Garrett Phillips, David Hayes and Nigel Casey in The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas at Theatre Royal Haymarket, London. Picture: Betty Zapata
The Rat Pack – Live from Las Vegas continues at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London until 3 February.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
It’s fair to say that The Rat Pack, most notably involving Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and Dean Martin, represented the original party boys.
Though not rock musicians, they were the first rock stars of music; living life the ‘real way’, and generally doing what they wanted, but with a sophistication and coolness that could not and cannot ever be matched again.
Garrett Phillips plays Frank Sinatra and inspires our desire to hear more. Opening the show on his own with ‘The Lady is a Tramp’, Phillips not only looks like Sinatra but the tone and quality is remarkably the same as the crooner’s legendary voice.
Sammy Davis Jr (David Hayes) offers an intoxicating rendition of ‘Mr Bojangles’, riffing a few tap dance moves in between verses, again playfully teasing the audience in the same style Davis Jr would have done.
Comedic aspects are most definitely added when Nigel Casey, as ‘The King of Cool’ Dean Martin, appears and opens his solo set singing ‘That’s Amore’, throwing in witty ad-libs in the process.
The Burrelli sisters (Amelia Adams-Pearce, Joanna Walters and Laura Darton) seductively give us a well-earned break from the velvet tones of the boys with gorgeous close three-part harmonies, much like that of The Andrews Sisters or most recently The Puppini sisters, on obvious Christmas tunes such as ‘Jingle Bells’.
A flawless 12-piece big band led by Matthew Freeman make the night extra special with fabulous arrangements of these classic songs.
The lighting is imaginative and well thought out; from particular band members being lit from above for their solo moments in a song, to under-stage lighting so that cast members are in silhouette in the few blackout moments.
The mesmerising night is summed up when the cast makes a toast while snow falls from above, singing ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, and a immense sense of family warmth and love fills the theatre as we all reflect on why this time of year is so magical.
Incredibly well cast and true to the instantly relaxing charisma in which the original Rat Pack oozed, The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas is truly a show not to be missed.
Alex Grainger
Tickets for The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas are available HERE.
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