Murdered by the Millennium Digital Program

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Cast (in Alphabetical Order)

Patrick Balbo as Joey

Nicole Borysowicz as Monica

Hannah Dodson as Janice

Ethan Goble as Gunther

Justin P. Kent as Chandler

Dino Larumbe as Phoebe

Gwen Leahy as Supporting Characters Everyone Hates

Rayshawn Roberts as Ross

Val Ziegler as Rachel

Written and Directed by

Rick Garman

Sound Operation

Cami Nicole Hall

Lighting Design

Toria Nicole Shaw

Lighting Operation

Lukas Evans

Photographer

Travis Spangenburg

Don’t Miss Our “Killer” Cocktails!

Songs

Act 1

…Baby One More Time by Britney Spears (Emily)
The debut single from Britney Spears was released in September of 1998 when she was only 16 years old. It went to number one in over 20 countries, becoming one of the best selling singles of all time with over 10 million copies sold. The song was written by Max Martin who has penned more #1 singles than anyone except for Paul McCartney, including hits by Katy Perry, Backstreet Boys, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande.

I’ll Be There For You by The Rembrandts (Ensemble)
The title theme to the show “Friends” almost wasn’t. The studio, Warner Bros., originally wanted “Shiny Happy People” by REM as the title track but lead singer Michael Stipe turned them down, so show creators David Crane and Marta Kaufman wrote “I’ll Be There For You” with the help of songwriter Allee Willis who had penned such hits as “September” and “Boogie Wonderland” for Earth, Wind & Fire. The Rembrandts were chosen to record it because they were only band on Warner Bros. Records available to do it.

Coffee House Medley (Ensemble)
Smelly Cat by Lisa Kudrow
I Don’t Want To Wait by Paula Cole
You Gotta Be by Des’ree
I Love You Always Forever by Donna Lewis
Who Will Save Your Soul by Jewel
Ironic by Alanis Morissette
Coffee house rock was a thing in the ’90s, parodied on the show “Friends” with songs like Smelly Cat, which was written by the show’s writers and Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders (who appeared on the show singing the song). I Don’t Want to Wait, written and performed by Paula Cole, became famous as the theme song for the hit show “Dawson’s Creek.” You Gotta Be, by British singer Des’ree, was a worldwide smash in 1994 and its music video became the most played video of the year on VH1. I Love You Always Forever was written by Welsh singer Donna Lewis, who was inpsired by a novel “Love For Lydia.” The original name of the song was Lydia but was changed because the name never appears in the song. Who Will Save Your Soul was the first single from the debut album of singer Jewel, who wrote the song when she was 16. Ironic was the third single from Alanis Morissette’s classic debut album Jagged Little Pill, and has gone on to inspire endless debates about whether anything in the song actually qualifies as ironic.

Get Milk Commercial to the tune of Get Here by Oleta Adams (Mom, Daughter, Son)
Parody lyrics by Rick Garman who is lactose intolerant.

Vogue by Madonna (Monica)
Madonna wrote the lyrics for the song after being provided a music track by producer Shep Pettibone. It was featured on the album I’m Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy, in which Madonna played Breathless Mahoney opposite then boyfriend Warren Beatty. The album featured three songs by Stephen Sondheim featured in the movie but the rest of the tracks, including Vogue, were not heard in the film. It became Madonna’s best selling-single at the time of its release in 1990 with more than six million copies sold.

Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana (Chandler)
The lead single from the band’s second album was released in 1991, written by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl, and became a worldwide hit selling more than 13 million copies. The title has two origin stories. The first and most popular is that Cobain’s friend Kathleen Hanna of the band Bikini Kill had written the phrase “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit” on his wall because she thought he used a deodorant of that name. Cobain denied that, saying he was unaware of the deodorant and simply thought up the title because it sounded like a revolutionary anarchist slogan.

Mariah Carey Megamix (Phoebe)
All I Want For Christmas is You
Fantasy
Dreamlover
Honey
Always Be My Baby
Mariah Carey is the best-selling artist of the 1990s, with 14 number one hit singles during the decade. All of the songs in this megamix hit #1, with Fantasy and Honey debuting at the top of the charts making Mariah the first female artist to do so. All I Want for Christmas is You technically didn’t chart at #1 during the 1990s because it was not commercially released as a single and therefore was ineligible according to Billboard rules at the time. Changes in the rules have led to the song charting every holiday season since and it hit #1 several times in the 2000s.

