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Public Invests in “Bernadette’: A musical about Bernadette of Lourdes, the French girl who saw a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1858, opened in London’s West End Thursday, financed in part by investments from the public. Producer William Fonfe says he appealed to the public after wealthy investors refused to back “Bernadette” upon learning it was written and produced by unknowns. He said his production company had received about $1 million from the public, and he raised the rest for the $2-million production himself by re-mortgaging his home, among other measures.