Straight Forward, an upcoming Off-Broadway musical by Billy Aberle and Chris Sabol, has released an EP featuring five of its songs.
The musical, which will premiere in New York in spring 2025, is based on the true story of an unexpected relationship between two mid-20s straight men, Mike and Garrett, who begin as roommates and later find themselves navigating a deep connection while one battles a mysterious life-threatening illness. Originally told in the viral article “I’m an Otherwise Straight Man (Who Fell in Love with His Best Friend),” written by Mike Iamele, the story captured global attention.
Directed by Billy Bustamante (Here We Are, Here Lies Love, Soft Power), Straight Forward features a book, music, and lyrics by Aberle and Sabol, musical supervision by Bryan Perri (Almost Famous; Jagged Little Pill), orchestrations by Michael Starobin (Suffs; Falsettos; Sunday in the Park with George), and musical direction by Steven Cuevas (& Juliet; Moulin Rouge; Days of Wine and Roses). Roxedge Entertainment serves as general manager.
For the EP, Mike Ferlita (RENT) sings Mike and Thomas McFerran (Jesus Christ Superstar) sings Garrett.
“When we heard of Mike and Garrett’s story, we knew it would make a wonderful musical,” said Aberle and Sabol. “Despite both identifying as straight, and despite their initial insecurities, the two men finally surrendered to the truth: love is love, no matter the gender. We can’t wait to share their story, in musical form, with the world and we hope this EP will give listeners a taste of what is in store when the full musical comes to New York this Spring.”
In 2021, Straight Forward had its first staged reading at Wagner College in Staten Island and in the spring of 2022, a full workshop production debuted at the same venue. That summer, Straight Forward premiered at the New York Theater Festival (NYMF) to sold-out audiences. In 2023, a two-week developmental run took place at Theatre Row on 42nd Street.
The project is being produced by Gregory Franklin.
For more information, visit StraightForwardMusical.com.
