History TroubledProduction / Theatre

* In 1995, Creator/StephenSondheim and John Weidman received a commission to write a musical about the lives of Wilson and Addison Mizner. By 2004, when the show's score was recorded under its third WorkingTitle, ''Bounce'', production had seemingly been abandoned. It finally made it to New York in 2008 as the off-Broadway production ''Road Show'', but it lasted only two months (counting previews), and has had only a few productions since.

* ''Hot Spot'', a musical burlesque of the Peace Corps that flopped on Broadway in 1963 with an ailing Judy Holliday in her final starring role, had more than its share of troubles. Four days before rehearsals started, orchestrator Robert Ginzler (''Theatre/{{Gypsy}}'', ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'' and ''Theatre/HowToSucceedInBusinessWithoutReallyTrying'') suffered a fatal heart attack. The preview period was repeatedly extended for numerous ghostwriters (including Creator/StephenSondheim, who helped write a new opening number) to improve the book and lyrics. By one account, the show went through nine directors. Herbert Ross ultimately took over both direction and choreography, but the program credited nobody for either.

* Creator/RichardWagner's second opera, ''Das Liebesverbot'' (based on ''Theatre/MeasureForMeasure''), was his first opera to be staged, albeit with severe cuts. The Magdeburg company's opening night performance was ruined by underrehearsed singers and orchestra. Their second performance never even started, due to a feud breaking out among the cast. The opera was not performed again until 1923.

* In 1995, StephenSondheim and John Weidman received a commission to write a musical about the lives of Wilson and Addison Mizner. By 2004, when the show's score was recorded under its third WorkingTitle, ''Bounce'', production had seemingly been abandoned. It finally made it to New York in 2008 as the off-Broadway production ''Road Show'', but it lasted only two months (counting previews), and has had only a few productions since.

* Before ''Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'' hit Broadway, 1983's ''Merlin'' was a fantasy musical (presenting the famous Arthurian character in his younger days) that had its own overlong preview period. Its official opening was postponed three times to the annoyance of critics, and much like what happened with the Spidey show, ''The New York Times'' formally reviewed it before it formally opened. The spectacle wasn't the problem this time -- leading man Doug Henning was a StageMagician legend who'd previously had a hit with ''The Magic Show'' in TheSeventies and his tricks for this show were equally impressive. But he didn't have to do much singing in the older show (StephenSchwartz gave the tunes to his supporting cast), and in this one he did... at least initially, as by the end of previews all his singing was cut. The original director was cut too, replaced by co-producer Ivan Reitman, and a second choreographer was added. Making matters worse, the Broadway production of ''Theatre/{{Cats}}'' opened just months before and monopolized the attention of theatergoers -- particularly the families which ''Merlin'' obviously hoped to court. The producers pressed on ("It was the musical that wouldn't disappear" according to Creator/NathanLane, who played a bumbling villain), and it managed five Tony nominations in a weak season, but it won none and closed after 199 regular performances.

* Creator/CirqueDuSoleil productions have their ups and downs on the way to opening night, but ''Theatre/BananaShpeel'' was truly troubled. The original concept -- a fusion of Cirque's "house style", {{Vaudeville}}, and TheMusical -- proved to be too much for one coherent show, so the major characters who were going to handle the songs were dropped and new composers hired AFTER the 2008 ''AmericasGotTalent'' finale featured the singers in question in a preview segment. Now a {{Slapstick}}-heavy show with only two acrobatic setpieces, it bombed with critics in its Chicago tryout at the end of 2009. A second revision with more acrobatics and a ''third'' score took so long to put together (with two comic principals being fired and rehired over the period) that its New York City debut was delayed by months. This ran into another problem -- Cirque's grand plan for 2010 was for ''Shpeel'' to debut in late winter and run indefinitely at the Beacon Theatre, while the tent tour ''Theatre/{{OVO}}'' had a springtime engagement and ''Wintuk'' a holiday season one. The delays meant that ''OVO'' arrived first... and ''Shpeel'', with reviews far worse than ''OVO'''s, was stuck in its shadow. The show closed in two months. Cirque tried to take it on the road afterward, but it closed permanently after one month in Toronto -- the company's first complete failure amongst its live shows.

* The musical adaptation of ''Theatre/GroundhogDay'' was almost killed right off the bat in its move from London to Broadway when lead star Andy Karl injured his knee in the American previews. He persevered with help from his costume being refitted to include a leg brace, but it soon suffered another potential show-ending failure in front of critics with technical difficulties in its hugely ambitious police chase scene that resulted in a ten minute delay. This was fixed as well and the show made it to a general release, but closed after only a few months despite fantastic reviews.

