WINTHROP SUN
RAT PACK WOWS STONEHAM AUDIENCES
By Sheila Barth
The Winthrop Sun
Stoneham Theatre was jammed with happy audiences Jan. 12-16 when Buddy Hackett's son, Sandy, appeared there with his traveling Rat Pack revue and 12-piece Tribute orchestra.
If you missed this road show, that's too bad, because the closest place it will be next is in Long Island, N.Y on Fathers Day weekend. The good news is after the huge welcome the show received at Stoneham's 350-seat theater - it sold out every night - Hackett promises to return to the Boston area next year.
The original show, which has appeared at the Greek Isles (formerly Debbie Reynolds) Theater in Las Vegas for almost three years, continues to be a hit there, and it's easy to see why.
The uninterrupted show which ran for two hours, opened with the 12-piece Tribute Band's big sound and Buddy Hackett's voice telling Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. they are being sent back to earth for a day because audiences miss them so much. Buddy Hackett's words, recorded in 2003 before his death, were prophetic.
Several people in the audience cheered, laughed, cried, and had their photos taken afterward with the cast because they were thrilled to be swept back to an earlier time when life was simpler, more romantic and silly, lacking socially acceptable taboos onstage.
Sandy Hackett as his family friend, comedian Joey Bishop, kept the shtick and comedy going throughout the show, interacting with the audience, supplying one-liners in split-second timing, and reliving much of Joey Bishop's hey-day with the notorious Rat Pack.
Gary Anthony was fine as Frank Sinatra, especially when he sang "New York, New York" and "My Way," and Doug Starks has all the right moves - and voice - as his mentor Sammy Davis Jr. He brought the house down with a stirring rendition of "What Kind of Fool Am I" and "Bo Jangles."
However the audience favorite was Andy DiMino, who is uncanny as Dean Martin. He looks like Dean, right down to the curly black hair and doe eyes, sounds like him when speaking and singing, including in "That's Amore," in which he lead a sing along. DiMino performed as Dean Martin as a single act in several venues for years, leaving his audiences amazed.
Adding glamour and sexiness to the group is dancer-performer Stacey Nicole as boozy Marilyn Monroe. She certainly gave a man named Joe in the audience a night to remember when she sang Happy Birthday to him and nuzzled and nestled him - with Mr. Joe's permission, of course. The Rat Pack Returns is a classy recreation of four legends in their own time, and brings a large touch of Las Vegas circa 1963 to downtown Stoneham.
The original Rat Pack brought the house down whenever they performed at the Sands, on television, or anywhere else, because they were friends having fun in the place they loved most - onstage - and this group captures that essence perfectly. When Hackett and company return, don't miss it. |
