MADISON — The laughter was nonstop at the former Madison Congregational Church Thursday night.
Or rather, the Somerset Abbey, as the church building is now known.
“I think this is the first time there’s been this much excitement in church in a while,” said comedian Troy Pennell, as he greeted an audience of about 100 people from the former altar — now a stage.
Pennell was one of two opening acts for comedian Bob Marley in the first public event being hosted at the Somerset Abbey, a new entertainment and event venue located downtown in the former Madison Congregational Church. Until recently, the fate of the 120-year-old church, one of the oldest building’s in town, was unknown as the church faced a dwindling congregation and lack of leadership in a consistent pastor.
But in January, Tom and Stacy O’Brien, who own a tent rental and event planning business in Vermont, stepped in and purchased the old church. The couple has a camp in Madison, where Stacy grew up and attended preschool in the former church.
They did some rewiring, bought a spotlight and secured a liquor license. They hung red velvet curtains in the front of the church and over some of the stained glass windows to create ambiance. And on Thursday they invited members of the public to come sit in the pews where they once worshiped.
“So my girlfriend comes out completely naked. That’s the God’s honest truth,” Pennell said, stopping and catching himself in the middle of an act after remembering where he was. “I know, I know, I’m in a church.”
“It’s not a church!” someone in the audience shouted.
“But it looks like a church. I don’t think anyone is driving by saying, ‘I think that’s a raised ranch,'” Pennell said, drawing laughter. It was a reminder they would have to give the performers throughout the evening.
“What, am I giving a eulogy?” Marley said when he finally took the stage in a backwards baseball cap, sweatshirt and sneakers and noticed a box of tissues.
“The community is responding, and that’s a really important thing for us,” said Stacy O’Brien. Before the show, which started at 7 p.m., audience members mingled at high tables set up off the aisles of the church, drinking beers and eating snacks. The O’Briens are only selling Maine-made beer and wine in an effort to support the local economy.
“It seemed kind of odd that you can have a beer in church, but I got over it,” said 22-year-old Lacey Emerson, of North Anson. She was at the show with a friend, Becky Murphy, of Madison. “I think it’s amazing that we have something to do in Madison because there really isn’t that much to do.”
“It’s great to use an old church for something like this,” Murphy, 38, added. “It’s small, so there’s no bad seat in the house.”
In addition to Thursday night’s comedy show, the O’Briens have already hosted two weddings at the Somerset Abbey and are planning more public events and shows. A bluegrass band, the Gather Rounders, is scheduled for April 25. They are also working on setting up a foundation to support the arts in local schools in Anson and Madison. One dollar from every ticket sold, including those at Thursday’s performance, will be donated to arts and theater programs at the schools.
“We know arts and music are usually some of the first things cut in school budgets,” Stacy said.
“People can support the arts by coming to our shows,” Tom added.
“It’s really great to have something like this in the area that we don’t have to travel too far to get to,” said Chad Bradbury, 37, who came to the show with Mary Beth Brown. Both live in Moscow and said it was about a 30-minute drive to Madison. “Once you get to talking, it’s about a 10 minute drive.”
The pair said they would normally go to Portland for entertainment, but it’s inconvenient to drive over 100 miles one way for a concert or comedy show. More often than not, the alternative is staying home and doing nothing, they said.
“This is great because it’s not that far for us, or for anyone from Embden or Solon,” Brown said. “That’s why we’re here to support them.”
Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
Twitter: @rachel_ohm
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