Burnt: How The Show "Rebecca" Set Broadway Ablaze

“Rebecca” the musical was supposed to be the next “Phantom of the Opera”, Broadway’s multi-billion dollar hit. Instead, “Rebecca” turned into one of the wildest, most bizarre, true-crime scandals the stage has ever seen.  When a multi-millionaire stranger suddenly dies, a fire is lit that ends up consuming everyone involved in the show. In Burnt, the story of “Rebecca” winds its way through secret stings, many courtrooms, prison and freedom — and when the smoke finally clears, we’re left to wonder: who is really to blame and how in the hell did this happen?   Reported and hosted by Blake Ross. Edited by Alan Seales. Supervising Producers Dori Berinstein and Brittany Bigelow. Special thanks to Philip Boroff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mystery. Hidden identities. Con Men. Secret sting operations. Money vanishing into thin air. Even death plagues the players of Rebecca, the musical. What was supposed to be a big Broadway musical, complete with a spectacle that included burning a house to the ground, turned into one hell of a true crime story, where everyone got burnt. Rebecca was the dream of Ben Sprecher, an old-school producer looking for his big break on Broadway. It was based on the famous gothic novel by Daphne du Maurier and the subsequent Oscar-winning film by Alfred Hitchock. But Hitchcock could never have dreamt up something this crazy.  Episode 1 features interviews with Oscar winner Christopher Hampton, Sierra Boggess, Michael Kunze, Francesca Zambello, Tripp Phillips, Robert Viagas, Michael Riedel, and Peter Bogyo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a few years passes and producers still haven’t cooked up enough money to get their show on Broadway, a man named Mark Hotton enters the picture. With a yacht, his and hers Bentleys, and a waterfront mansion on Long Island, it seemed like Hotton was the answer to Rebecca’s money woes. But, you’d be wrong. Marc Thibodeau, the show’s publicist, tries to warn Ben Sprecher about his new money man. But Sprecher doesn’t want to hear it. So Thibodeau decides to take matters into his own hands. Episode 2 features interviews with Vanity Fair correspondent David Kamp, attorney Timothy Dennin, Philip Boroff (Bloomberg, Broadway Journal), Peter Bogyo, and Michael Riedel (New York Post). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journey through the 1980s-1990s New York City theater scene. The days of Little Shop, Larry Kramer, and Lucielle Lortel. At the center of a burgeoning Off-Broadway scene sat Ben Sprecher, an ambitious theater owner who was determined to make a name for himself. Twenty years later, it was all gone. Episode 3 features interviews with Kevin Stites, Sierra Boggess, Tripp Phillips, David Kamp (Vanity Fair), Michael Riedel (New York Post), and Peter Bogyo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains discussions of child abuse and child pornography and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. After years of litigation, Ben Sprecher finally settled the last of his cases involving Rebecca. With a new show brewing and a new career aim of being a restaurateur, things seemed like they were getting back on track. But, before too long, Sprecher was back in a courtroom… and this time, he was the one in handcuffs. Episode 4 features interviews with Kevin Stites, Sierra Boggess, Julian Schlossberg, Peter Boygo, David Kamp (Vanity Fair), Tripp Phillips, and Philip Boroff (Bloomberg, Broadway Journal). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeremy Piven and Sushi Gate. Adela Holzer, one of Broadway’s greatest grifters. James Barbour in Riker’s. And the return of Broadway’s own mini Madoff, Garth Drabinsky. Take a listen to some of Broadway’s other great true crime scandals. Episode 5 features an interview with Robert Viaga (Encore Magazine). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patrick Hinds of True Crime Obsessed and DissapearedPod chats with Blake about some more crazy theater's scanDALs. Including the true story behind Patti LuPone and WHO. DO. YOU. THINK. YOU. ARE?! The many oofs of Shia Labeouf and Broadway, and a deep dive into a real-life Broadway murder.  The Life and Death of a Broadway Producer, https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/09/theater/life-and-death-of-a-broadway-producer.html Watch the video version of this episode here: https://youtu.be/zz13HUUNqCw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blake continues the spiral down the Theater-Meets-True Crime rabbit hole when she asks, "Has there ever been a murder on a stage?" Enter the case of Daniel Wozniak, a community theater actor who manages to commit several heinous crimes before shockingly going onstage to perform in Maury Yeston's famous Fellini musical Nine. Joined by fellow True Crime fanatic, Marc Tumminelli ("Little Me"). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest True Crime / Broadway crossover podcast from Broadway Podcast Network: THIS IS REALITY. A completely true story, still unfolding. How and why did a 25-year-old with a Pikachu bedspread become the #1 terrorist in the United States? In 2017, REALITY WINNER, a highly decorated former Air Force linguist was charged with leaking proof of Russian interference in the 2016 election to the media. Her goal – to help protect Democracy. Reality received the longest sentence ever imposed for unauthorized release of government information - five-years, three-months – for her patriotic efforts. THIS IS REALITY captures the unfolding events of the interrogation, the trial, the imprisonment and the current efforts to pursue clemency with those that were 'in the room' where it all happened.  Produced by Dori Berinstein, Sally Horchow, and Rebecca Aparicio. Part of the Broadway Podcast Network. Visit bpn.fm/ThisIsReality for more info and tickets to the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we chat with Sunset Project's own Broadway Bob to touch down on the soap opera-like drama that followed the making of Sunset Boulevard. From Patti LuPone V. Glenn Close to the infamous "Andrew Lloyd Webber Memorial Pool" to the Normas that never were (i.e. Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand, Faye Dunaway, etc.), Blake and Bob do a deep dive into the drama and gossipy fodder that was the making of this megamusical. For more on the making of Sunset Boulevard listen to The Sunset Project.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two of your favorite Broadway mystery podcasts unite for a cross-Atlantic comparison of all the craziness that haunted Rebecca, Carrie, and even this very podcast! Join Chris and Holly (Out for Blood) and Blake (Burnt) to discuss how things could go so horribly wrong for two very different musicals. Listen to OUT FOR BLOOD: The Story of Carrie the Musical bpn.fm/outforblood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for an extraordinary deep dive inside the most transformative decade on Broadway through gripping behind-the-scenes accounts of shows such as Sunset Boulevard, Rent, Angels in America, Chicago, The Lion King, and The Producers - shows that changed the history of the American theater. Host Michael Riedel, author of the best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway, has created a companion podcast featuring his never-before-heard, taped audio interviews with legendary artists from Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, Patti LuPone, and so many more. Michael presents the drama behind the decade’s mega-hits and shocking flops, bringing readers into high-stakes premieres, fraught rehearsals, tough contract negotiations, intense Tony Award battles, and more. From the bitter feuds to the surprising collaborations, all the intrigue of a revolutionary era in the Theater District is packed into Singular Sensation. Broadway has triumphs and disasters, but the show always goes on. Enjoy Singular Sensation: The Podcast everywhere you get your podcasts or use http://bpn.fm/singularsensation to listen and learn more, and be sure to get the book here: https://amzn.to/4cNdfO3. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices