The Broadway production of the new musical Rebecca, which was to begin previews at the Broadhurst Theatre on October 30 for a November 18 opening, will be delayed.
A new preview and opening date have not yet been announced, but both rehearsals and load-in will be postponed by at least weeks due to the death of a principal investor, who was responsible for more than a third of the production’s $12 million capitalization.
The musical is based on the classic novel by Daphne du Maurier and tells the story of Maxim de Winter, his new wife (“I”) and Mrs. Danvers, the controlling and manipulative housekeeper of Maxim’s West Country estate of Manderley — where the memory of his first wife, the glamorous and mysterious Rebecca, still casts a shadow.
The show features an original book by Michael Kunze, music by Sylvester Levay, English book adaptation by Christopher Hampton, and English lyrics by Hampton and Kunze. Michael Blakemore and Francesca Zambello will direct, with musical staging by Graciela Daniele.
This will be the second major delay for the production, which as previously reported had been scheduled to open in April of this year, but was postponed to give its producers more time to complete capitalization.
The cast for this fall’s planned production is to be led by Jill Paice (“I”), Ryan Silverman (Maxim de Winter), and Karen Mason (Mrs. Danvers).
Click here for TheaterMania’s previous cast announcement for Rebecca.