** The producers duly pushed the opening back... to a ''Friday'', almost unheard of on Broadway. Despite the producers' response that they were just trying to avoid competing with the recently-opened musical adapation of ''Film/SchoolOfRock'', everyone knew this was an attempt to make sure bad reviews would be buried since Saturday's newspapers are the least-read of any day of the week. GenreSavvy critics pounced right back by filing uniformly negative reviews in Friday's papers, based on the previews they had attended (again, a break with custom).

* Trouble with ''Theatre/{{Chess}}'' in London started when its original director had to drop out before just before rehearsals, then went on to include trouble with the show's highly technical sets that threatened its ability to open on time. Then the Broadway rewrite (which ended up torn apart by critics and flopped) had enough behind-the-scenes drama that ''Vanity Fair'' wrote a feature on it, including claims of a director was nearly unreachable, an ill producer, and a rush to open the show in time to compete with Creator/AndrewLloydWebber's ''The Phantom of the Opera''.

* ''Dance of the Vampires'', the Broadway version of ''Theatre/TanzDerVampire'', was [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_of_the_vampires#Broadway probably doomed from the start]]. To summarize from the Other Wiki: It was supposed to open in 1998 but didn't until 2002, for reasons that ranged from having to find a new director (owing to the original, Creator/RomanPolanski, being unable to return to the U.S. without facing arrest on infamous rape charges) to the 9-11 attacks! As the ball got rolling, the script received an extensive, jokier rewrite to appeal to American audiences who no longer cared for European "megamusicals", and the changes kept on coming with the casting of Michael Crawford as Krolock; he had creative control over his dialogue, costumes, etc. Composer Jim Steinman was ultimately fired from his own show over not showing up to rehearsals. The director and choreographer, both fresh from ''{{Urinetown}}'', proved unable to handle a production of this size and style, especially with so many dueling ideas and egos about. The result lasted only 56 performances and its reputation has so far discouraged other English-language productions.

** Williams harbored his own doubts about his role, as the titular Nature God. For one, he had to learn Welsh for large passages of the script, turning to Sian Phillips for help. He came to view the role as "a lonely part and...a miserable part" that he couldn't get a grip on. Known for his broad comic acting in the Film/CarryOn films, Williams initially played Jack as a subtly menacing AntiVillain, hoping to [[PlayingAgainstType play against type]]. Instead, Williams found audiences unresponsive, and soon began playing the character more and more broadly as the show's run continued. Williams was heartbroken by the negative reviews his performance received, and always blamed himself for the show's failure.
** When ''Gentle Jack'' premiered in November 1963, it was universally panned: Bolt claimed that the critics "sat like mice, actively hating it" while Michael Bryant complained that audiences "thought we were disgusting." Kenneth Williams recalled that after one show, he was confronted by viewers who demanded to know what the play meant. It was retired after seventy-five performances; its failure convinced Bolt to largely abandon the stage for the screen, agreeing to write the script for ''Film/DoctorZhivago'' immediately after its run concluded. Bolt spent his later years trying to rework ''Jack'' into something more presentable, but never finished it.

** For starters, [[AudienceAlienatingPremise the play itself was a hard sell]]: a fantasy parable about an office worker who visits his boss's estate in the countryside, then encounters a Nature God who offers the protagonist his powers [[FaustianBargain if he'll agree to murder one of his friends]]. Besides the premise, the play also featured LotsAndLotsOfCharacters with their own subplots that deviated from the main storyline, along with elaborate set design and stage direction that ensured an expensive production. Many of Bolt's colleagues found the play unsatisfactory and tried warning him away from the project; Peter Hall, director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, offered Bolt a chance to write a history play on the English Civil War if he abandoned ''Jack''.
** While Bolt landed a murderer's row of acting talent - Creator/KennethWilliams, Dame Edith Evans, Sian Phillips and Michael Bryant - they were dreadfully miscast, especially Evans who, at age 75, was simply too old for her character, written as a fortysomething businesswoman. Worse, Evans acted the prima donna on set, constantly demanding rewrites to make her character more sympathetic, fussing over minor details about her performance, and refusing to wear any wardrobe beyond the clothes she wore to the theater. All of this, naturally, aggravated her costars, Bolt and director Noel Willman to no end. Kenneth Williams' mockery of Evans' obnoxious behavior became one of his signature bits when appearing on talk shows and interview programs.
** Williams also found his own role (the titular Nature god) extremely taxing. For one, he had to learn Welsh for large passages of the script, turning to Sian Phillips for help. He also found himself increasingly doubting his fitness for the part. Williams, known for his broad comic acting in the Film/CarryOn films, played Jack as a subtly menacing AntiVillain, but found audiences unresponsive to his deviation from typecasting and began playing the role more and more broadly as the show's run continued. Williams was heartbroken by the negative reviews his performance received, and always blamed himself for the show's failure.
** When ''Gentle Jack'' premiered in November 1963, it was universally panned: Bolt claimed that the critics "sat like mice, actively hating it" while Michael Bryant complained that audiences "thought we were disgusting." The play was retired after seventy-five performances; its failure convinced Bolt to largely abandon the stage for the screen, agreeing to write the script for ''Film/DoctorZhivago'' immediately after its run concluded. Bolt spent his later years trying to rework the play into something more presentable, but never finished it.