Tubthumping by Chumbawamba (Frogs)
The song is a one-hit wonder from British band Chumbawamba, reportedly inspired by a pub they favored. The Budweiser Frogs commercial debuted during the Super Bowl in 1995 and became a cultural touchstone that was inducted into advertising’s Clio Hall of Fame.

Smooth by Santana f. Rob Thomas (Joey)
The song was written by Itaal Shur with entirely different lyrics and the title Room 17, but Thomas, lead singer of the band Matchbox Twenty, was looking for a song to do with classic rock guitarist Carlos Santana so he stripped out the original lyrics and wrote new ones to create Smooth. It was a massive hit upon its release in late 1999 spending 16 weeks at #1, becoming the final chart-topping hit of the 1990s and the first of the 2000s.

You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette (Rachel)
The debut single from Morissette’s seminal album Jagged Little Pill is considered to be one of the best rock songs of all time and won Morissette the Grammy Awards for Best Female Rock song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Morissette has never publicly revealed who the song is about despite endless theories that actor Dave Coulier of Full House fame is the jerk who did her wrong.

Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus (Ross)
This was the debut single from Miley’s dad and it became a huge hit both on country radio and pop stations worldwide. It hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and went platinum in 1992, the first country song to do so in nearly a decade. The music video was credited for driving an explosion in the popularity of line dancing in mainstream awareness.

Mentos: The Freshmaker Commercial Parody (Dan, Mike, Elaine)
The song was written by German composer John Groves for the ad campaign created for Mentos candy mints. Proving that the internet doesn’t have all the answers, nobody seems to know who sang the ditty.

Backstreet Boys Megamix (Gunther)
I Want it That Way
As Long As You Love Me
Everybody
Larger Than Life
Quit Playing Games With My Heart
I Want it That Way (Reprise)
Singing group Backstreet Boys were formed in 1993 and gained commercial success in Europe in 1996 with a self-titled album that was released in the US in 1997, a day after their second album debuted in the US (yeah, it was confusing). They kicked off the boy-brand craze of the late 1990s with a string of hits including the ones in this megamix. Of them, Quit Playing Games With My Heart, was the most successful single reaching #2 on the Billboard Top 100 chart. As Long As You Love Me is considered to be their biggest hit based on radio play but since it was never released as a single in the US, it never qualified for chart rankings.

Believe by Cher (Janice)
When it was released in 1998, Believe was one of the first hit songs to use Auto-Tune to distort the vocals and went on to be known as “the Cher effect.” The single was a massive hit around the world, going to #1 in 23 countries and selling more than 11 million copies. It is Cher’s most successful single and won her the Grammy for Best Dance Recording, the first and only Grammy she has ever won (which is a crime IMHO).

Rap Megamix (Ensemble)
Gantsta’s Paradise by Coolio
Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It by Will Smith
Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice
U Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer
Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot
We’re sorry (not sorry).

Act 2

My Heart Won’t Go On to the tune of My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion (Ensemble)
Parody lyrics by Rick Garman who Rose definitely wouldn’t have allowed on the door.

NOTE: Songs from this point until noted are listed in alphabetical order, NOT in show order.
We have a good reason for this but you’ll just have to trust us.

All Star by Smash Mouth (Joey)
When the band Smash Mouth delivered their second album to Interscope, the label said they wouldn’t release it because they didn’t think there were any radio hits on it. So, the band went back to the drawing board and wrote Then The Morning Comes and All Star in two days, which not only got them a record release but two of their biggest hits.

Basket Case by Green Day (Chandler)
Released in 1994, the song written by Green Day lead singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong was originally a love song ballad, but got rewritten to turn it into the anthem we know today. In his 2021 autobiography Armstrong said he wrote it will on “speed.” It was one of Green Day’s biggest hits and was ranked #150 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

End of the Road by Boyz II Men (Ensemble)
This iconic song was originally only featured on the soundtrack for the movie Boomerang starring Eddie Murphy. When it was released as a single in 1992, it rocketed to #1 on the charts and stayed there for a then record-breaking 13 weeks. Due to the success of the song, it was added to the group’s debut album when it was rereleased in 1993.

