Maybe Happy Ending review: Romantic robot musical is glorious on Broadway really

One hour and 45 minutes, with no intermission.At the Belasco Theatre, 111 W.

44th Street.The sublime start of “Maybe Happy Ending” is the closest I have ever come to experiencing a Pixar movie on Broadway.Oliver, a lonely robot played by Darren Criss, goes through his usual daily routine — over and over and over again. With a wide grin in a small studio apartment, he tends to his plant, HwaBoon, receives deliveries through a mail shoot and patiently waits for his owner, James, to come get him. Weeks and months pass, seasons change and the HelperBot does the exact same chores on repeat.Then comes a shattering message: “Twelve years later.”Oliver is still there in his 300-square-foot, comfortably appointed cell.James is nowhere in sight.As my eyes welled up — and it was still only the first number — the devastating opening of “Up” immediately sprang to mind, as did Andy giving away his cherished childhood friends in “Toy Story 3.”“Maybe Happy Ending,” like Pixar at its very best, nourishes the soul in a way few Broadway shows even attempt to do.The blissful, boundlessly creative gift of a musical from South Korea, which opened Monday night at the Belasco Theatre, has no bulldozing ballads to cue the waterworks.

There are no kitschy dance transitions to soothe our overworked brains.The thoughtful score by Will Aronson with lyrics like firing neurons by Hue Park is sprightly and innocent — reminiscent of the pastoral soundtracks of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films, such as “Spirited Away” or “Howl’s Moving Castle.”      Instead of predictable bombast, the tender musical’s many heartbreaking and uplifting moments sneak up on us and provide an increasingly rare sensation for a genre that has become formulaic and derivative: surprise.  Nobody will think to bring tissues to the singing android show, but you would be well advised to stock up.After all, you’re at a robo rom-com. Oliver’s dozen years solo ends full-sto...