* Creator/JohnOsborne's biggest theatrical flop was 1959's ''The World of Paul Slickey'', a broad musical satire of England's tabloid press. Coming at the height of his fame and acclaim, its difficult production and critical pounding proved a massive shock to Osborne and his fans.
** Despite his notoriety, Osborne couldn't find anyone willing to produce or direct the play, even his Royal Court collaborators Tony Richardson and George Devine. He ultimately turned to independent producer Donald Albery and a trio of amateur investors for funds, while deciding to direct it himself. Osborne's inexperience (he had never directed a West End production before, only minor repertory plays) led to some poor casting and directorial decisions, especially turning down Creator/SeanConnery (admittedly, little-known at that time) and Robert Stephens for the title character in favor of Dennis Lotis, a singer with little acting experience. He was also adamant about keeping his incoherent musical numbers intact, even though his producers tactfully suggested that they could stand some rewrites.
** ''Slickey'' premiered to one of the worst opening nights in West End history. Audiences started booing halfway through the performance, and continued mocking and talking back to the actors for the remainder of the show. During the curtain call, the audience booed and threw garbage at the stage, prompting actress Adrienne Corri to flip them off while instructing them to "Go fuck yourselves!" Osborne himself later claimed that he was chased by an angry mob up Charing Cross Road. Creator/NoelCoward, who attended the show and joined the booing, proclaimed it "appalling from every point of view," a criticism universally echoed by critics.

** For starters, [[AudienceAlienatingPremise the play itself was a hard sell]]: a fantasy parable about an office worker who visits his boss's estate in the countryside, encounters a Nature God who offers the protagonist his powers, [[FaustianBargain if he'll agree to murder one of his friends]]. Besides the premise, the play also featured LotsAndLotsOfCharacters with their own subplots that deviated from the main storyline, along with elaborate set design and stage direction that assured an expensive production. Many of Bolt's colleagues found the play unsatisfactory and tried warning him away from the project; Peter Hall, director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, offered Bolt a chance to write a history play on the English Civil War if he abandoned ''Jack''.

** For starters, [[AudienceAlienatingPremise the play itself was a hard sell]]: it was a parable about an office worker who visits his boss's estate in the countryside, is tempted by a Nature God to gain his powers, [[FaustianBargain if he'll agree to murder one of his friends]]. Besides the premise, the play also featured LotsAndLotsOfCharacters with their own subplots that deviated from the main storyline, along with elaborate set design and stage direction that assured an expensive production. Many of Bolt's colleagues found the play unsatisfactory and tried warning him away from the project; Peter Hall, director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, offered Bolt a chance to write a history play on the English Civil War if he abandoned ''Jack''.

** For starters, [[AudienceAlienatingPremise the play itself was a hard sell]]: it was a parable about an office worker who visits a family estate in the countryside, is tempted by a Nature God to abandon civilization and become a God himself, [[FaustianBargain if he'll agree to murder one of his friends]]. Besides the premise, the play also featured LotsAndLotsOfCharacters with their own subplots that deviated from the main storyline, along with elaborate set design and stage direction that assured an expensive production. Many of Bolt's theatrical colleagues found the play unsatisfactory; Peter Hall, director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, tried to convince Bolt to drop ''Gentle Jack'' and write a play for the RSC on the English Civil War instead.

