In the spring of 1960, while a movie called Oceans 11 was being made in Las Vegas, some of the stars of the movie decided to perform at the Sands hotel delighting sold out crowds with their songs, humor, interaction with the audience and their star attraction. Elvis might have been called the King, however Frank Sinatra, known as the chairman of the board, combined his talents with Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop to form what will be forever known as the “Rat Pack.”
Entering the show room before the show started and sitting about 20 feet from the stage, I comfortably enjoyed watching 8 to 10 big screen TV’s on the left and right sides of the stage, giving trivia questions, information on the Rat Pack and film clips of performances from the past. As the show started, I gently closed my eyes, going deeper into my memories while I listened to the great songs of the past, performed by some of the greatest entertainers of yesteryear, I could have sworn that “The Rat Pack” was back. Opening my eyes to match the perfect, distinct and wonderful sounds to the images of the performers on stage continued to amaze me. The physical images, mannerism, delivery of their jokes, the style of their songs and the crowd pleasing interaction among these great performers kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the show.
Frank Sinatra, started the show with Luck be a Lady. His style, grace, mannerism and voice had the audience going back to the days of Ol’ Blue Eyes. Singing performances by Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. helped the crowd down memory lane with such great songs as “That’s Amore,” “Volare,” “You’re nobody Till Somebody Loves you,” “Candy Man,” “Mr. Bojangles,” “Hey There” among others. Frank Sinatra sang classics such as “I’m going to Live Until I Die,” “Summer tWind,” “Fly me to the Moon,” “New York, New York” and many more.
Joey Bishop was very funny telling jokes in the same style and mannerism as the original. An appearance by Marilyn Monroe interacting with guests in the audience made the whole show “The Total Package” of great entertainment as some of the greatest entertainers of all time were honored by the cast of “The Rat Pack is Back.”
I wanted to give a special shout out to Drew Anthony who played Dean Martin. I really could not tell the difference between Drew and Dean. How he looked, sounded, moved, facial expressions, intonation and mannerism was shockingly identical. Dean Martin is my favorite singer of all time which made this show even more spectacular. Yet, the entire cast was terrific. A big shout out to Brian Duprey who played Frank Sinatra, Kenny Jones who played Sammy Davis Jr. and Mickey Joseph who played Joey Bishop.
Some entertainers were meant to be legends. Some come and go. Yet, the Rat Pack is Back is an experience that reflects a one of a kind entertainment that will transcend time and go down in history as truly a tribute to the greatest entertainers of all time. Whether you are young or old, great talent lives through “The Rat Pack is Back.”
The Rat Pack is Back is now playing at the Rio, Las Vegas.