Hey My Ricola Commercial to the tune of Macarena by Los Del Rio (Mountain People)
Parody lyrics by Rick Garman who is surprised as you are that there were so many things to rhyme with Ricola .

Hold On by Wilson Phillips (Phoebe)
This song was written by Wilson Phillips singers Carnie Wilson and Chynna Phillips along with Glen Ballard who co-wrote and produced most of the tracks on Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill album. Hold On was Wilson-Phillips biggest hit and became the most successful single of 1990. It made it back onto the charts in several countries in 2011 when it, and the group, was featured in the hit movie Bridesmaids.

Hootie and the Blowfish Mashup (Ross)
I Only Wanna Be With You
Hold My Hand
Both of these songs were featured on Hootie and the Blowfish’s debut album in 1994, which is one of the best-selling albums of all time with more than 20 million copies. Hold My Hand has a backing vocal by David Crosby of the legendary group Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young while I Only Wanna Be With You, borrows heavily from the lyrics of Bob Dylan. According to lead singer Darius Rucker, Dylan’s management was okay with the “homage” until the song became a massive hit and then they asked for compensation.

I’ll Be Killing You to the tune of I’ll Be There For You by The Rembrandts (Chris Stanley)
Music, vocals, and production by Chris Stanley, parody lyrics by Rick Garman. It had to be done.

I’m Too Pyschic Commercial to the tune of I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred (Miss Cleo, Callers)
Parody lyrics by Rick Garman, who believes the the original song and Miss Cleo are peak 1990s.

Just a Girl by No Doubt (Gunther)
The lead single off No Doubt’s third album was their very first to make it onto the Billboard charts, peaking at #23 in 1995. Lead singer Gwen Stefani said she wrote it after her father yelled at her for driving to bandmate Tony Kanal’s house late at night.

Killing Me Softly by Fugees (Rachel)
The music was written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox, the latter of whom wrote the theme song for the 1970s TV show The Love Boat. Lyrics were by Lori Lieberman, who recorded the first version of it released in 1972. However, it was Roberta Flack’s 1973 version that made the song iconic, a #1 hit in multiple countries that won a Grammy for Record of the Year. The Fugees version was released in 1995 and became one of the best-selling singles of all time in the United Kingdom but didn’t chart in the US because it was not released as a commercial single here.

My Chia Commercial to the tune of Pony by Ginuwine (The Men of Hot Thunder)
Parody lyrics by Rick Garman, who has seen Magic Mike Live in Las Vegas four times.

Scream by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson (Killer/Survivor)
Released as the first single from his 1993 double album HIStory, the song was written by Michael Jackson as a response to the accusations of child abuse that followed him until his death in 2009 (and beyond). The music video, featuring Michael and sibling Janet Jackson on a space ship cost $7 million, making it the most expensive music video ever made.

Shania Twain Mashup (Monica)
Man I Feel Like a Woman
That Don’t Impress Me Much
Country singer Shania Twain has said the inspiration for Man I Feel Like a Woman came after seeing drag performers in Ontario, but wrote the song about her experience providing for her siblings after her parents were killed in a car crash. In That Don’t Impress Me Much, Twain name checks Brad Pitt, who she said she chose to include after naked pictures of the actor were published in Playgirl magazine. Ouch.

Shoop by Salt-n-Pepa (Marcel)
Released in 1993, Shoop and follow up single Whatta Man helped drive Salt-n-Pepa’s fourth album to become the best-selling of their career. It gained newfound popularity when it was featured in the movie Deadpool with Ryan Reynolds in 2016.

Spice Girls Megamix (Ensemble)
Wannabe
Who Do You Think You Are?
Say You’ll Be There
Spice Up Your Life
Writer/director Rick Garman remembers being in Greece during the summer of 1996 and seeing the music video for Wannabe on European MTV. They talked about how it was a massive hit throughout Europe but nobody had ever heard of them in the US and based on his impression of the song, he figured they never would be. This is evidence that he is wrong all the time.

Xtina Mashup (Janice)
What a Girl Wants
Genie in a Bottle
Although Genie was the first single of of Christina Aguilera’s 1999 debut , What a Girl Wants was the first song she recorded for the album. It was originally written in French with the title Ce Que Je Suis, or What a Girl Needs. The name was changed for the English version that Xtina recorded and it was her second number one single in the US. Genie in a Bottle also originally had a different title: If You Want to Be with Me. It stayed at the top of the Billboard charts for 5 weeks and became the biggest selling single of the summer of 1999.

