WAKEFIELD DAILY
RAT PACK TRIBUTE BRINGING VEGAS TO STONEHAM
By Mark Sardella
The Wakefield Daily
If you think present day Las Vegas is a world unto itself, imagine Vegas 45 years ago, in 1960. It was a time and place where men were men, and they had a damn good time while they were at it. And no one ever did it better than Frank, Dino, Sammy and Joey - the original Rat Pack. It was said that they were what every man wanted to be, and what every woman wanted.
In Las Vegas to shoot the original Ocean's Eleven, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop spent their days on the movie set and their nights playing the plush Copa Room at the Sands Hotel.
This is this brief heyday that Sandy Hackett is out to capture in his Tribute to Frank, Joey, Sammy and Dean, which runs from Jan. 12-16 at the Stoneham Theatre.
Sandy Hackett, who created the show and plays Joey Bishop, is the son of the late, great comedian Buddy Hackett. The elder Hackett was a show business contemporary of the Rat Pack, and growing up Sandy knew them all, but none better than Joey Bishop, who remains a close family friend.
Sandy Hackett says that both his father and Joey Bishop played key roles in the development of The Tribute to Frank, Joey, Sammy and Dean.
Buddy Hackett, who died in 2003, provides the show's premise right from the opening curtain. On tape as the voice of God, he sends the boys back to Vegas to do one more show. Bishop contributed the title of the show, and may have inspired Sandy Hackett when, several years back, he suggested that Sandy audition for an HBO movie about the Rat Pack.
The part of Joey Bishop went to another actor, but Hackett determined to put together his own Rat Pack show. The Tribute has been playing at the Greek Isles in Las Vegas for over two years, and the upcoming Stoneham production features the same performers as the Vegas show.
Even as the writer, producer and co-star of the show, Hackett downplays his role in creating the material. "There's a lot of history to draw from," Hackett says, adding that most of the show "is lifted from what happened."
But that doesn't mean it's all scripted. "There's a lot of ad lib," Hackett says. "We've got veteran performers and, once they get into character, ad libbing is very easy." Hackett says that the script also eases up a bit on the good-natured ethnic ribbing that was part of the original Rat Pack repertoire.
Early on, Sandy Hackett decided to follow in his dad's footsteps. He made his debut on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh In" at age 11 and by age 15, Hackett was performing in front of 3,000 people at New York's Westbury Fair. He polished his comedic skills at the Casbah inside the Sahara Hotel and Casino, before touring with Buddy's opening act. During those years, Hyannis and Cohasset were regular stops. "When I toured with my dad, we used to come to Cape Cod every couple of years and sell out those tents," Hackett recalls.
Doug Starks plays Sammy Davis Jr. in the show, and his physical resemblance to the original Mr. Entertainment doesn't hurt. He has been wowing Vegas audiences with his stirring impersonation of Sammy Davis for over three years. In the Stoneham show, he sings "Mr. Bojangles," "What Kind of Fool Am I," "That Old Black Magic" and "Me and My Shadow."
Gary Anthony has been singing Sinatra songs since he was 15. Coming from a show business family, he and his siblings toured the country as "The Aliens" from 1968-1979. In The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey and Dean, Anthony sings such Sinatra favorites as "All of Me," "Fly Me to the Moon," and "Angel Eyes."
As a kid, Andy DiMino watched the weekly Dean Martin Variety Hour on TV, and became a fan and a collector of Martin memorabilia. His mother encouraged him to see if he could make a career opportunity out of his physical likeness, singing talent and ability to recreate Martin's style and mannerisms. It led to a solo career performing as Martin and eventually to the cast of The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey and Dean. In the show, he performs such Dean Martin hits as "Ain't That a Kick in the Head," "That's Amore" and "Volare."
The show also features a special cameo appearance by actress Stacey Nicole as Marilyn Monroe.
The show boasts a live 12-piece big band, under musical director Lon Bronson, who hails from the Boston area. He has fronted the Lon Bronson All-Star Band in Las Vegas since 1990. Rather than bring his band from Las Vegas, Bronson has hired local musicians for the Stoneham show. According to Hackett, Bronson, "has secured some of the finest musicians from the Boston area."
Dick Feeney, producer of The Tribute to Frank, Sammy Joey and Dean, is a native of Rockland, and attended Boston University. No stranger to the Vegas action, Feeney is the owner of the skydiving Elvis impersonators, "The Flying Elvi," who were featured in the movie "Honeymoon in Vegas." |
