Milford closes out Pride Month with ‘As Long As We're Talking’ musical

Artists in Milford closed out Pride Month with an original musical that is confronting heavy topics.
"As Long As We're Talking" aims to show that difficult situations can be solved through words. It follows the regulars at an LGBTQ+ bookstore who offer advice and comfort over the phone to a young person considering suicide. The musical is based on a three-line Twitter post.
Producer Bert Bernardi wrote the book and lyrics for the show.
"As soon as I read the post, I turned to Jimmy, who handed me the piece, and I said, ‘This is a musical,’” said Bernardi.
“As Long As We're Talking” debuted this past weekend with four performances at Milford Arts Council. Bernardi says “it took a village” to bring the show to fruition.
"My writing partner, Justin Rugg, takes the words that I give him and turns them into something much more than just words,” he said.
"It's meant to sound like it's coming from different perspectives. Every character has their own voice,” said composer Justin Rugg.
Rugg says musical theater can actually be the perfect form for dealing with heavy topics.
"You need to juxtapose those with something lighthearted, and to be honest, the act of coming out has a lot of peaks and valleys in it anyway,” Rugg said.
Bernardi says the show has something to relate to, and learn from, for all audiences.
A portion of the proceeds from the show benefited LGBTG+ crisis intervention organization The Trevor Project.