After sending an email to cast and creative team members as previously reported yesterday, September 20, REBECCA's lead producer Ben Sprecher has confirmed the receipt of new financial commitments from investors to alleviate the $4.5 million gap in the musical's budget, according to The New York Times' ArtsBeat blog.
The Times also reports, however, that the investment contracts have not been signed. Despite this, Sprecher told the paper he plans to start paying the cast on Monday, September 24. Cast members told the Times Sprecher said he hoped to begin rehearsals on Wednesday, but the date has not been confirmed.
"I have confidence in the artistry and cast, but I can't put into words how stressful it's been to put the money in place," Sprecher said.
Sprecher has not revealed the names of his new investors. BroadwayWorld will bring you more information as it becomes available.
REBECCA, the new musical based on the classic novel by
Daphne Du Maurier novel, previously delayed the start of its rehearsals by two weeks due to the death of a key investor responsible for a $4.5 million investment pool in the production. REBECCA was scheduled to begin rehearsals Monday, September 10 prior to an October 30 first preview and November 18 premiere at the Broadhurst Theatre. Revised first preview and opening night dates will be announced shortly.
REBECCA features original book and lyrics by
Michael Kunze, music by
Sylvester Levay, English book adaptation by two-time Tony Award winner
Christopher Hampton (Sunset Boulevard), English lyrics by Hampton and Kunze, and direction by Tony Award winner
Michael Blakemore (Kiss Me, Kate; City of Angels; Noises Off) and
Francesca Zambello (Little Mermaid). Multiple Tony-nominated director/choreographer
Graciela Daniele (Ragtime) will create the musical staging for the show. Scenic design is by
Peter J. Davidson, costumes by
Jane Greenwood, lighting by
Mark McCullough, sound by
Peter Fitzgerald, hair & wig design by
Tom Watson and special effects by
Gregory Meehand projections by
Sven Ortel. Musical direction and supervision is by
Kevin Stites.
The cast of REBECCA features
Jill Paice as “I”,
Ryan Silverman as Maxim DeWinter,
Karen Mason as Mrs. Danvers,
James Barbour as Jack Favell,
Howard McGillin as Frank Crawley,
Donna English as Beatrice de Winter,
Henry Stram as Ben and
Nick Wyman as Giles.
REBECCA is a new musical drawn from the classic
Daphne Du Maurier novel about love and obsession reaching from beyond the grave. In this romantic thriller, Maxim de Winter brings his new wife (“I”) home to his estate of Manderley. There she meets the intimidating housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, who had a very special relationship with Maxim’s first wife, the beautiful Rebecca, who died a year earlier in a boating accident. The young woman discovers Manderley is a house of devastating secrets, and the mystery of Rebecca may be the greatest of them all as she finds the strength to challenge Mrs. Danvers and save her marriage.
REBECCA had its world premiere in 2006 at Vereinigte Buhnen Wien in Vienna, where it played to sold-out houses for more than three years. Vastly successful productions of REBECCA have also played Budapest, Hungary; Bucharest, Romania; Helsinki, Finland; Stuttgart, Germany; St. Gallen, Switzerland and at the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo.
