by dick kerekes dickkerekes@yahoo.com
Think of the term Time Machine, and you think of an apparatus that will let you move back and forth in time. There is a time machine of sorts on the stage of the Times Union Center and it will be there until through Sunday November 19. It is the show called The Rat Pack-Live At The Sands that will transport you back to l962 and to the nightclub at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.
The Rat Pack is a superb production and as soon as the curtain opens, you are impressed with the 15-piece orchestra that rises above the stage. Then all the magic begins as Frank, Sammy and Dean come on stage to entertain you for two hours.
Frank Sinatra fans will be more than thrilled by Stephen Triffitt’s impersonation of this legend. Triffitt has been doing Frank for many years and has all the mannerisms and the singing style down to perfection. When the show ends with Frank singing “My Way”, you will swear that Sinatra, who died in l998, has been reincarnated and is actually there on stage.
Also a veteran of impression, David Hayes has been doing Sammy Davis Jr. for years and he truly does it all. He dances, sings, plays the trumpet, and gives us impressive impersonations of John Wayne, Johnny Carson and Ronald Reagan. How good is he? Some years before he died in l990, Sammy Davis Jr. had seen Hayes perform in Atlantic City and the original himself, declared Hayes as doing the best singing impersonation he had ever seen. Enough said.
British actor and singer, Nigel Casey is new to the Dean Martin role, and if you sitting beyond the middle of the theatre, he looks like him as well. Casey is best as Martin in the second half of the show. It appears it is easier to do an impression of Martin when he was doing his famous drinking than when he was cold sober. His voice sounded more like Martin in act 2, especially on the song “Volare”.
Emily Hawgood, Giselle Wright and Andrea Wingleaar are the Burelli Sisters, the backup singers, who do a lot of dancing and showing off of their long and lanky and lovely legs. They are excellent vocalists as well.
Think of a favorite song from any of this trio and they probably performed all or at least part of it somewhere in the show. In act 2, there are songs, but also a lot of comedy, that these crazy guys created on stage together, and much of it back in those days was adlibbed. The show pulls no punches and the humor touches on racism, drinking, sex and even the Ku Klux Klan. Compared to what is on TV these days it is pretty tame stuff but very funny nonetheless.
As much as I enjoyed this trio for their singing, being a movie buff, I have been even more impressed with their movie achievements. Sinatra did 49 movies in 44 years. Martin was in 37 movies and Sammy appeared in 16. All the films show up regularly on a number of cable movie channels and all three were very good actors in my opinion.
After 44 years, the Sands Hotel was torn down in l996, but the memories of this great show place live on in The Rat Pack.
This revue has been around for several years and has earned rave reviews worldwide. So dress up in some of those fancy duds you have hidden in the closet. This will be the cheapest trip you ever took to Las Vegas (no slot machines or gambling tables in the Times Union center). You can even do your own imitation of Dean Martin, and have a cocktail in the lobby.
Remember the songs “New York, New York”, “Mr. Bojangles” and “That’s Amore”? This is an opportunity to hear them “live” as close to the original as you will ever get, so don’t miss this show.
Performances continue at Friday 8 pm, Saturday 2 and 8 pm and Sunday at 7 pm at the Times Union Center 300 W. Water St. in downtown Jacksonville. Call (904) 632-3373 for reservations.
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