** For starters, [[AudienceAlienatingPremise the play itself was a hard sell]]: it was a parable about an office worker who visits a family estate in the countryside, is tempted by a Nature God to abandon civilization and become a God himself, [[FaustianBargain if he'll agree to murder one of his friends]]. Besides the premise, the play also featured LotsAndLotsOfCharacters with their own subplots that deviated from the main storyline, along with elaborate set design and stage direction that assured an expensive production. Many of Bolt's theatrical colleagues found the play unsatisfactory; Peter Hall, director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, tried to convince Bolt to drop ''Gentle Jack'' and write a play for the RSC on the English Civil War again.

** For starters, [[AudienceAlienatingPremise the play itself was a hard sell]]: it was a parable about a meek office worker who visits a family estate in the countryside, is tempted by a Nature God to abandon civilization and become a God himself, [[FaustianBargain if he'll agree to murder one of his friends]]. Besides the odd central premise, the play also featured LotsAndLotsOfCharacters with their own subplots that deviated from the main storyline. Peter Hall, director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, had offered Bolt a chance to write an historical play on the English Civil War, which Bolt declined to make ''Gentle Jack''. Hall commented that "If (Bolt) had come to me with ''Gentle Jack'', I have to say politely that I would have turned it down."
** While Bolt landed a murderer's row of acting talent - Creator/KennethWilliams, Dame Edith Evans, Sian Phillips and Michael Bryant among them - they were dreadfully miscast, especially Evans who, at age 75, was simply too old for her character, written as a fortysomething businesswoman. Worse, Evans acted the prima donna on set, constantly demanding rewrites to make her character more sympathetic, fussing over minor details about her performance and refusing to wear any wardrobe beyond the clothes she wore to the theater. All of this, naturally, aggravated her costars, Bolt and director Noel Willman to no end. Kenneth Williams' mockery of Evans' obnoxious behavior became one of his signature bits when appearing on talk shows and interview programs.
** Williams also found his role (the titular Nature god) extremely trying: for one, he had to learn Welsh for large passages of the script, turning to Sian Phillips for help. He also found himself increasingly doubting his fitness for the part. Williams, known for his broad comic acting in the Film/CarryOn films, played Jack as a subtly menacing AntiVillain, but found audiences unresponsive to his deviation from typecasting and began playing the role more and more broadly as the show's run continued. Williams was heartbroken by the negative reviews his performance received, and always blamed himself for the show's failure.
** When ''Gentle Jack'' premiered in November 1963, it was universally loathed by critics and audiences alike: Bolt claimed that the critics "sat like mice, actively hating it" while Michael Bryant complained that audiences "thought we were disgusting." The play was retired after seventy-five performances; its failure convinced Bolt to largely abandon the stage for the screen, agreeing to write the script for ''Film/DoctorZhivago'' immediately after its run concluded. Bolt spent his later years trying to rework the play into something more presentable, but never finished it.

** Nonetheless, Williams found his role (the titular Nature god) extremely trying: for one, he had to learn Welsh for large passages of the script, turning to Sian Phillips for help. He also found himself increasingly doubting his fitness for the part. Williams, known for his broad comic acting in the Film/CarryOn films, played Jack as a subtly menacing AntiVillain, but found audiences unresponsive to his deviation from typecasting and began playing the role more and more broadly as the show's run continued. Williams was heartbroken by the negative reviews his performance received, and always blamed himself for the show's failure.
** When ''Gentle Jack'' premiered in November 1963, it was universally loathed by critics and audiences alike: Bolt claimed that the audience "sat like mice, actively hating it" while Michael Bryant complained that audiences "thought we were disgusting." The play was retired after seventy-five performances; its failure convinced Bolt to largely abandon the stage for the screen, agreeing to write the script for ''Film/DoctorZhivago'' immediately after its run concluded. Bolt spent his later years trying to rework the play into something more presentable, but never finished it.

** Despite his notoriety, Osborne couldn't find a director or producer willing to produce or direct the play, even his Royal Court collaborators Tony Richardson and George Devine. He ultimately turned to independent producer Donald Albery and a trio of amateur investors for funds, while deciding to direct it himself. Osborne's inexperience (he had never directed a West End production before, only minor repertory plays) led to some poor casting and directorial decisions, especially turning down Creator/SeanConnery (admittedly, mostly-unknown at that time) and Robert Stephens for the title character in favor of Dennis Lotis, a singer with little acting experience. He was also adamant about keeping his nearly-incoherent musical numbers intact, even though his producers tactfully suggested that they could stand some rewrites.

