What Do Gays, Lesbians, Doctors, Lawyers, CEOs And Fitness Personal Trainers Have In Common In This Singapore Bar?

Why this bar in Singapore attracting people of different ethnic groups, sexual preferences, professions and is free of class, race and sexual discrimination every night? Is it a gathering of human rights activists or a liberal United Nation gathering? Neither.

(PRWEB) January 18, 2006 -- If music transcends all boundaries, then this little bar in Singapore aptly called Actors The Musicals Bar is the personification. Every night, people of various ethnic background, be they gays, lesbians and professionals such as lawyers, doctors, fitness personal trainers and an assortment customers throng this bar and make merriment and create friendships. Strange bedfellows aren’t they?

How did this happen? It is the brainchild of the bar owner Freddy Lim. “I hit upon the idea that instead of entertaining my customers by hiring professional bands, why not let my customers make their own music?” So the arrangement is that the bar provides the band equipment and sound system, the customers are the band members and singers.

The music genre is as varied as the customers and is also completely unrehearsed. Depending on the make up of the customers who make up the impromptu band and singers on a given night, the music may range from cool jazz to pop to hard head jerking rock. There are even the occasional visiting bands from different countries jamming in this pub. On one night you may get a Thai band rocking Thai standards or an Indian band doing some Bollywood numbers although the main fare is usually English songs of the 60s and 70s era. This is certainly a natural attraction for baby boomers.

The customer musicians are also very compromising. One can just walk over to the singer or a musician and indicate an interest in taking over the microphone or the guitar and the next moment, he is on stage and having a rollicking good time.

There is a caveat though. That is because one never knows who will make up the musicians for the night and customers may be hit with fantastic music and then followed up with the screeching of a wannabe pop star. Then again, many consider this unanticipated entertainment or ordeal a real thrill. The quality of music will depend on your luck. The first time visitor may either be balked by horrendous renditions if he steps into the bar at the wrong time or be amazed by the high quality of music dished out by the amateur musicians who are customers too. A regular customer and jammer, David Lokes commented with a smile, “This is a very smart move on the bar owner’s part. Not only he saves money by not engaging professional musicians, we as customers are paying the bar to play music by ordering drinks.”

The end result is everybody is happy and having a good time every night. Freddy has certainly found the answer to world peace although on a much smaller scale. This pub can certainly show the world that people of all creeds and ethnicity can certainly enjoy themselves and bond together.

Actors, The Musicals Bar is located at 13A, South Bridge Road, just 20 meters away from Boat Quay bridge, a famous entertainment strip in Singapore, upstairs of a 7-11 convenience store.

The writer, Chris Chew is a regular customer of the bar and a jammer playing keyboards and singing occasionally with the impromptu bands. He is also a fitness personal trainer and author of fitness books at http://www.sgfitness.com and http://www.sgfitnessonline.com

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