Papers Session: Asian American Religions, Science, and Technological Futures
Abstract for Online Program Book (maximum 150 words)
This paper explores the theological themes from the 2025 Tony Award Best Musical “Maybe Happy Ending.” The production, originally starring Filipino American Darren Criss and Chinese American Helen J. Shen, tells the story of two retired “helperbots” in a futuristic Seoul, Korea who go on an adventure and fall in love. Through the lenses of techno-orientalism and the figure of the cyborg, this paper explores theological anthropology and eschatological thinking present in the show’s libretto as it pertains to futurity and its inextricability from finitude.