** Despite his notoriety, Osborne couldn't find a director or producer willing to produce or direct the play, even his habitual Royal Court collaborators Tony Richardson and George Devine. He ultimately turned to independent producer Donald Albery and a trio of amateur investors for funds, while deciding to direct it himself. Osborne's inexperience (he had never directed a West End production before, only minor repertory plays)led to some poor casting and directorial decisions, especially turning down Robert Stephens and Creator/SeanConnery (admittedly, mostly-unknown at that time) for the title character in favor of singer Dennis Lotis. He was also adamant about keeping his nearly-incoherent musical numbers intact, even though his producers tactfully suggested that they could stand some rewrites.

** Casting was a nightmare. While Bolt landed a murderer's row of talent - Creator/KennethWilliams, Dame Edith Evans, Sian Phillips and Michael Bryant among them - they were dreadfully miscast, especially Evans who, at age 75, was simply too old for her character, written as a fortysomething businesswoman. Worse, Evans acted the prima donna on set, constantly demanding rewrites to make her character more sympathetic, fussing over minor details about her performance and refusing to wear any wardrobe beyond the clothes she wore to the theater. All of this, naturally, aggravated her costars, Bolt and director Noel Willman to no end. Kenneth Williams' mockery of Evans' obnoxious behavior became one of his signature bits when appearing on talk shows and interview programs.

** Casting was a nightmare. While Bolt landed a murderer's row of talent - Creator/KennethWilliams, Dame Edith Evans, Sian Phillips and Michael Bryant among them - they were dreadfully miscast, especially Evans who, at age 75, was simply too old for her character, written as a fortysomething businesswoman. Worse, Evans acted the prima donna on set, constantly demanding rewrites to make her character more sympathetic, fussing over minor details about her performance and refusing to wear any wardrobe beyond the clothes she wore to the theater. All of this, naturally, aggravated her costars, Bolt and director Noel Willman to no end. Kenneth Williams mockery of Evans' behavior would become one of his signature bits when appearing on talk shows and interview programs.

* ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' itself underwent much upheaval during its development and preview days -- numerous cast changes, backstage bickering over such changes, props and equipment frequently breaking down, and massive overhauling of nearly all the lyrics. Then, just as the show finally debuted, both of its lead actors took ill (Creator/MichaelCrawford suffered a hiatal hernia owing to the demanding score, and Steve Barton -- cast as Raoul -- suffered a fall after he replaced him as the Phantom) and then the ''understudies'' were knocked out of commission as well. Almost like the Phantom had put a curse on the show about him.
* After Webber began work in earnest on the ''Phantom'' sequel ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' after years in DevelopmentHell, his cat climbed on his digital piano and accidentally deleted the score. Plans to open the show in three different countries (England, the U.S., and China) at once fell through due to logisitics. That was probably for the best: The London production was so poorly received, particularly by the ''Phantom'' fanbase, that by the end of 2010 it was extensively retooled. But the highly-unpopular underlying plot and changes to the characters were mostly intact, and it ultimately ran less than two years. Despite attempts to drum up interest by filming a better-received Australian staging for video release, the Broadway production that was supposed to follow on from London's in Fall 2010 has been indefinitely postponed -- not for a lack of effort on Lloyd Webber's part, while the show has managed several international productions in the meantime.

** For starters, [[AudienceAlienatingPremise the play itself was a hard sell]]: it was a parable about a meek office worker who visits a family estate in the countryside, is tempted by a Nature God to abandon civilization and become a God himself, [[FaustianPact if he'll agree to murder one of his friends]]. Besides the odd central premise, the play also featured LotsAndLotsOfCharacters with their own subplots that deviated from the main storyline. Peter Hall, director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, had offered Bolt a chance to write an historical play on the English Civil War, which Bolt declined to make ''Gentle Jack''. Hall commented that "If (Bolt) had come to me with ''Gentle Jack'', I have to say politely that I would have turned it down."

** For starters, [[AudienceAlienatingPremise the play itself was a hard sell]]: it was a parable about a meek office worker who visits a family estate in the countryside, is tempted by a Nature God to abandon civilization and become a God himself, if he'll agree to murder one of his friends. Besides the odd premise, the play also featured LotsAndLotsOfCharacters with their own subplots that deviated from the main storyline. Peter Hall, director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, was especially chagrined; he had offered Bolt a chance to write an historical play on the English Civil War, which Bolt declined to make ''Gentle Jack''. Hall commented that "If (Bolt) had come to me with ''Gentle Jack'', I have to say politely that I would have turned it down."
** Casting was another nightmare. While Bolt landed a murderer's row of talent - Michael Bryant, Dame Edith Evans, Sian Phillips and Creator/KennethWilliams among them - they were dreadfully miscast, especially Evans who, at age 75, was simply too old for her character, written as a fortysomething businesswoman. Worse, Evans acted the prima donna on set, constantly demanding rewrites to make her character more sympathetic, fussing over minor details about her performance and refusing to wear any wardrobe beyond the clothes she brought to the theater. All of this, naturally, aggravated her costars, Bolt and director Noel Willman to no end. Kenneth Williams mockery of Evans' behavior would become one of his signature bits when appearing on talk shows and interview programs.

