Rebecca Producers Move Forward with Trial & More Impending Broadway Court Cases

Three crimes involving Broadway productions or Broadway alums have made headlines this past week. Here is what we know so far in each of the three cases.

Rebecca Proceeds to Trial
The Rebecca saga continues as the suit against press agent Marc Thibodeau proceeds to trial, according to Deadline. The New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division affirmed the Manhattan Supreme Court’s ruling that Thibodeau was in breach of contract by sending an email under an alias that caused an investor to withdraw $2.25 million from the production.

While the new decision states that the May 2015 Supreme Court decision ruled correctly in favor of the show’s producers Ben Sprecher and Louise Forlenza regarding Thibodeau’s contract breach (because the press agent was hired to facilitate the production), the appellate panel also affirmed that issues of fact remain in the allegations of his defamation and interference.

On August 19, the Facebook page for Rebecca announced: “After successfully winning both of our court cases, we are now finally in a position to move forward with our production.” While the court did rule in favor of the production, the trial for their allegations is not expected to begin until this fall. No details about a forthcoming Broadway bow have been set.

Agent Arrested Over Alleged Kathleen Battle Play with Lupita Nyong'o 
Rolan Scahill, a former theater agent, has been arrested and arraigned on charges of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, Grand Larceny and Scheme to Defraud, according to the New York County District Attorney's Office. Scahill is alleged to have raised $165,000 from seven potential investors for a project he referred to as The KB Project, a play based on the life of soprano Kathleen Battle and her tempestuous relationship with the Metropolitan Opera.

Scahill is accused of falsely claiming he had received Battle’s life rights and that Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o—who received a Tony nomination earlier this year for her Broadway debut in Eclipsed—was attached to star. He also reportedly claimed to have booked the Booth Theatre for the show and secured a deal with Netflix to film a performance. All parties involved in these alleged deals say they were never contacted by Scahill.

The prosecution states that the raised funds were used for stock investments, personal credit card payments, rent and various food, alcohol and entertainment purchases.

Broadway Dancer Marcus Bellamy Charged with Murder
Marcus Bellamy, a former Broadway dancer who appeared in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and Tarzan, has reportedly confessed to murdering his partner Bernardo Almonte.

According to NY Daily News, Bellamy wrote a Facebook post stating “I did it for love. I did it because I love you. He told me love and hate are the same emotion” shortly after beating and strangling Almonte. Bellamy then alerted a neighbor to his crime and was arrested shortly after.

Bellamy appeared in a Gotta Dance feature for Broadway.com during his time in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark in 2012.