If you have read my article about Daphne du Maurier’s romantic suspense novel Rebecca, then you know it is safe to say I am obsessed. Not only did I write articles about both the book and movie versions, but I also recommended it over and over again to Hewitt’s student book club (yes, we did end up reading it eventually). It may not come as a surprise that I, who have read the book and watched the movie numerous times, planned on seeing Rebecca on its opening night on April 22 as a Broadway musical.

To prepare for the big moment of seeing my favorite book on the stage, I watched videos of scenes from Rebecca being performed in other countries several years ago. Although the scenes I saw were not exactly as I imagined the story while reading it (I secretly wished I could write, direct, and act in the show so it would turn out to my likings), I was still eager to see it on Broadway.

The advertising image of Rebecca on Broadway, taken from my personal invitation to the Broadway performance

However, to my dismay, I read an article in January that announced Rebecca’s postponement until next season. Ben Sprecher, Rebecca’s lead producer, stated “‘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.” Despite this minor setback, which also cost Rebecca its two lead actors, Sierra Boggess (as the Second Mrs. de Winter) and Tam Mutu (as Maxim de Winter), Rebecca was soon rescheduled to open this fall (ironically, one of Rebecca’s  co-directors, Michael Blakemore, directed Kiss Me, Kate, which will be Hewitt’s next Winter Musical).

The announcement of Rebecca’s broadway debut that I received in the mail

Over the summer, I received a letter from “Rebecca de Winter” (a major character in the novel, though she died before the story took place), which was an announcement and invitation to see Rebecca on Broadway. Because I received this letter, I was positive Rebecca’s Broadway run would finally begin. Yet in early September, I read another article that stated that Rebecca was going to be postponed again due to, in Mr. Sprecher’s words, “the tragic and sudden death of a major investor in early August.” Unfortunately, the author of the article, Patrick Healy, stated that “If the musical’s lead producers, Mr. Sprecher and Louise Forlenza, cannot nail down the money in that time, the cancellation or indefinite postponement of ‘Rebecca’ is likely.”

My initial disappointment about Rebecca’s monetary issues turned into confusion when I read a recent update about the sudden death of the donor. Apparently, the deceased was “a rich investor unknown to clubby Broadway insiders – a mystery man named Paul Abrams,” and when he died of malaria, there were “no obituaries [and] no death notices.” Furthermore, Mr. Sprecher communicated with Mr. Abrams solely via email, never meeting him in person. Even now, Sprecher is communicating with a “representative for the Abrams estate…a person identifying himself only as ‘Wexler’ who refuses to speak by phone and uses an e-mail address created just last month.”

All of this information sounds very suspicious, leading me to highly doubt the existence of Mr. Abrams. That said, I suspect it will be difficult for the producers of Rebecca to obtain the so-called Mr. Abrams’s donation. When he heard of Mr. Abrams’ death, Mr. Sprecher visited London, where Abrams supposedly lived, in a attempt to receive the $4.5 million he had been promised. Unsurprisingly, this attempt failed, and Mr. Sprecher is now left with a failing show, public embarrassment because of its double postponement, and the mystery of Mr. Abrams, whom the New York Times article very appropriately described as a “mysterious specter haunting the show – not unlike the ghost [Rebecca] that is central to the musical’s plot.”

“Rebecca’s” return address on the show’s announcement letter

I hope all of Rebecca’s issues can be solved and that the show will eventually open on Broadway. However, if Rebecca ends up failing, perhaps my secret wish will come true, and I’ll write, direct, and star in my own rendition of Rebecca. Who knows?

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