Vanity Fair Delves Into REBECCA THE MUSICAL's Scandals in June Issue

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 4:14pm

Just finished reading this huge article and goes into a lot of detail about what exactly happened with Rebecca. This is a very interested read that really delves into what happened and who was involved. I would definitely recommend checking this out!




Vanity Fair article

Updated On: 5/18/13 at 04:14 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 4:21pm

The whole thing is worth it for the last line.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 4:34pm

^ Much agreed. I feel horrible for Michael Kunze, whose two outings to Broadway have both not gone so well. The real shame is how much more involved he was in this show compared to his last experience. It at least had a chance of being "his" show...

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 5:23pm

Fascinating, and how is it that Thibodeau is not found more culpable in the downfall of the show? Sounds from this like he is the real reason the whole thing collapsed.

Updated On: 5/18/13 at 05:23 PM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 5:34pm

Well, they weren't all the way home even if he hadn't intervened, and I can't say I wouldn't have done the same in those circumstances. But... moot point now, isn't it?

[DeNada]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 5:34pm

I still think Sprecher is immensely misguided if he thinks the continuing success of PHANTOM and MAMMA MIA, and the previous success of LES MIS, are indicators that REBECCA would be a hit - particularly after the Broadway in Bryant Park performances last year showcased just how poor the English lyrics were.

I hope the show opens in English somewhere someday, however. And I hope Sprecher is able to let go and put this all behind him someday, and move on to another project without this baggage.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 5:35pm

The part that kinda killed me a little bit is reading that the set is fully built and just sitting in storage. A full designed and built set just waiting... And based on the pictures and videos, this would probably have been one amazing set design. I would love for someone to write a book about this whole ordeal.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 5:47pm

I was starting to feel sorry for Sprecher, but now that I know he's attacking Thibodeau, who seems to have done the right thing, I have no sympathy for his troubles.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 5:55pm

^ I agree Thibodeau did the right thing by trying to stop the conning, but he went about it the wrong way. He complicated everything a lot by sending out those fake emails. He should have gone to the authorities if he was so concerned. He really made an even bigger mess of the situation. One would think such an experienced PR person who has represented a lot of big shows would know how to handle the situation better.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 6:09pm

^ When's the last time YOUR fake investor died?

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 6:15pm

Am I missing something? Surprised to read the defenses above for Thibodeau's actions. Didn't he deliberately sabotage a legitimate investor's legitimate investment in the show to punish Sprecher (and the other 100+ staff and cast involved) for not taking his warnings about Hotton seriously?

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 6:20pm

I dunno, man, it doesn't seem to me like his motivation was "I'll show you, you unfeeling non-listening douche." It seems like it was "I don't know who to trust anymore, and these people are on a sinking ship." But that may just be my reading of events.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 6:24pm

When's the last time YOUR fake investor died?

It just seems like common sense to me that sending "anonymous" emails is not going to help anything. And with today's technology, just about ANYTHING can be traced. Like I said, if he really suspected foul play (which his suspicions were obviously correct), he should have gone to the authorities. He was in a lose - lose situation either way though... I will give the poor guy that much,

[kdogg36]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 6:29pm

bwayphreak, I completely agree that he should have gone about things in a more up-front manner. But his explanation for what he did, and why he felt so conflicted, seem compelling to me, and I don't think he should be punished for his actions, awkwardly executed though they were.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 7:42pm

The whole thing is worth it for the last line.

Exactly my thought. I was waiting for the article to be discussed here.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 7:51pm

I'm not defending or damning anyone, but is a general partner required (morally or legally) to disclose that he has been duped by one of his employees? Any place I've worked would consider such info to be highly confidential.

By the time Thibodeaux started sending fake emails, Sprecher had already acknowledged that a certain percentage of the funding was no longer in place. Did Sprecher have an obligation to tell everyone why? (I doubt it, at least not legally.) If not, then why was Thibodeaux right to disclose the reason for the shortfall?

Put another way (and I admit I read the article several weeks ago), if Thibodeaux had remained silent, wouldn't the new investor have made up the shortfall so that REBECCA could proceed according to the new schedule? What would have been wrong with that?

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 8:51pm

I'd have more respect for Thibodeaux if he'd contacted law enforcement if he suspected fraud, had used his own name to do it, and had quit when he suspected fraud. He didn't do any of those things. I get why he was concerned, but his actions and rationale don't quite add up.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 9:16pm

I assume Thibodeau wanted to cover his ass without getting a reputation for betraying confidential information. But since Sprecher was the victim of the fraud, not its perpetrator, I'm not entirely sure why Thibodeau thought he needed to protect himself.

I wasn't there, however, and I don't know what representations Sprecher was making to the savior-investor.

[Playbilly]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 10:43pm

Fascinating article. The last line should be in any investor's mind. And, I really don't believe any of the parties spoke with 100% honesty. There is a lot of deflecting blame in that article.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 10:47pm

It's a good story, but it has serious second-act problems.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 10:53pm

I like the part where the angel crashes through the ceiling but still don't understand who Bethany Frankel is or why she shoots the angel down.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 5/18/13 at 11:06pm

I assume Thibodeau wanted to cover his ass without getting a reputation for betraying confidential information. But since Sprecher was the victim of the fraud, not its perpetrator, I'm not entirely sure why Thibodeau thought he needed to protect himself.

Well, and I might be reading this wrong, the article seems to be clear that what Sprecher explained as tunnel vision in the lead-up to rehearsals sounded to Thibodeau like empty assurances designed to shut him up. In the paranoid atmosphere created by the bottom falling out twice, he couldn't be sure that Sprecher wasn't in on it, and lying to him to keep him pacified.

Again, could be wrong.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 5/19/13 at 1:35am

Yeah, that sounds like it is what happened but Thibodeau is still in the wrong even if he thought that was the case. He should have gone to authorities or at the very least quit if he wanted to wash his hands clean. Writing the press release about the person who sent the malicious emails is really quite despicable and makes it hard for me to feel sympathetic for him. I'm not sure why anyone would ever hire that man to be a publicist for anything.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 5/19/13 at 1:50pm

Well, it's such an atypical situation I don't think any of us could predict how we would react in his shoes, as easy as it sounds to us to step back and say what he should have done. It's easy to judge what he did from where we're standing, but unless or until we ever have that kind of pressure on our shoulders, it's hard to know how we'd handle it.

Oh yeah... and with a track record like he has pre-Rebecca, I'd hire him in a heartbeat.

Updated On: 5/19/13 at 01:50 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/19/13 at 8:40pm

Again, could be wrong.

Could be, but your explanation makes sense to me, g.e.l.g.i.