* ''Theatre/SpiderManTurnOffTheDark'', TheMusical take on [[SpiderMan the comic book]] and the Creator/SamRaimi movie adaptations, had a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_Turn_Off_the_Dark#History hard time just getting to its preview period]] on Broadway... whereupon things went FromBadToWorse due to seemingly endless injuries to its performers [[note]]To the point that Creator/StephenColbert referred to it on ''Series/TheColbertReport'' as "Spider-Man: Notify Next of Kin"[[/note]], inspiring parodies on ''Series/{{Conan}}'', snarky coverage by TheOnion A.V. Club, endless snark in general from ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'', and a RippedFromTheHeadlines episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' -- even ''Series/SesameStreet'' got in on making fun of it.

** Riedel followed up with a longer article about the play's problems, mostly reiterating his earlier reporting in greater detail. He added that some investors [[TemptingFate admitted they should have thought twice when writing their checks]] as neither Mamet nor Pacino have had any major success on Broadway in years.
** Another critic involved noted the rightward drift in Mamet's politics over the years, and said that the play, built around a billionaire's newly-purchased private jet, was basically Mamet's AuthorTract against the IRS.
** Which was Pacino's problem as well. He hadn't realized until rehearsals began just how much of the dialogue was his, and at his age it turned out to be more than he could handle. His requests to Mamet for revisions were primarily meant to address this problem. All Mamet ultimately did was make a few small changes.

** It was expected as of the beginning of 2016 that the producers would close the play by early February, offering what discounts they could to cut their losses.

* The 2015 Broadway production of Creator/DavidMamet's ''China Doll'' was this even in previews, [[http://nypost.com/2015/10/29/al-pacino-totally-lost-over-his-terrible-new-broadway-play/ according to]] Michael Riedel in ''The New York Post''.

** When director Pam [=MacKinnon=], who was apparently known for her [[ExtremeDoormat inability to stand up to big stars]], tried to give him a note, he told her "I'm not your fucking puppet!" and that was the end of that. Reportedly, he went back to his dressing room looking despondent after every performance; she spent the whole show pacing around backstage.

* The now-cancelled Broadway production of the musical adaption of ''Film/{{Rebecca}}'', as detailed [[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/theater/rebecca-the-musical-and-the-vanishing-act-of-its-investor.html here]]. After a successful run in continental Europe, producer Ben Sprecher canceled the London production as too costly. Even so, he decided it was ready for ''Broadway''. A mysterious British investor, supposedly named "Paul Abrams", then put $4.5 million into the play... more than 10 times what the biggest-rolling investors usually throw into a Broadway musical, even one that's been wildly successful in London. But no one had ever heard of Abrams, and the producers later claimed they never met him in person. In September 2012, Abrams supposedly died of malaria. Yet there had been no obituaries for a wealthy man who died of malaria in the British newspapers, and no death certificates listed malaria as a cause. A spokesman for the estate refused to take phone calls, and used an email address that had been created a month earlier. Sprecher (who had never been lead producer on a Broadway musical) had already built the sets, so he lost millions when the production was canceled the following month. The FBI arrested a stockbroker on Long Island for his attempt to defraud the producers by fabricating the foreign investors who were prepared to put the $4.5 million in.

* ''Theatre/FunnyGirl'' went on to be a hit, but its pre-Broadway tryout suffered serious troubles. The opening performance in Boston was practically a fiasco. Feuds arose between Music/BarbraStreisand and Sydney Chaplin, and between everyone and the notoriously temperamental Jerome Robbins when he took over from credited director Garson Kanin. Ghostwriters struggled to keep up with rewrites demanded by Streisand and the Arnstein family (the show's producer was Nick Arnstein's son-in-law). Chaplin's part became equal to Streisand's in billing only; a secondary female role played by Allyn Ann [=McLerie=] was written out entirely. Dozens of {{Cut Song}}s were thrown out, and dance routines were in a constant state of flux. The final scene was rewritten 42 times, and its final version was being rehearsed immediately prior to the Broadway opening, which had been repeatedly postponed.