Peter Fitzgerald News

The twisting tale of REBECCA's cancellation on Broadway made a new turn this morning with multiple news outlets reporting that troubled financier and stock broker Mark C. Hotton was arrested this morning at 6am for his role in the show's collapse.

According to the New York Post, Ronald Russo , lawyer for producer Ben Sprecher has now said that 'Sprecher had been led to "Abrams" by shadowy Long Island businessman, Mark Hotton, who told him Abrams died before he could hand over the dough, sources have said. There also were three other investors Hotton told Sprecher about who supposedly promised another combined $2 million for the show, the sources have said. But "following an extensive search over the last week, I can now confirm that there is no evidence whatever that "Paul Abrams" or any of the other three investors brought to this production by Mr. Hotton, ever existed," said Sprecher's lawyer, Ronald Russo. The lawyer said they conducted an investigation in both the US and England.'

Marilyn Sokol, currently featured in OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES, will be a guest on WBAI Radio (99.5 FM) tomorrow, Saturday October 6 in the 9 AM hour. The Emmy Award winner will chat with host David Rothenberg about the off Broadway hit, and about her career, which includes such highlights as flashing the audience on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (by mistake), being both a voice and puppeteer on Sesame Street, and having her Dial-A-Jokes on record at The Smithsonian Institute.

This morning, October 3, the following letter was composed by one of the Principal cast members of REBECCA, Karen Mason, in hopes of clearing up the ongoing speculation of the cancelled Broadway prodution of REBECCA

Now according to the New York Times, the United States attorney's office is investigating whether the investor ever existed in the first place. Sprecher told NYT: "I never made up or fabricated any investor, and I never made up Paul Abrams." He also revealed that a new production of Rebecca is in the works that he 'hoped to mount soon, on Broadway or elsewhere.'

Ben Sprecher and Louise Forlenza, producers for Rebecca, the Musical, announced this afternoon that they were left with no option but to postpone the show. A new timeline has not been announced.

The offstage saga of REBECCA the musical continues to twist and turn with drama of its own. Today, Michael Riedel reports exclusively in the New York Post that, according to his sources, the show 'has been cancelled due to a lack of financing.'

As BroadwayWorld reported last week, REBECCA's lead producer Ben Sprecher recently confirmed the receipt of new financial commitments from investors to alleviate the $4.5 million gap in the musical's budget. Now according to the New York Times, the cast of the show has been notifoed that rehearsals will indeed begin on Monday, October 1.

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.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert played its final performance on Broadway on June 24, 2012, after 23 previews and 526 performances. Now, according to an Equity casting notice, a national tour for the show will launch from Minneapolis on January 8.

According to The New York Times' ArtsBeat blog, producer Ben Sprecher of the Broadway musical Rebecca sent an email to the show's cast and crew today with details about the production's fate.

REBECCA, the new musical based on the classic novel by Daphne du Maurier novel, has 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.

GPR Records will release a recording of Catherine Zeta-Jones narrating The Runaway Bunny, based on the best selling children's classic by Margaret Wise Brown. Also on the CD will be English Baritone Mark Stone singing Goodnight Moon and a special guest superstar narrating Poulenc's Babar, The Elephant. The CD will be released on November 15th, will be available at www.GPRRecords.com, Amazon, and iTunes.

Dan Okrent, one of the creators of the off-Broadway hit OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES recently had a full color tattoo of the show's eye-catching tattoo permanently inked on his right shoulder.

Marilyn Sokol, currently featured in the off-Broadway hit OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES is a guest on "How to Do Everything," the popular podcast created by the producers of NPR's "Wait, Wait…Don't Tell Me." On HTDE, listeners ask questions ranging from how not to sound stupid when ordering wine to how do I escape a charging rhino. The hosts answer them, or "usually, given how little we actually know how to do, we find experts who can help you out."

Hear co-creator Daniel Okrent and cast members Todd Susman and Audrey Lynn Weston from the off-Broadway hit OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES as they visit WNYC Radio's Leonard Lopate. Click below to listen!

Marilyn Sokol, currently featured in the off-Broadway hit OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES will be interviewed on Sirius XM Radio's, 'Seth's Big Fat Broadway,' hosted by Seth Rudetsky, this Sunday July 8 at 5 PM ET, with multiple replays throughout the following week.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert plays its final performance on Broadway today, June 24, 2012, after 23 previews and 526 performances. After a pre-Broadway try-out in Toronto, the show opened on March 20, 2011, at The Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway), starring Tony Award nominee Will Swenson, Tony Award nominee Tony Sheldon and Nick Adams as a trio of friends on a road trip, who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship in the middle of the Australian outback, and end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed.

Ryan Silverman, just announced for the role of Maxim de Winter in Broadway's upcoming production REBECCA, released a new music video today for 'Come on Down to My House.' Watch the video below!

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert star Nick Adams welcomed guest rocker Joan Jett backstage at the Palace Theatre last week on June 14. Adams invited Jett to see Priscilla before its 549-performance run ends this Sunday, June 24. Check out a photo of the pair below!