Frank Sinatra was the singer, actor and, allegedly, Mafia mascot who led the pack which comprised Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jnr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. This multi talented group of of actors and singers starred in several films and stage shows and originally centred around Humphrey Bogart until his untimely death.
For the past 10 years Stephen Triffitt, Mark Adams and George Daniel Long have taken the original The Rat Pack – Live from Las Vegas show and have turned it into a touring production which pays homage to the three main protagonists, Dean, Frank and Sammy.
On at Leicester's Curve until Sat 14th June, The Definitive Rat Pack features a full 9 piece band onstage, 3 backing singers (The Gold Diggers) as well as the headliners themselves.
Steven Triffitt positively inhabits Frank Sinatra and is a master of his verbal extemporising and idiosyncratic phrasing.
Mark Adams' Dean Martin lurches drunkenly onto the stage with The Gold Diggers and lives up to his image as a laconic drunken lecher with a wicked sense of humour.
George Daniel Long's Sammy Davis Junior is a high octane bundle of energy bouncing around the stage epitomising his verbal dexterity and dance moves.
While each of the performers are excellent as their doppelgangers it is when they all come together that the magic really happens and their banter and camaraderie produces something special.
Not only is this show crammed full of the standards expected from these entertainment gods but inbetween are snippets of authentic onstage banter between the three. I was very pleased to see that much of the coarser, racist humour from the 60's has been excised and the relationship between the guys showed their obvious love for each other.
For anyone who likes swing music this is an event not to be missed. The Definitive Rat Pack is on at Leicester's Curve until Saturday 14th June
© Paul Towers 13/6/2014
First published in Western Gazette
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