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‘Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet,’ First New Off-Broadway Musical, Announces Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

In another sign that New York’s cultural life is coming back after a long COVID-era hiatus, “A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet” will premiere in September. The show will be the first new musical to debut Off-Broadway since the pandemic shutdown went into effect in March 2020.

The show is the brainchild of Alex Wyse, the creator and star of “Indoor Boys” and a cast-member of Deaf West’s recent “Spring Awakening” revival, and Ben Fankhauser, one of the actors in the cast of “Newsies” and “Beautiful.” The two wrote the book, music, and lyrics. It will be directed by Marshall Pailet (“Baghdaddy”) and choreography will be overseen by Stephanie Klemons, the associate choreographer of “Hamilton.” The musical begins previews on Friday, September 17th, at the DR2 Theatre, with an opening night set for Monday, September 27th. The limited engagement will run through Sunday, November 14th, 2021.

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The show follows two nobodies who dream of writing one hit song for everybody, but their day job composing jingles for commercials isn’t the big break they hoped. That changes when they’re plucked from obscurity by a world- famous pop star named Regina Comet, who wants them to create a new anthem to showcase her supernova pipes, as well as her new perfume. They’re so close to the big-time they can smell it, but following your passion doesn’t always lead where you expect.

“This show is everything you want the first new musical premiering in NYC to be: whip-smart and stupid funny, packed with songs as catchy as a jingle, and only 80 minutes —some of us need to work up to wearing real pants any longer!,” said lead producer Cody Lassen.

The news comes as Broadway shows such as “Hamilton,” “Wicked,” and “Hadestown” have announced they will resume performances this fall, and as Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway shows such as “Stomp,” “The Last Boy in the Second Republic of SHKID,” and “Seven Deadly Sins” are readying their performances in the coming weeks and months.

The creative team for “A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet” also includes Lucille Lortel Award nominee Wilson Chin (Scenic Design), Antonyo Award winner Sarita Fellows (Costume Design), Aja M. Jackson (Lighting Design), Twi McCallum (Sound Design), Emily Marshall (Music Director), and Katie Kennedy (Production Stage Manager).

In addition to Lassen, the producers include Kate Cannova, Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky, Chaz Naor, Brad Blume, Jo-Ann Dean, Jamie deRoy/Luigi Caiola, Wayne Holland Hampton, III, Jamie Joeyen-Waldorf, Robert Laurita, Benny Lumpkins Jr., Raindrop Valley, and Samantha Squeri.

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