‘Rebecca’ Pulls Out of Planned Spring Opening

Last November it was announced that the first United States production of “Rebecca” would open at the Broadhurst Theatre in April, but producers of the show announced recently that the show would be postponed until the 2012-2013 season.

Preview shows were set to begin March 27, with rehearsals beginning February 6, but producers said they didn’t have time to collect all of the $12 million initial investment they needed to begin the show. Had it been produced, it would have been one of the most expensive Broadway shows of the 2011 season.

Lead producer Ben Sprecher said in a statement that the current troubled economic times are to blame for the lack of funds.

“We are very close to meeting our financial goal, but we just ran short of time to complete capitalization with rehearsals slated to begin in two weeks,” he said. “We feel that ‘Rebecca’ is too special of a musical to short change in any way. It is our responsibility to the creators of this show, to our cast, our partners, our investors and our vendors that the complete financing is in place before rehearsals begin.”

It has been reported that the show had raised around 80 percent of the total $12 million.

“Rebecca” is based on a 1938 novel by Daphne Du Maurier that was later turned into an Academy Award winning film by Alfred Hitchcock that starred Laurence Olivier. The stage adaptation was written by Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay, who also collaborated on the musicals “Elisabeth,” “Mozart!” and “Marie Antoinette.” It premiered in 2006 in Austria.

“Rebecca” will be replaced in the Broadhurst’s lineup will be a new multiracial production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” directed by Emily Mann and presented by Front Row Productions. The same company had a commercial Broadway hit in 2008 with an all-black production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” No production dates have yet been announced.