The Review - THEATRE by DAN CARRIER Published: 2 October 2009
Swing along with the boys
FRANK, SAMMY AND DEAN – THE RAT PACK LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS
Adelphi Theatre
“I HAVE had a request from the audience,” says Dean Martin, “...but I am going to sing anyway.” And then the legend launches into That’s Amore. It’s been some years since the trio – Frank, Dean and Sammy – passed away but their legacy lives on: and this Olivier Award-winning show will take you back to the glamorous days of the 50s and 60s when the Rat Pack appeared regularly at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.
Louis Hoover (Frank) Mark Adams (Dean) and Giles Terera (Sammy) have been working together since 2000 so it’s hardly surprising this is a well-polished act.
Throw in a super 15-piece orchestra and this a very cheap way to time-travel back to that glittering era. Of course, its all about the music, and the cast keep reminding you what a legendary back catalogue these guys had: all the hits are there, from a wonderful version of Sammy Davis Junior’s Mr Bojangles to Dean Martin’s best-known hits, such as Memories and Swing. Frank brings the house down with Come Fly With Me, Under My Skin and ends on a tearful My Way.
While the music stands on its own, there is a flavour of the fun the boys had while performing in the super banter, all delivered in rapid-fire Eye-talian accents, and constant ad-libbing.
The fabulous backing trio – dubbed the Burelli Sisters – bring some extra glamour to the proceedings but the real stars are the band.
Can there be a nicer way to spend the evening than watching a superb swing orchestra wallop their way through some of the greatest songs of the previous century? I think not. Booking to January 14
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