Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show

A quick look at some of the accolades on the website for Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show speaks to the show’s quality and authenticity. “Sandy Hackett is my first choice to play me,” says Joey Bishop. “Honestly, I wish I had been that good!” The San Francisco Examiner says of the faux foursome: “The interpretations by the four actors capture the stage essences of the Pack members in a way that is eerily supernatural.” And audiences laud the show’s power to give their memories new life. “My in-laws really appreciated the show,” says showgoer John Christopherson. “They say it brought back memories of how much fun these entertainers really were.”

Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show is a tribute to the original Kings of Cool, Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, and the Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra. “The performers played their roles perfectly,” Christopherson says. “I got the biggest kick out of Dean Martin (Tony Basile)—his antics on stage and his ever-present cocktail were a hoot!”

The show includes a recreation of “The Summit at the Sands,” the first time the group performed together—sans Peter Lawford, who is not represented in Hackett’s show—and show-tune standards such as “That’s A’more” and “That Old Black Magic.” Basile effortlessly recreates Martin’s romantic “Volare,” and David DeCosta carries Sinatra’s swagger and stage presence during “Get Me to the Church on Time.” Doug Starks doesn’t miss a step in his role as Davis, and touches the somber side of the Pack with a rendition of “What Kind of Fool Am I.”

Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show plays Tuesdays through Saturdays at the Riviera in Las Vegas. Shows start at 7 p.m. and tickets are $57.95 for general admission, $77.95 for preferred seating, and $97.95 for VIP seating.