Broadway Access Review -
Maybe Happy Ending

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ID: image of the Maybe Happy Ending Playbill in front of the stage with the text "Access Review" on top

 

General Note

This is a review of the accessibility of the theater, of the lighting/sound/scent design of the show, and a list of content warnings as a way to prep folks with various needs before they go see it. 

This is not meant to scare anyone away from seeing the show. Most productions have about the same amount of content warnings and sensory warnings to go along with it, they’re just rarely explicitly written down. 

For some people, knowing these things ahead of time makes it easier to enjoy the show because they know what to expect. And, often, makes those people more likely to see it in the first place. I hope that it’s helpful! 

I am also happy to clarify any specifics, just send me a message or an email and I will respond when I can.

Theater

Belasco Theatre

All comments on the accessibility of lighting are in reference to seats in the back right mezzanine

Bathrooms:

  • no explicitly gender neutral bathrooms, though there is a sign saying “Please use the restroom that best fits your gender identity and expression”

  • located below the orchestra, in the mezz, and balcony, with an accessible one in the orchestra level

Other theater accessibility:

  • the theater has a step-free entrance to the orchestra

  • there is no elevator

  • the theatre offers closed captioning, assistive listening, loop receivers, and audio description devices

Click here for more information on the physical accessibility of this theater.

The Show

General:

  • I did not need earplugs for this show

  • the show runs 100 minutes without an intermission

  • there is medium volume jazz music playing pre-show

  • I didn’t find the light cues to be particularly straining, but did find myself struggling a bit with the contrast – much of the show takes place in various cubes outlined with a neon/LED color and the rest of the stage remains black and those cubes/rectangles often slowly move

  • any time one of them puts two fingers to the other’s forehead, there is a loud noise and transition to a large projection that slightly moves but is almost never flashy/straining, just often a surprising transition (sometimes has a small flash also)

  • the sensory accessibility is similar to that of Yellow Face (particularly the speed of transitions), but nothing else is really majorly comparable in style

The Show:

  • after the guy exits the elevator, there is a loud noise and about ~5-10 sec of moving blue downlights that go over the audience and flashing blue lights on stage (but the contrast is low so it doesn’t feel strobey)

  • “here we are” - during the applause you hear a boat horn that I felt in my feet, it’s brief and not super loud

  • “restore deleted memory” - spiral into big flash ~3 sec

  • “erase the last two” - music gets quite loud, stops when he’s about to hit her

  • When You’re In Love - blue bars flicker a little when they move in this song

  • pink light comes on very quickly after the kiss

  • final projection has some haze onstage and it’s a white up/down scanner that speeds up as the music crescendos and it becomes almost strobey, followed by a white flash into a blackout - ~7-10 seconds

Content Advisory

  • death, grief, and end of life

  • also has some slight echos of lockdown/isolation and post-apocalyptic energy