Long Island's Andrew Barth Feldman to star in 'Maybe Happy Ending'

Andrew Barth Feldman, the Woodmere-raised performer who scored a hit on Broadway starring in "Dear Evan Hansen" in 2019, is returning to the Great White Way in the musical smash "Maybe Happy Ending" from Sept. 2 to Nov. 1.

Feldman will replace Tony Award winner Darren Criss as Oliver, a retired humanlike robot who forms an unexpected bond with a fellow "HelperBot" named Claire (Helen J. Shen). The show, which opened in November, is one of Broadway's hottest tickets, especially after winning six Tonys in June, including best musical.

“I am so in love with this show and with Helen J. Shen. I’ve been a plus one on this Broadway journey from the beginning, and this brilliant team and beautiful company have already become such a big part of my life," Feldman, 23, said in a statement. "That they trust me with this role, and are giving me the ridiculous gift of sharing it with Helen, is an honor beyond words.”

Feldman's journey to Broadway is like something out of an old MGM musical. In July 2018, while still attending Lawrence Woodmere Academy, he won the coveted Jimmy Award (formally, the National High School Musical Theatre Award) for best actor after performing a song from his school’s production of “Catch Me If You Can.” Stacey Mindich, the lead producer of “Dear Evan Hansen,” was in the audience and casting director Tara Rubin was one of the judges. He impressed both, which led to an audition with the show's creative team. Six months later, he was playing the lead role.

Since the end of his run in "Dear Evan Hansen" in January 2020, Feldman has appeared as a French foreign exchange student in "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" for Disney+ in 2021 and co-starred with Jennifer Lawrence on the big screen in the 2023 sex romp "No Hard Feelings," much of which was filmed on Long Island.