Review: MILLENNIALS ARE KILLING MUSICALS at Colony Theater

With every note warbled by our trio of embattled heroines, with every life problem they confront, the #MillennialKillList expands: print news, retail, boobs, sex, cereal, taxis, Buffalo Wild Wings, etc.  Mayhaps you’ve heard of this list even outside the context of the MILLENNIALS ARE KILLING MUSICALS, a new musical by Nico Juber in its world premiere at the Colony Theatre. Basically, the idea is that through their endless quest for likes, followers and any kind of online validation, millennials (especially women) are taking down anything and everything as they promote themselves. That kill list makes for an amusing enough running gag and contextual backdrop of the plucky and energy-charged production which is very clearly gunning for a future beyond Burbank. As directed by ROCK OF AGES helmer Kristin Hanggi and led by actors Emma Hunton, Diana Huey and Aynsley Bubbico, KILLING MUSICALS looks to blend pathos, satire and female empowerment not always particularly smoothly. “Adulting” as our single mom heroine Brenda comes to learns, is a real beast, especially for women. Message received.

As a composer and lyricist, Juber has crafted some witty, insightful and relatable songs. The nods and laughs accompanying “Never Alone” (repeated as a post-curtain encore along with a sing-along poop emoji) will generate plenty of laughs and knowing nods. Ditto the numbers revolving around the influencer power of Ryan Seacrest and Gwyneth Paltrow – a couple of mega trend-setters who two of our leading characters would give their ovaries to be. Or meet. Or bed.

First, there’s the aforementioned Brenda (played by Emma Hunton), the single mom of 6-year-old daughter, Ruby. Brenda’s a writer who pays the bills in human resource auditing and barely dabbles in any kind of social media…until that world opens up and positively devours her! Soon to arrive at Brenda’s door is Katrina (Diana Huey), Brenda’s younger sister who is an influencer down to her bone marrow. This queen of shallow snaps, records, posts and tries to monetize every inch of her life including her about-to-be-born baby, Karmic. And Brenda reluctantly takes her in because, of course, that’s what family does.

Completing the likes-seeking triumvirate is Jake’s Mom (Aynsley Bubbico), the otherwise unnamed mother of one of Ruby’s classmates, a lady so seemingly put together – publicly, socially and online – that she draws the worship of both sisters. Checking in from time to time by phone is Brenda and Kat’s wise and hugely chill mom, Nana Marie (Jennifer Leigh Warren).

That’s the outside world. Aiding (or preying upon) the progress of our heroines are three Filters (Lana McKissack, Mitchell Gerrard Johnson and John Krause) who exist only to enhance the appearances of Brenda, Katrina and Jake’s Mom or to suck them into new money-spending ventures. In the case of Brenda, that basically means exposing her to every self-promotional opportunity online. Thus, our sweet-natured leading lady moves from a nondescript everymom with barely the confidence to date mild-mannered math teacher, Dylan (Michael Thomas Grant) to a callow, ghosting, follower-obsessed version of herself who jets off to Hawaii and hooks up with sleazy software rep, Nate (Krause again).

The setting is Springfield (anytown), USA, and the heart of Stephen Gifford’s playful scenic design is a bevy of enormous cell phone silhouettes which display everything from cascading binary codes (eat your heart out, DEAR EVAN HANSEN) to computer circuitry, to Taylor Edelle Stuart’s whimsical projections.  Costumer Jessica Champagne Hansen dresses the Filters from the B-movie science fiction catalog while everyone else is good to go for the present. The year is 2019, so nobody has survived the pandemic and AI hasn’t quite manifested as the all-consuming enemy. Instead, we meet the good-looking but no less insatiable monster known as the Algorithm (the Algo for short) also played by Grant.

Its social media insights aside, KILLING MUSICALS is aimed squarely at women. For any foibles they might possess, the three central characters are supposed to be intrinsically lovable even if when they’re also being an irresponsible fuzzbrain (Katrina), unkindly dismissive (Brenda) or entirely fake (Jake’s Mom). We hear quite a lot about the plight of single mom-dom (or neglected, married mom-dom) down to the smells, but we never meet their kids or actually see Brenda or Jake’s Mom doing any parenting. For reasons not entirely clear, Huey’s Katrina wears no pregnancy padding. Did the filters remove her belly? Kat tells everyone that  she’s around 8 ½ months pregnant and whizzes around the stage doing all her influencer duties…until she gives birth to Karmic, after which she carries around a doll and looks like new mommyhood has destroyed her.

Among the cast, Hunton gets and keeps us largely in her corner. When the character wants something, we understand why; when she errs, we want to see her picked up. Bubbico brings an unexpected sweetness and vulnerability to the outwardly perfect Jake’s Mom. Jubo doesn’t give her male characters a lot to work with, but Grant is winning as the lovestruck math teacher pining after Brenda. Pity nobody could come up with something a little more juicy than “Somehow You Both Survived,” a second act mom-to-daughters song that is the otherwise underused Jennifer Leigh Warren’s only opportunity to cut loose.

Ultimately, KILLING MUSICALS is more dishy than it is cynical; a date with the ladies and happy endings for all. As she proved way back in the late aughts with ROCK OF AGES, Hanggi’s comic sensibilities are a solid fit for musicals in which the era is as much a character as the actual people. Music Director Anthony Lucca and his four-piece ensemble effectively showcase Juber’s score.

Musicals will survive the destructive forces of millennials, Gen Z, AI, or anyone else. Just ask the all-knowing Algo.

MILLENNIALS ARE KILLING MUSICALS continues through May 17 at 555 N Third St. Burbank.

Photo of (L-R) Diana Huey, Jennifer Leigh Warrern and Emma Hunton by Ashley Erikson.

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