The Cast (in alphabetical order)

Patrick Balbo as Joey

Patrick “Paddy” Balbo is a Savannah native and current Theater major at Dartmouth College. After an early start with Savannah Children’s Theatre playing a number of distinguished roles like “guy who holds up a mirror in Frozen, Jr.,” Paddy continued his acting career at Benedictine Military School. He starred in several of their productions including Ren McCormack in Footloose and Prince Topher in Cinderella. You may have last seen him locally in Savannah Theatre’s production of Grease. Paddy is happy to make his Savannah Cabaret debut and to ask Bay Street Theater goers, “How you doin?” @paddy_balbo

Nicole Borysowicz as Monica

Nicole Borysowicz has a B.A. in musical theatre from Coastal Carolina University. Previous credits include Into the Woods (Witch), POTUS (Bernadette), The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Witch), and Young Frankenstein (Inga). As always, love to mom and dad. NicoleBorysowicz.com.

Hannah Dodson as Janice

Hannah Dodson is a local vocalist, actress, and owner of Itsy Bitsy Princess Parties. You can also catch her as her drag alter ego, Mighta Chondra with Club One Cabaret. As a long time member of the Savannah Cabaret, Hannah is so thankful to continue to perform on the Club One stage with this crew! Some of her most recent credits include Rocky Horror Show Live! (Janet, Magenta, Columbia), Grease (The Savannah Theatre), Elf: The Musical (The Savannah Theatre), and too many Savannah Cabaret productions to count!

Ethan Goble as Gunther

Ethan is so excited to be back performing with the Savannah Cabaret. He recently earned his BA in theatre from Georgia Southern University. Some of his recent acting credits include Eurydice (GSU), Rocky Horror Show Live (Bay Street Theatre), Young Frankenstein (Savannah Cabaret), and various other shows with the Savannah Cabaret. In addition to acting, he has also contributed his technical skills to Master Class (Collective Face) and Spitfire Grill (Savannah Repertory Theatre) among others. When he’s not working on shows, Ethan can be found performing as a DJ at Club One.

Justin P. Kent as Chandler

Justin Bio: Justin P. Kent has been performing since before most of the other people on this stage were alive. He’s been performing in Savannah for 20+ years, and, for better or worse, shows no signs of slowing down. He often complains about how tired he is to whoever is near him. He’s thankful to be part of this show, and feels like hanging out and performing with younger artists keeps him young and in touch. It most certainly does not. @grandmoffjustin on Instagram/TikTok

Dino Larumbe as Phoebe

Originally from Venezuela, Dino Larumbe studied Music Education in Choral Studies. They have been performing in Savannah for over two years in productions such as The Bay Street Theater’s Rocky Horror Show Live and as Jane Doe in Georgia Southern University’s production of Ride the Cyclone. The Savannah Cabaret returnee and local theater enthusiast is exited to be back on stage!

Gwen Leahy as Everybody Else

Could they HAVE any more roles in this show?? Gwen Leahy is thrilled to be carrying on the now long-standing Savannah Cabaret tradition of playing “all of the extras” (see also: the rest of the “Murdered By” series and the “Christmas in Mistletoe Falls” series). Gwen Leahy has been in almost every single one of Savannah Cabaret’s more than 30 productions, usually on stage but sometimes behind the scenes. Memorable roles include Elizabeth in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, the boozy Sandra in Time Traveling Drag Queens in the 1960s, and as Sugar Plum in both “Christmas in Mistletoe Falls” shows. Gwen is a long-standing advocate for the Savannah theatre and performance community, especially concerning the melting pot of diversity it has become, and wishes to highlight the incredible talent it possesses by way of the hundreds of POC and LGBTQ+ actors who are the backbone of our theatre family; without them, there would be no us.

Rayshawn Roberts as Ross

Rayshawn Roberts is excited to return to the Savannah Cabaret stage! A teacher by day, Rayshawn has been educating students in the Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools System since 2018. Outside of his career, Rayshawn is an avid member of the theater community here in town. His most recent credits include: “Donkey” in Shrek! the Musical and “Squidward” in The Spongebob Musical with Savannah Children’s Theatre, “Elder Jay” in The Christians with Savannah Repertory Theatre, and “Brad” in Rocky Horror Show Live with the Bay Street Theatre to name a few! When Rayshawn is not acting, you can usually find him riding his bike or trying to get his friends to do karaoke.

