By Danielle Lane, Managing Editor
Yeshiva University alumnus and current employee in the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), Chaski Naor (YC ’07, WSSW ’10) spoke with the YU Observer about his current producing role in the new Off-Broadway musical, A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet.
The production is a three person show composed of Broadway stars, Alex Wyse, Ben Fankhauser, and Bryonha Marie Parham known for their roles in Spring Awakening, Newsies, and Ragtime, respectively. Not only are Wyse and Fankhauser responsible for playing two-thirds of the roles in the musical, they are also the writers. The Jewish duo created a fun, light hearted, comical musical with underlying Jewish themes and comedy.
A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet is about “two nobodies dream of writing one hit song for everybody, but their day job composing jingles for commercials isn’t the big break they hoped. That is, until they’re plucked from obscurity by a world-famous pop star named Regina Comet (if destiny had a child, it would be her) and she wants them to create an anthem for her supernova pipes… and 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. Making a hit song can be a s**t-show.”
Naor became involved in producing through “meeting people at shows and cabarets.” He wanted to get involved with theater as a way of connecting to something he is passionate about. This is Naor’s second time working behind the scenes of a production, his first production being 2019’s Alice By Heart. But producing isn’t his first endeavor into the world of theater. Naor jokes that his “acting career peaked at age 11 after playing Cogsworth in a summer camp production of Beauty and the Beast. In his current role as producer he serves as a fundraiser for the show. Naor likes to tell people that his “9am-5pm is very different from my 5pm-9am.”
A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet is running from September 27th to November 21st at the DR2 – Daryl Roth Theater.