Maybe Happy Ending - A New Musical

Maybe Happy Ending - A New Musical at Des Moines Civic Center

Oliver and Claire live separately until a chance encounter begins an adventure about human connection. That simple premise becomes the foundation for Maybe Happy Ending, a Tony Award-winning musical written by Will Aronson and Hue Park and directed by Michael Arden. Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 7:30 PM, Des Moines Civic Center presents a story that asks what happens when two characters discover each other in unexpected circumstances.

The musical has earned recognition because it takes an uncommon narrative approach to universal questions about loneliness, hope, and the risks we take when we let someone in. Aronson and Park built their story around characters whose journey feels specific and intimate, the kind of theatrical experience that works best when you're present to watch it unfold in real time. Theater gives you permission to sit with emotions you might otherwise avoid, and this musical doesn't shy away from the messy, complicated truth about human relationships.

Bring someone whose company you value, or come alone and give yourself space to absorb a story designed to make you think and feel. Maybe Happy Ending offers an evening shaped by original voices telling a story their way. Make a theatre date around Oliver and Claire’s story. Find ticket options for Maybe Happy Ending at Des Moines Civic Center.