Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus sells out Lobero Theatre
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara Gay Men's Chorus achieved a new milestone; headlining at the historic Lobero Theatre to a sold out crowd.
"Pride is at the center of our organization, and pride that I felt standing in front of the chorus for our Lobero debut was immeasurable," said Timothy Accurso, the artistic director of the chorus.
The group performed their winter concert, "The island of Misfit Gays." Accurso said the show is meant to celebrate the misfit, the outcast, and just being different.
During the show, Accurso said he came up with the concept of celebrating the "misfit" after thinking about all the holiday misfits like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Grinch, and Scrooge from Charles Dickens's 1843 short novel, A Christmas Carol.
"When a misfit finds their way, it shines a light wider for others to find theirs," said Accurso in his program note.
The chorus perform holiday classics like George Michael's "Last Christmas" and "Where are You Christmas" from the movie "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" famously sung by Mariah Cary, in addition to queer anthems like Robyn's "Dancing on my Own" and "True Colors" famously sung by Cyndi Lauper.
In between songs, chorus members shared stories of when they felt like a outcast and their journey to finding acceptance and strength.
"The concert was meant to show the journey of misfits, and last night I hope everyone in the chorus and the audience felt our shared community and humanity," said Accurso.
The chorus has previously performed their winter and spring concerts at the First United Methodist Church Santa Barbara in East Anapamu street for years. Accurso expressed his gratitude to the church staff for allowing them to continue to rehearse there.
Monday night's concert had been sold out since November 27 and more than 140 people had to be put a waitlist to see the show.
Many chorus members after the show expressed a feeling of accomplishment for being able to perform such a meaningful show at Santa Barbara's historic Lobero Theatre.
"It's a night I'll never forget," said Accurso.
