"Rebecca is moving forward," according to a posting credited to Sprecher. "We have identified the final missing piece of investment and the Shuberts (to whom I shall be forever indebted) have graciously allowed us to resume production to open at the Broadhurst in fall of 2012. Thank you all for you patience and most of all to the extraordinary creative team who have stuck by this fantastic production through thick and thin as Rebecca continues to play in productions throughout the world."
It was not immediately clear if the previously announced principal cast — Sierra Boggess ("I"), Tam Mutu (Maxim deWinter), Karen Mason (Mrs. Danvers), James Barbour (Jack Favell), Howard McGillin (Frank Crawley), Donna English (Beatrice de Winter), Nick Wyman (Giles) and Henry Stram (Ben) — would be available to return to the project, a suspenseful pop musical set at a sprawling estate called Manderley. A spokesman confirmed the accuracy of the posting and said casting and dates will be announced in the future.
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The producers of the new musical based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier had previously announced on Jan. 24 that the show's spring launch was being postponed until the 2012-13 season. The romantic thriller was to open April 22 at the Broadhurst Theatre, with previews beginning March 27.
Producers were unable to complete capitalization. Lead producer Sprecher said at the time, "It is with great disappointment that we have made the decision to postpone the Broadway debut of this phenomenal musical until next season. Rebecca is a grand and spectacular musical requiring substantial capitalization, and it's no secret that in this very negative economic climate, raising money for Broadway has become even more difficult and laborious than it has historically always been.
"We are very close to meeting our financial goal, but we just ran short of time to complete capitalization with rehearsals slated to begin in two weeks. We feel that Rebecca is too special of a musical to short change in any way. It is our responsibility to the creators of this show, to our cast, our partners, our investors and our vendors that the complete financing is in place before rehearsals begin.
"Rebecca on Broadway must have the proper chance to continue the successful track record it currently enjoys worldwide. My co-producers and I remain very committed to bringing this wonderful show to New York next season."
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| Tam Mutu |
"Rebecca," which was also a 1940 Academy Award-winning film by Alfred Hitchcock, is a suspense novel by British writer du Maurier that begins with the famous line, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."
The story follows "Maxim de Winter, his new wife (known only a 'I') and Mrs. Danvers, the controlling and manipulative housekeeper of Maxim's West Country estate of Manderley — where the memory of his first wife, the glamorous and mysterious Rebecca, still casts a shadow."
Rebecca had its world premiere in 2006 by Vereinigte Buhnen Wien at the Raimund Theater in Vienna, where it played for more than three years. Productions have also played Budapest, Hungary; Helsinki, Finland; Stuttgart, Germany; St. Gallen, Switzerland and at the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo.
The producers of Rebecca are Ben Sprecher, Louise Forlenza, The Shubert Organization, David Mirvish/ DC Tours Pty Limited, Nanda Anand and Peter Bogyo, in association with Tony Fusco, Larry Feinman and Peter Bezemes, by special arrangement with/and based on the Vereinigte Buhnen Wien GmbH production.
Visit www.rebeccathemusical.com.
