The fate of the $12 million Broadway musical “Rebecca,†which has been teetering on the edge of collapse due to financial problems, will become clear in the next day or so, according to an email that one of the lead producers, Ben Sprecher, sent to cast and crew members on Thursday evening.
The show has been in limbo since rehearsals were delayed on Sept. 8, when Mr. Sprecher announced that he was struggling to secure $4.5 million of the $12 million budget because of the death of an investor who was expected to deliver that money. The investor, who Mr. Sprecher said had died in early August, had been expected to provide $2 million for the show, and had also secured pledges totaling $2.5 million from three other people.
Mr. Sprecher has refused to identify the investor, but two other Broadway producers familiar with the musical's problems said they had been told that the investor was listed in the production documents as Paul Abrams. A spokesman for the production would not confirm the identity of the dead investor. No obituary or death notice for a Paul Abrams was found by the Times in extensive database searches in the United States and Europe.
In the e-mail to the cast and crew, Mr. Sprecher said of the delay that “the suspense is almost unbearable†and added that he and his fellow lead producer, Louise Forlenza, have been working to secure all of the money for the show. (Mr. Sprecher returned from England this week where he was meeting with lawyers for the estate of the investor.) Creative planning for the show continues to be underway, Mr. Sprecher said, noting that one of the show's directors, Michael Blakemore, had been meeting with Graciela Danie le, who will be handling choreography and other aspects of the staging, and other collaborators on the show.
Mr. Sprecher did not return a phone message on Thursday evening.
“Rebecca,†which had been delayed once before due to money problems, had been scheduled to begin previews on Oct. 30 and open on Nov. 18. If the show goes on, those dates are almost certain to change.
The email was provided by a recipient; its authenticity was confirmed by the musical's spokesman. The full email is below:
Dear Rebecca Family,
I know the suspense is almost unbearable.
Louise and I continue to work hard to insure that we will meet next week at a first rehearsal for “Rebecca.†Forward progress has been made every day over the last week and a half. This uncertainty will be resolved shortly.
Based on the reports I received from Michael Blakemore about the good meetings he has had over the last several days with Gr aciela Daniele, Kevin Stites and the designers, I know we are poised and ready to prepare and present a really great new musical, especially given the good fortune we have of having assembled a highly talented and good-spirited cast and stage management team.
I know how hard this has been for everyone and your families. Believe me, Louise and I are right there with you. No words of gratitude will ever do justice to the overwhelming feelings we have about your faith and commitment.
Thank you for your extraordinary patience. Don't believe anyone telling you we are delayed again. The only people who can do that are me, Louise and the Shubert Organization.
All the best,
Ben Sprecher
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