UK Theatre Network

I’m on a whisky diet. I’ve just lost four days.

The Sands hotel was the very height of Las Vegas sophistication. It was there in 1960, during the filming of Ocean's Eleven, when for the first time Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr, Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford performed together on stage. From then on, they were forever known as the Rat Pack, a name coined by Humphrey Bogart’s wife Lauren Bacall. Las Vegas was their playground and everywhere else was known, in Rat Pack vocabulary, as 'Dullsville, Ohio'.

This production celebrates the talent of three of the finest entertainers and performers of the 20^th century – Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis jr and Dean Martin. The audience experiences a typical show at the Sands in Las Vegas with its party spirit and all the hilarious bantering and rivalry between the three great singers. There is smoking and drinking on stage and a complete lack of political correctness. Accompanied by a very fine 15-piece orchestra Frank Sinatra sings some of his most popular songs such as The Lady is a Tramp, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, and Fly Me to the Moon. Sammy Davis jr delights with a brilliant delivery of Mr. Bojangles What Kind of Fool Am I, and Once In A Lifetime. Dino starts out with That’s Amore and Everybody Loves Somebody - and there is a lot more to enjoy. In the extremely funny number You’ve Got Style, the rivalry between the three performers becomes very imminent indeed with Sammy Davis jr appearing in the most outrageous costumes but eventually turning out to be the most elegantly dressed of the three.

There are excellent performances by Mark Adams as Dean Martin and Giles Terera as Sammy Davis jr. They capture the personalities of the two stars completely. When I closed my eyes I actually thought Dean Martin had risen from the dead and was back on stage. However, although Tam Ward is a good performer he does not quite convince as the Chairman of the Board. His New York (New Jersey?) accent is a bit over the top and he does not dominate the stage as he should. The Burelli Sisters look right but their dancing and singing is not quite up to the standard of this show.    

Nevertheless, The Rat Pack Live from Las Vegas is a must for everybody who loves these three great entertainers.

The show runs until 3 July 2010 at the Richmond Theatre.

Richmond Theatre,The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1QJ
http://www.ambassadortickets.com/4/659/Richmond/Richmond-Theatre/The-Rat-Pack