Ben Sprecher is a Broadway producer and general manager. Sprecher's credits include, as producer, ''Voices in the Dark'' (1999),

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-nominee '' Fortune's Fool'' (2002), ''

Sly Fox ''Sly Fox'' is a comedic play by Larry Gelbart, based on Ben Jonson's ''Volpone'' (''The Fox''), updating the setting from Renaissance Venice to 19th century San Francisco, and changing the tone from satire to farce. The play revolves around the ...

'' (2004), ''

Mark Twain Tonight! ''Mark Twain Tonight!'' is a one-man play devised by Hal Holbrook, in which he depicted Mark Twain giving a dramatic recitation selected from several of Twain's writings, with an emphasis on the comic ones. Background The recitation's genesis wa ...

'' (2005), ''

The Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televis ...

'' (2005–06), ''

Legends A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief. Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to: Narrative * A fictitious identity used in espionage Books, comic books, and theater * ''Legend'' (Gemmell novel), a 1 ...

'' (2006–07) starring

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emm ...

and

Linda Evans Linda Evans (born Linda Evenstad; November 18, 1942) is a retired American actress known primarily for her roles on television. In the 1960s, she played Audra Barkley, the daughter of Victoria Barkley (played by Barbara Stanwyck), in the Wes ...

, ''

A Moon for the Misbegotten A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...

'' (2007) starring

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...

and

Eve Best Emily "Eve" Best (born 31 July 1971) is an English actress and director. She is known for her television roles as Dr Eleanor O'Hara in the Showtime series '' Nurse Jackie'' (2009–2013), First Lady Dolley Madison in the ''American Experience' ...

, and '' American Buffalo'' (2008) starring

John Leguizamo John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (, ; ; born July 22, 1960 or 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and film producer. He has appeared in more than 100 films, produced more than 20 films and documentaries, made more than 30 televisio ...

and

Cedric the Entertainer Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian, actor and television host. He hosted BET's '' ComicView'' during the 1993–1994 season and '' Def Comedy Jam'' ...

. Sprecher is founder and chairman of The Sprecher Organization, and built the

Promenade Theatre Site-specific theatre is a theatrical production that is performed at a unique, specially adapted location other than a standard theatre. This unique site may have been built without any intention of serving theatrical purposes (for example, a hote ...

, the

Variety Arts Theatre Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * Variety (1925 film), ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * Varie ...

, and the

Little Shubert Theatre Stage 42 (known as the Little Shubert Theatre until July 2015) is a theatre in New York City on Theatre Row, about half a mile west of Broadway. Its address is 422 West 42nd Street, between 9th Avenue and Dyer Avenue. It was built in 2002 and ...

. The Sprecher Organization produces and general manages plays and musicals, acts as General Manager and/or Executive Producer for other producers and provides integrated production and marketing services through on-site staff, subsidiaries or affiliated providers.

''Rebecca'' scandal

In 2012, Sprecher was a central figure in a scandal surrounding an attempt at mounting the musical ''

Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...

'' on Broadway. As the project's lead producer, Sprecher delayed the musical on September 8, 2012, two days before rehearsals were slated to begin, when he announced that a major investor had died. According to Sprecher, this investor had committed to $4.5 million, more than a third of the show's $12 million capitalization. The "deceased investor" was later identified as "Paul Abrams", a South African businessman who had allegedly fallen ill and died after contracting malaria. Sprecher stated he had never met Abrams nor had a single conversation with him, despite Abrams's investment in the musical. Some members of the Broadway community raised suspicions, including Robert E. Wankel, president of

The Shubert Organization The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of theatres based in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by the three Shubert brothers — Lee, Sam, and Jacob J. Shubert — in the late 19th century. T ...

and a six-figure investor in ''Rebecca'' as well as the owner of its intended theater, the Broadhurst. On September 26, 2012, Sprecher announced to the cast that due to new financial commitments, rehearsals for the musical would commence on October 1. The day before these rehearsals were to start, Sprecher announced that he had failed to raise enough funds for the musical. He said that a new investor had been lined up and ready to commit, but had backed out after receiving an anonymous email advising him to distance himself from the project. Mark Hotton of

West Islip, New York West Islip is a hamlet and CDP settled in 1683, located in the Town of Islip, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Situated on the South Shore of Long Island, the population of the CDP was 27,048 at the time of the 2020 census. Histor ...

was revealed as the middleman between Sprecher and Paul Abrams on October 3, 2012. A 2011 civil fraud lawsuit against Hotton had claimed he had a "long history of criminal misconduct and fraud". Sprecher's lawyer Ronald Russo later announced that "Paul Abrams" did not exist, and asserted that Sprecher had been tricked by Hotton into believing in the validity of Abrams' existence. The case is the subject of a criminal investigation by the FBI.

Criminal allegations

On August 13, 2019 Sprecher was arrested in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on child pornography charges. According to court documents, Sprecher admitted he downloaded and shared child pornography.

References

External links

*
Bio
at The Sprecher Organization

– Official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Sprecher, Ben American theatre managers and producers Broadway theatre producers Businesspeople from New York City Living people Year of birth missing (living people)