Turning a book into a musical has often brought timeless literature to life on stage, with classics like The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, and West Side Story capturing audiences worldwide. Daphne du Maurier’s novel Rebecca received similar treatment, first debuting as a musical in a 2006 Austrian German-language production. Plans were quickly set to bring the thriller to Broadway, with an anticipated premiere in 2012.
However, Rebecca‘s journey to Broadway was dark and unexpected, marred by deception, fabricated investors, and a scandal that ultimately halted the production. But where did it all go wrong?
Rebecca’s origins
Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel Rebecca tells the gripping story of a woman who marries into a household overshadowed by her husband’s late first wife, Rebecca. The novel was famously adapted into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940, but it wasn’t until 2006 that it was turned into a musical. The German-language production premiered in Vienna and ran for three years, selling out shows and garnering enthusiastic audiences. Its success led to international productions across Japan, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.
By 2008, producers announced plans to bring Rebecca to Broadway with an English-language premiere initially set for 2010. However, delays soon began to plague the production.
Lead-up to Broadway
In preparation for its Broadway debut, Rebecca underwent readings and private investor showcases in London. By early 2012, excitement had built around a Broadway premiere set for April 22, with a cast that included stars like Sierra Boggess and Tam Mutu. With the theatre booked, scripts ready, and costumes being fitted, the production seemed poised for success. But just two weeks before rehearsals, producers announced a delay, citing difficulties in securing the required funding amid a challenging economic climate. They pushed the premiere to the 2012-2013 season, confident they could overcome the hurdle.
Such delays aren’t uncommon on Broadway, where a finite number of theatres and shifting financial landscapes can lead to postponed openings. In March, the producers announced that new funding had been secured, with a revised opening date of October 30, 2012. However, the delay led to the loss of two of its lead actors, Boggess and Mutu, though they were soon replaced.
Just as the production seemed back on track, another setback arose: one of the show’s major investors, Paul Abrams, supposedly died of malaria after a trip to Africa. Abrams had committed around $4.5 million to the show, and his sudden ‘death’ threw the production’s financials into chaos. Rehearsals were pushed back once again, though producers reassured the cast and crew that the show would proceed, with rehearsals set for October 1.
However, the day before rehearsals were to begin, the producers cancelled the show once more, citing malicious anonymous emails sent to an investor, which caused them to pull out. The team gathered on what would have been their first day, effectively mourning the show’s demise.
FBI investigation
The drama intensified when the FBI got involved, uncovering a plot stranger than fiction. It turned out that Paul Abrams, the supposed investor who had died of malaria, had never existed. Lead producer Ben Sprecher claimed he had been introduced to Abrams through a broker named Mark Hotton, a Long Island stockbroker who assured him that Abrams was a legitimate backer. But Abrams, along with other investors, had been fabricated, and Sprecher accused Hotton of masterminding the scam.
This revelation cast an unsettling shadow over the production. It was almost poetic: a musical centred on an unseen, all-powerful figure, destroyed by a scheme of deception and hidden agendas. The very essence of Rebecca – a mysterious presence who is never seen but leaves chaos in her wake – had eerily come to life in the production itself. As in the novel, this ghostly influence managed to haunt and sabotage the production until it finally met its untimely end.
The scandal’s fallout was profound. The remaining producers sued Hotton, though his financial situation rendered this almost symbolic. Then, in a twist worthy of a crime thriller, it was discovered that anonymous letters warning investors of the show’s instability had been sent by none other than Rebecca‘s own press agent, Marc Thibodeau. While not filled with lies, these letters undermined the production’s credibility, convincing remaining investors to back out.
As legal battles ensued, and with producer Sprecher clinging to the idea of a 2014 debut, the cast and crew disbanded, leaving Broadway with nothing more than a memory of what could have been. The production’s only remaining image – a spiral staircase descending into darkness – became a fitting symbol for a project that had been dragged into ruin by the very themes of mystery, secrecy, and betrayal that Rebecca explores.
Not all hope is lost: London 2023
Despite its tumultuous past, there is still hope for Rebecca to reach English-speaking audiences. From September 4 to November 18 2023, the Off West End Charing Cross Theatre presented the first English-language adaptation of the musical. Directed by Alejandro Bonatto, this smaller-scale production featured an orchestra of 18 musicians and utilised the English translation by Hampton and Kunze. Unfortunately, this production was short-lived and received mixed reviews. Critics voiced their disappointment with various aspects, including the direction, pacing, and overall scope of the performance, although the acting was well-received.
In retrospect, it’s almost as if the musical was destined to share the tragic fate of its namesake. A show tormented by an investor who never existed, destroyed by lies and secrets, it was a real-life tragedy that mirrored the chilling story it aimed to tell. Just as Rebecca’s shadow looms over every corner of Manderley, the memory of Rebecca the Musical lingers on Broadway as the greatest show that never was, a poignant reminder of the ambition, deceit, and dark twists that can shape – and sometimes destroy – a dream.
