Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Even Jesus can't put on a show without backers.

A Broadway revival of ``Godspell,'' the 1971 Stephen Schwartz pop musical, has been canceled because the producers came up short on the show's $4.5 million capitalization.

Lead producer Adam Epstein made a last-ditch effort over the weekend to cover the gap after an unnamed backer pulled out two weeks ago. He was unable to secure funding, though, in time to meet a deadline yesterday to guarantee the Shubert Organization- owned Barrymore Theatre, where the show was scheduled to begin previews next month.

``Never say never,'' director Daniel Goldstein wrote in an e-mail to the company over the weekend, the show's casting director, Bernard Telsey, said yesterday in an interview. Still, the e-mail made it clear that the show would not be produced in the coming season. The revival would have starred Gavin Creel and Diana DeGarmo.

Goldstein had staged the musical recently at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey.

Epstein, a co-producer of ``Hairspray,'' among other shows, didn't return calls seeking comment. Michael Hartman, a spokesman for the show, said an announcement would be made this morning and declined further comment.

Word that the production was in trouble began circulating last week when composer-lyricist Schwartz e-mailed the company to say that the show was likely to be postponed.

Schwartz, whose ``Wicked'' has become one of the biggest box-office hits Broadway has ever seen, got his start with ``Godspell,'' which used Story Theater techniques and music ranging from rock to folk songs to tell Jesus's story.

An uncertain economic outlook has made many Broadway investors skittish. The situation may also have been exacerbated by the glowing reviews for the Public Theater revival of ``Hair'' in Central Park, which is likely to announce a Broadway transfer in the coming days. A show from the same period would likely be competing for the same ticket buyers.

To contact the writer on this story: Jeremy Gerard in New York at jgerard2@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 19, 2008 00:01 EDT