Ben Sprecher
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“Rebecca the Musical’’ had to cancel its Broadway opening — but the behind-the-scenes drama is booked in two Manhattan courtrooms.
Producers of the Broadway show are planning to file a $100 million lawsuit today in Manhattan Supreme Court against Long Island businessman Mark Hotton, charging he took tens of thousands of dollars in advances on commissions for bringing in non-existent backers.
He’s already facing criminal charges in Manhattan federal court in the same scam.
Hotton and his wife, Sherri, are accused in the civil action of “trying to destroy a promising Broadway show” by making commitments to bring in investors flush with cash.
The suit adds, “In fact, Hotton was perpetrating an elaborate ruse. None of the investors existed, he had concocted them all.”
“Hotton made up [their] names, dates of birth, home addresses, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and signatures.’’
Rebecca’s producer, Ben Sprecher, recalled a happier time, when Hotton and his wife attended a glamorous event he organized for potential backers at a Manhattan hotel last May.
“He was not of theater,” Sprecher said. “He was a regular guy — a man coming from the securities and finance world.”
Sherri Hotton, he said, seemed at home among the Broadway crowd, where cast members performed a series of musical numbers.
But as summer came to an end and financial deadlines loomed, the $4.5 million that was supposed to be coming from the overseas big-money backers promised by the Hottons never materialized, according to the lawsuit. In fact, they never existed.
Sprecher lawyer Ronald Russo promised a happy ending for his client, saying the Hottons will rue the day they met the “Rebecca” production team.
”As it turned out, it was the worst day for Mark Hotton,” Russo said.