Rebecca English Language Production

[Havanah]

A thread for update and discussion on the English translation of Rebecca that is set to grace both London and Broadway. This post will be updated with any information as it comes to light.

The spellbinding intrigue and aching romance of Daphne Du Maurier’s famous mystery thriller Rebecca are brought vividly to life in an electrifying new musical adaptation, staged by Tony Award-winning Michael Blakemore and world-renowned director Francesca Zambello.
In 1930s Cornwall, the young, naïve bride of Maxim De Winter arrives at his grand, imposing country manor, Manderley, expecting only a life of married bliss with her new husband. But Manderley is not so welcoming to the new lady of the house. For the spirit of Rebecca, Maxim’s beautiful and ever-dominant first wife, lost in a sailing accident a year earlier, is everywhere, hanging over the young bride like a curse and overshadowing everything she does. As the chillingly malevolent housekeeper Mrs Danvers becomes ever more hostile, it soon becomes apparent that Manderley is a house of devastating secrets, and the mystery of Rebecca may be the greatest of them all...
Famously filmed in 1940 by Alfred Hitchcock and winner of the Best Picture Oscar, Rebecca is now set to thrill the world all over again in this spectacular and gripping new staging. The original book was written and adapted by Michael Kunze and was translated by the Academy Award-winning Christopher Hampton. They have both collaborated on the English lyrics, and with a sumptuous, unforgettable score by Sylvester Levay, Rebecca The Musical is a breathtaking, extraordinary and simply unmissable piece of theatre.

www.rebeccathemusical.com/

[glow=blue,2,300]Update[/glow] Due to the discovery of an underground stream under the London theatre Rebecca was supposed to premier in this spring, rendering that theater unsuitable for current use, alternative locations are being looked for. All suitable London theaters are booked. Could this lead to an earlier Broadway premier or just a later showing?

[cen]

I follow Playbill on Twitter and they've just posted this article about the Broadway version of Rebecca:

www.playbill.com/news/article/147709-Will-Sierra-Boggess-Star-in-New-Musical-Rebecca-on-Broadway?sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4d5be6644ca2d22d,0

Sounds mostly like hearsay still, as nothing definite has been announced... but I can't help getting a bit excited.

[Havanah]

Ooh, sounds good!
The official website has also been updated with a little bit about the performance which I'll add to the main post.

Now Sierra's gearing up for Rebecca
The producers of the musical Rebecca are holding a rehearsed reading in New York with Sierra Boggess. It will be Ms Boggess’s first professional gig after she plays her last performance in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Love Never Dies on March 12.
The musical version of Daphne Du Maurier’s novel had been expected to open at the Shaftesbury Theatre, but the show’s designers discovered an ancient stream running beneath the theatre.
The planned set needed to rise up from the bowels of the building. But when workmen drilled a test hole, they hit water.
‘I didn’t want to create a hole in London and end up being buried in it myself,’ joked Ben Sprecher, one of the producers behind Rebecca.
Now, he and his associates are looking at other theatres in London but the suitable ones — which include the Adelphi — are occupied. So Broadway theatres are also on the agenda.
Sprecher says the plan is to begin production in the autumn — in either London or New York — and the hope is that Ms Boggess will star.
However, she might also do She Loves Me for director Stephen Mear at the Chichester Festival Theatre.
At the New York reading next month, Ms Boggess will read the part of ‘I’, Carolee Carmello will read Mrs Danvers and Hugh Panaro will read the part of Max de Winter.

From the Daily Mail newspaper

[Havanah]

There's a read through happening in the US in a couple of days.

www.playbill.com/news/article/147781-Reading-of-New-Musical-Rebecca-to-Feature-Sierra-Boggess-Hugh-Panaro-Carolee-Carmello

[Mrs.Camui]

do you believe that the show will catch on to an english speaking audience? i always felt that rebecca was a bit slow with some unnecessary songs.

[Havanah]

Hmm, I don't really know.
It would depend upon the translation quality, I think.

Personally I like Rebecca as I think that all of the songs are quite powerful even though I agree that a lot of them could be condenced or even cut completely. With the right staging and decent lyrics (hopefully sticking closely to the original English demo) I see no reason why it wouldn't catch on. It's had enough promotion too so...

I guess we shall just have to wait and see.

[Mrs.Camui]

^

Yup, wait and see. *checks watch*

[Havanah]

I second the idea that I wish it would hurry up and be opened somewhere (*cough*london*cough)

[Mrs.Camui]

^

*still checking watch---looks up*

I thought it was going to open in NYC?

*continues checking watch*

[Havanah]

It was originally going to be London - it should have opened by now actually - but the theatre they planned to open it in was found to have some stream or something underneath meaning it has had to be closed. The other suitable London venues are booked so yeah, US may catch up!

It's going to be a race as to who gets it first me thinks!

[WennIchTanzenWill]

Eeeek!
The tension is killing me!
-its worying that I've never heard this musical, and yet Im SOOOO exited it might be coming at some point... ^^-

[Mrs.Camui]

Though I feel some of the songs should have been paired down for sake of flow. But I particularly enjoy this song! There is always one song I like from a musical from than others.

[cen]

Squee!

A couple of hours ago Sierra Boggess posted this on Twitter:


@sierra_boggess
Rebecca performance is done! I can now unpack boxes!!

---

Not sure of all that implies, but it fills me with hope!

[WennIchTanzenWill]

Woooooooooow... that song... waaaaaaaaaaow...
Character=Danvers?

[Havanah]

Yeah, Pia played Mrs Danvers in the original English Demo. Uwe played Maxim and I believe Tim Reichwein was in the chorus XD