WHAT"S ON LAS VEGAS GUIDE
 HEY HEY DAYS
These guys swing it nightly in "The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey & Dean"
By Kimberley McGee
What's On Las vegas Guide
As impressive as Las Vegas is today with its mega-resorts and showgirl shows, some would say its most glamorous era was during the casual days of the Sixties, when celebrities, dressed to the nines, would jump onstage to perform with martinis in hand.
At the Greek Isles, the essence of that is authentically portrayed in Dick Feeney and Sandy Hackett's "The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey & Dean."
The two-hour show pays tribute to the original Rat Pack, which included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. Bishop, 86, is the only surviving member of the original Rat Pack.
Stacey Nicole makes an appearance as a luscious Marilyn Monroe in the upbeat show.
The show begins with Buddy Hackett, Sandy's late father, telling the crew offstage that they must return to Earth to do it one more time.
From there, the 12-piece orchestra introduces Sandy Hackett as Bishop and a rotating cast of stellar impressionists.
"We've modernized it a little bit," Hackett said. "They picked on Sammy quite a bit, which was fine with Sammy, but they did it in a racial tone that then they got away with it, today you don't."
Instead, they included hits from the entire careers of the Rat Pack, such as Davis' "Mr. Bojangles," as well as play on the songs to include more updated jokes.
"We get some modern day references in there," Hackett said. "We play around a lot."
Including the infamous drink cart, which, once rolled out kicks the show into high gear and the audience into the past with a physical and emotional onstage act.
"It's more than just a couple songs they sang," Hackett said. "We've done a lot of research to get the person [we are portraying) onstage right."
Hackett and Feeney reached into Las Vegas' rich past for authenticity. Maitre d' George Levin was the original Rat Pack maitre d' at the Sands in the Sixties.
The Rat Pack did their shows in 1960 while they were filming Ocean's 11. The group had toured the country with their act, which was widely well received and became a legendary moment in Las Vegas' history.
It was in their shows in Las Vegas where they secured the Rat Pack moniker, much to Sinatra's chagrin.
The Summit is what Sinatra preferred to call the bunch. "He did not like that name, the Rat Pack," Hackett said.
In fact, it was a ripoff of the original Rat Pack, which was made up of Humphrey Bogart and his celebrity pals, Judy Garland, Sinatra, Sid Luft, Martin and his wife Jeannie, Bishop and Swifty Lazar, an agent. Bogart's wife Bacall was labeled the den mother and began jokingly calling them rats, hence the name.
Years later someone else coined the phrase for the next big celebrity round table, Sinatra et al, and whoever else came by to join in the good-natured, grown-up fun.
"They were the second generation Rat Pack," Hackett said. "But the truth of the matter is Sinatra did not embrace the name."
In Las Vegas, they filmed during the day and played at night in the Sands' plush Copa room during the 30 days they were in town, performing about 70 shows in total.
"We've re-created what one of those nights might have been like," Hackett said.
To rehearse for the show, each Tribute actor researched their role.
"All of my actors in the show are students of the people they portray in this genre," Hackett said.
They have visited the archives of the Las Vegas News Bureau, the Las Vegas Visitors Authority, researched on the Internet and in libraries as well as dug into Hackett's past.
"I probably have six to eight shows that they did, plus some A&E [television] footage and I also have archival footage that really isn't available to the public. Because of Joey I have access to other things."
In fact, Hackett is the sole exclusive licensee to portray Bishop.
"I'm friends with Joey since I was a young boy. He was Uncle Joey," Hackett said. "I called him for his endorsement."
Hackett submerged himself in the role, as have the other actors.
"I change my voice, I change my hair, I put in contacts," Hackett said.
The effect adds a more vivid, theatrical element to the show, said director Billy Karl.
"This is one night in the life of these five extraordinary human beings," Karl said. "We allowed them to breathe onstage and the entire cast was phenomenal and they studied to make it more than a one-dimensional character. It's a role, not just a cutout onstage of the Rat Pack."
And it's truly a show you'll remember. |