Val Ziegler as Rachel

Val Ziegler is so excited to be getting murdered again! You could’ve caught her in the Murdered by Horror show last year as Nancy, or who could forget everyone’s favorite fun-loving cookie-baking super-celibate mom Carol Christmas in Christmas In Mistletoe Falls. Outside of the Savannah Cabaret, you can catch Val all around town and beyond as her title-winning burlesque persona Miss Ginger Darlin.’ She’d like to thank Rick for allowing her a safe space to have fun and be stupid. Here’s to another year of murder !

The Creative Team and Crew

Directed & Produced by Rick Garman

Rick Garman grew up in Iowa but moved to Los Angeles as soon as he was old enough to be sure that his parents couldn’t send a sheriff to bring him back. He studied theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and made his writing debut with a stage production 17 Days which was produced in Los Angeles and in small theaters around the country. His second play Mountains won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Los Angeles Theater Production. Rick has written more than 40 movies for the Hallmark Channel and other networks including Christmas on Cherry Lane with Jonathan Bennett, Catherine Bell, and James Denton; A Shoe Addict’s Christmas starring Candace Cameron Bure, Luke Macfarlane, and Jean Smart; and The Groomsmen: Second Chances which won the GLAAD Media Award in 2025 for Outstanding TV Movie, Cable or Streaming. He currently resides in Savannah and is thrilled to be producing the Savannah Cabaret.

Light Operator: Lukas Evans

Lukas Evans a Savannah local has been working with Savannah cabaret since November 2023. Some of these productions include The Rocky Horror Picture, Live, Young Frankenstein, and Time Traveling Drag Queens in the 1960s!. When not working for Savannah cabaret Lukas can be found either volunteering for other theater groups or working spotlight at club one.

Sound Operator: Cami Nicole Hall

Cami Nicole Hall (she/her) was raised in rural Indiana and has been a musical theatre nerd since birth (just ask her mom). As a member of The Savannah Cabaret for the last four years, you may recognize her from roller skating in Murdered by Disco or from her epic air drum solo in Murdered by Horror. This Hoosier has been in the peach state for over a decade: paralegal lead by day, sound engineer by night. She was recently honored with the Savannah Performing Arts’ Technical Excellence Award. When Cami isn’t behind the soundboard, you can find her watching wild birds with her wife and taking too many pictures of her dogs.

Lighting Design: Toria Nicole Shaw

Toria is a Savannah native with a love of theatre. If you’re lucky, you can catch her onstage, othertimes she shining a light on the show.

Photographer: Travis Spangenburg

Travis Spangenburg (Photographer) is thrilled to shoot his 7th show with Savannah Cabaret. A lifelong fan of Mel Brooks, he’s excited to get YOU excited with photos of this wonderful cast. Follow @travis.spange.photo for shots of theatre, drag, princesses, and more!

UPCOMING SAVANNAH CABARET SHOWS

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Christmas in Mistletoe Falls 3: The Chrismurdering

Who killed Santa Claus? That’s up to you.

UPCOMING LIVE THEATER IN SAVANNAH

Visit OnStageSavannah.com for all of the current listings.

Savannah Performance Alliance – An Apology for the Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by John Faustus on This His Final Evening September 2 at Victory North
Bay Street Theatre – Rocky Horror Show Live October
Savannah Repertory Theatre – Savannah Music Theatre Festival Sep 5-7
The Savannah Theatre – A Few Good Men Sep 6-14; and Elf and Christmas Traditions in December
Savannah Children’s Theater – Check the website for upcoming productions
Savannah Stage Company – Brave the Stage November 16
Tybee Arts Association – Check the website for upcoming productions
Savannah Ballet Theatre – Check the website for upcoming productions
The Hive Rep – Check the website for upcoming productions
Front Porch Improv – weekly shows
Tybee Post Theater – ongoing shows
Bay Street Bombshells Burlesque – monthly shows
Tied and Tasseled Burlesque – monthly shows
House of Gunt – frequent shows