, so to be up there, I feel that excitement and encouragement from the community at large. It’s important, and I hope this show can continue to have that legacy and be an inspiring call to action in other artistic spheres.

Criss: After a few previews, we noticed that audiences had conflicting ideas about the ending and would ask us for answers. We told Michael, and he said defiantly, “No, that’s not the play we’re doing. This is what happens, make sure you tell that story.” Shy of any eye flutters, we’re doing that same directive every night.

Criss: Even though we’re trying to be definitive, people want to see things and need the ending to be one way or the other, maybe because of taste or life experiences. It just speaks to the investment people put into these characters and the story.

[d-criss-news]

WHY LOVE? The Making of Maybe Happy Ending

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Via The Tony Awards' Instagram Story (May 8th, 2025)

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Via Ben Stanton's Instagram Story (May 9th, 2025)