A Mixed Verdict in Case of Broadway-Hopeful Musical Rebecca

The long-winding court case associated with the musical Rebecca concluded on May 10 with deliverables to the show’s producers much smaller than had been sought, according to The New York Times. Veteran publicist Marc Thibodeau was deemed not responsible for defamation and will pay only $90,000 ($85,000 for interference with a potential investor and $5,000 for breach of contract) of the more than $10 million that had been sought in damages.

Producers Ben Sprecher and Louise Forlenza had sued Thibodeau for violating his contract following the derailment of the show’s planned Broadway premiere in 2012. Thibodeau had sent anonymous emails to potential stakeholders warning them about phantom investors. Plans for the musical's Broadway production dried up.

Sprecher and Forlenza are now responsible for $5.5 million owed to investors of the musical, which, it was revealed early on in the trial, they had since lost the rights to produce. The trial began on April 24.

Rebecca, which had been staged in many European cities, was based on the 1938 Daphne du Maurier novel of the same name. Rebecca is 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. Upon moving into the grand house, "I" realizes the memory of Maxim's first wife, the glamorous and mysterious Rebecca, still casts a shadow.

Rebecca features an original book and lyrics 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 served as the musical's co-directors. The Broadway premiere had been announced to star Jill Paice as "I," Ryan Silverman as Maxim de Winter, James Barbour as Jack Favel, Karen Mason as Mrs. Danvers, John Dossett as Frank Crowley, Donna English as Beatrice de Winter, Henry Stram as Ben and Nick Wyman as Giles.