By: Kristiina Hackel
Burbank, CA (The Hollywood Times) 05/17/2026 – In the lobby of The Colony Theatre, Nico Juber is signing autographs. The multi-hyphenate who created the book, music, and lyrics for Millennials Are Killing Musicals is celebrating the run which closed to a full house and an enthusiastic audience.
Directed by Kristin Hanggi (Rock of Ages, bare), Millennials Are Killing Musicals is a period musical set in the nostalgic days of 2019 which follows the struggle of two millennials, Brenda, a single mom, and her sister Katrina, as they try to adult in a world dominated by social media. A sweet and often funny satire, the audience is taken on a journey where first the personified social media Filters and then the evil Algo try to suck Brenda into the world of followers and monetization and away from her authentic journey. Can she find herself and save her sister?
A relatable musical which centers the isolation of being a millennial and the isolation of being a mom, Juber says she drew heavily on her own experience, as well as the experiences of her friends as they negotiated social media and dated and divorced. Parents in the audience will particularly relate to the comical songs: Jake’s Mom about the perfect mom at drop off who seems to have it all together, On a Plane about how business trips become your “me time,” or the laugh out loud funny Never Alone about never getting a minute of privacy away from your kids again. Featuring excellent performances, particularly by Emma Hunton (Brenda), Aynsley Bubbico (Jake’s Mom), Michael Thomas Grant (Dylan/The Algo), and Lana McKissack (Luna), and the mobile-first sets of Stephen Gifford, the cast and creators worked together to share an affecting coming of age story about a millennial mom trying to find her way.
What Millennials perhaps most powerfully shows us, through the Filter and Algo characters, how social media is artificial and manipulative but still has the power to connect us. It’s a show about how you need to put yourself out there, and somehow, sometimes, when you do, social media can lead to real experience and real connection. As Millennials demonstrates, social media can make you lose yourself, but it can also help you find yourself, too.
Millennials is explicitly a musical about finding your unique voice. Juber, who taught herself how to write a musical, has confidently found her voice with this show. Citing Ruthless, Little Shop of Horrors, and Chicago as three of her favorites, Juber proves that millennials will have a lot to contribute to musical theatre. With two new musicals in the works, and Millennials heading next to New York, Juber will keep on killing it.
Listen to the Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording of Millennials Are Killing Musicals on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Music
