Director Eric Lane Barnes promises the vocal comedy ensemble Captain Smartypants will provide plenty of entertainment to its Des Moines concert.
“We’re a lot of fun and we’re musically sound,” Barnes said in a phone interview. “We like being goofy.”
Captain Smartypants, a nine-member ensemble from the Seattle Men’s Chorus, performs as part of a Bach to Broadway concert at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Des Moines United Methodist Church sanctuary, 22225 Ninth Ave. S.
The first half of the concert features Seattle organist David Nichols as well as Mark Cooley, the organist and pianist at the Des Moines church.
Nichols, the organist at University Congregational Church in Seattle, will showcase the versatility of the pipe organ with classical, musical theater, jazz and other contemporary styles. Cooley also will play a variety of styles.
Then get ready for Captain Smartypants, accompanied on most songs by the pianist Barnes.
“We perform a wide range of music, mostly funny,” Barnes said. “We do pop songs, original songs and some sketches.”
The ensemble formed in 2000. All of the members also belong to the Seattle Men’s Chorus. Barnes has directed Captain Smartypants since the group started. He is the assistant artistic director of the Seattle Men’s Chorus.
“It’s kind of like ‘NSync meets Monty Python with a little of The Kids in the Hall,” Barnes said.
The boy band ‘NSync featured Justin Timberlake. Monty Python was a British comedy group while The Kids in the Hall were a Canadian sketch comedy group.
Captain Smartypants just finished a series of concerts in Seattle that featured its greatest hits from the last 10 years. Barnes said this concert will include a number of those songs.
While the group had the same members for most of the first 10 years, a couple members recently left the ensemble because of all of the extra time commitment. Two members will make their debut at the Des Moines concert.
The group also will feature eight members rather than nine for the concert because one singer is traveling in France.
But eight is enough for this group, named by Barnes from the term that also means smart aleck.
Smartypants has toured the Pacific Northwest as well as nationally, with stops in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The group has performed with comedian Margaret Cho, singer-actress Kristin Chenoweth, American Idol finalist Blake Lewis and many others.
The names of their shows have included Sticks and Stones, Undercover, Trousers of Terror, PowerPants, Cirque du Slaque and Air Smarty. Captain Smartypants is featured on the Seattle Men’s Chorus compact discs Fruit of the Month Club, Home, Joy and Undercover.
Rosalee Mohney, a member of Des Moines United Methodist, said the church wants to reach out to the community through concerts.
“If this is a success, it will not be the last time (for concerts),” Mohney said. “We want to become known for first-rate quality music concerts. It raises funds for the church, but we also want to offer them as a community service.”
The church wants to give South King County residents the chance to find musical entertainment closer to home.
“You don’t have to go to Seattle and fight traffic to hear this kind of music,” Mohney said.
If you go
What: Bach to Broadway concert
When: 7 p.m. Nov. 6
Where: Des Moines United Methodist Church, 22225 Ninth Ave. S.
Cost: $20 general admission, $15 seniors and students ($5 more day of concert)
Tickets: Pre-order at 206-878-8301
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