In the matter of “Rebecca: The Broadway Scandal,” we learned this week that it was the press agent — Marc Thibodeau — who sent the poison-pen e-mail to an “angel investor” about to pony up $2.25 million to save the show.
Today, I can reveal who that “angel investor” is.
Mr. Larry Runsdorf, take a bow! You’re about to be dragged into the “Rebecca” mud-fest!
Runsdorf, 72, is a pharmaceuticals king from Boca Raton, Fla. I had a pleasant chat with him on the phone yesterday. He seemed a little taken aback that I’d tracked him down, since his condition for investing in “Rebecca” was that he remain anonymous, but he admitted he was indeed the “angel investor.”
“Most of my investments I keep to myself,” Runsdorf said. “I was hoping not to have to get involved in this.”
Runsdorf’s name appears in e-mails producer Ben Sprecher sent to members of the production team.
Sprecher is suing Mark C. Hotton, a shady Long Island stockbroker mired in bankruptcy and allegations of fraud. The feds arrested Hotton last year, charging him with concocting phony investors in “Rebecca” and fleecing Sprecher of $60,000 in fees and expenses.
Sprecher added Thibodeau to the suit this week, claiming the press agent misused “confidential information” and took “malicious actions” by sending the e-mail that scuttled the show.
But when I asked Runsdorf if he pulled out because of the e-mail, he would only say: “I was going to put money in, but then I decided not to. It was just a business thing.”
Jeffrey Lichtman, Thibodeau’s lawyer, seized on Runsdorf’s response.
“No damages, no case,” he said.
But Ronald Russo, Sprecher’s attorney, said: “Marc Thibodeau sent out three e-mails. Two went to the angel investor’s lawyer, and one went directly to the angel investor. The ‘business thing’ happens only after the angel investor gets that last e-mail. If you don’t think the e-mail had anything to do with it, I have a bridge to sell you.”
Runsdorf, who struck me as being a very private man, is almost certain to be subpoenaed.
Lichtman said: “The discovery phase in this case will allow us to prove the sole reason why Marc sent the e-mail to the investor: Our belief that Ben Sprecher deliberately misled or omitted material facts to this investor in his desperate attempt to raise funds and save the show. We have documented evidence to support our positions, and we look forward to learning more from both Sprecher and the investor during depositions.”
Russo responded: “I’m looking forward to the discovery phase as much as Jeffrey is. I do not believe for a nanosecond that Marc was a ‘whistle-blower.’ If he thought there was fraud going on, he should have gone to the authorities — not send an e-mail to the last investor and crash the play.”
Runsdorf, who owns the Breckenridge Pharmaceutical company, said he hasn’t followed the saga of “Rebecca” that closely.
“I don’t really have an opinion about it,” he told me. “It is one of the weirder things out there, but hey, that’s Broadway!”
I asked him if he’d ever consider investing in another Broadway show.
“I don’t know,” he said. “That’s a good question.”
He wanted to know if he’d be getting calls from other reporters, and I told him that after his name appears in my column today, he probably will.
“But at least this time, you’ll be prepared,” I added.
“Well, it’s been nice talking to you,” he said. “I guess.”
Mr. Runsdorf — please drop me a line when you come up to New York for your cameo appearance in “Rebecca: The Broadway Scandal.” I want you to be my guest at “The Book of Mormon,” so you can see a really good Broadway musical.
We’ll have dinner at Orso after, and I’ll introduce you to some successful producers, investors and other fun theatrical types.
Not everybody in this business is an idiot or a scoundrel.