Producer Announces That \'Rebecca\' Rehearsals Will Start on Monday

September 26, 2012, 1:59 pm

By PATRICK HEALY

The producers of the troubled Broadway musical “Rebecca” notified cast members on Wednesday that rehearsals will begin on Monday morning, yet it remained unclear if the producers have closed the $4.5 million gap in the show's $12 million budget that they had deemed necessary for rehearsals to start.

The lead producer of “Rebecca,” Ben Sprecher, did not reply to phone and e-mail messages on Wednesday inquiring about rehearsals and the budget gap; a spokesman for the production also did not return messages.

Mr. Sprecher had said last week that he would not set a date for rehearsals until the $4.5 million had been deposited in the bank. He had previously canceled London and Broadway productio ns of “Rebecca” over the last 14 months due to financial problems; he then announced again for Broadway for this fall, but was forced to postpone rehearsals this month due to the budget gap.

He blamed it on the death in August of a major new investor, Paul Abrams, who was expected to provide $2 million and raise another $2.5 million. But in recent days the existence of Mr. Abrams has come into question: Mr. Sprecher disclosed that he never met or talked to Mr. Abrams, who was apparently a prominent South African executive who died of malaria, and no obituaries, death notices or other records for him or his business have surfaced.

“Rebecca” is based on a mystery novel by Daphne du Maurier (which was adapted for film in 1940 by Alfred Hitchcock) and has proved a popular draw during its past productions in Europe. The directors of the Broadway edition will be Michael Blakemore (a Tony winner for “Kiss Me, Kate”) and Francesca Zambello (“The Little Merm aid”), and the choreographer Graciela Daniele (“Ragtime”) will oversee the musical staging.

Three cast members on Wednesday confirmed the rehearsal start date and said in interviews that they were hopeful the show would go on. One of them, Nick Wyman, who is also president of the Actors' Equity union, acknowledged that he wasn't certain if Mr. Sprecher had the $4.5 million in hand, but added that he could not imagine â€" after all the show's up and downs â€" that Mr. Sprecher would risk going forward without the money in place.

“No one has said the words to me that the money is in the bank, but I would bet on the show taking place,” Mr. Wyman said. “Does he have the money right now? I don't know. Will he have it by Monday morning? I bet he will. He has been confident that we'll have the money.”

Another cast member, Howard McGillin, said he and other cast members were excited to start rehearsals after a period of limbo.

“We all believe in ‘Rebecca,' and we were really, really happy to hear this morning that the show is finally moving forward,” Mr. McGillin said.

The brief e-mail to the actors about rehearsals, which was provided by a third cast member, was sent mid-morning from Tripp Phillips, the show's production stage manager. It simply said that rehearsals would begin Monday at New 42nd Street Studios, one of the busiest rehearsal facilities for Broadway musicals, and that more details about the schedule would be sent soon.

Revised dates for the start of previews performances and opening night for “Rebecca” have yet to be announced, though performances would likely begin in November.