Rebecca Producer Must Raise $12 Million by Year End, Or Else...

There’s a decidedly non-cheery bit of news this holiday season for Ben Sprecher, the lead producer of the ill-fated musical Rebecca, which was scrapped after a long debacle with fraudulent investors and financial misappropriation.

According to Bloomberg, Sprecher must raise a minimum of $12 million by the end of the year in order to avoid immediately paying money back to investors who still remain in the Rebecca game. Those financiers who have not waived their right for a refund of their investment have reportedly been advised about Sprecher’s plans to pursue the musical in Toronto with an outside production company.

Unfortunately, a large chunk of Rebecca’s budget has already been spent in the weeks leading up to the first rehearsals, which were scheduled to begin on October 1. Bloomberg cites that the production had already spent $1.3 million this time last year, and has only used up more cash since then.

The silver lining for Rebecca’s jilted cast? Plenty of fodder for parody, which some performers went through with during a recent benefit show at 54 Below.