Review: ‘Rat Pack’ performers wow even when not convincing as characters

There’s no denying that “Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show” is ring-a-ding-ding entertaining – even when it doesn’t quite ring true about the four Las Vegas legends it celebrates.

First off, the guys don’t look quite like their iconic characters. Indeed, when the four first arrive on stage, it’s a toss-up as to which one is Frank, which is Dino and, even more difficult, which is Joey Bishop.

The first two were practically interchangeable in sleek good looks (both certainly had better hair than Old Blue Eyes) and the third had a salt-and-pepper beard that doesn’t really fit any of them. They even joked among themselves that he looked more like Sean Connery in his post-James Bond days than Joey.

Only Sammy Davis Jr., for obvious ethnic reasons, was clear from the get-go, although he came across as larger than the compact, wiry bundle of energy we remember.

The show relies mostly on famous vocals, self-deprecating badinage and classic hipster in-jokes to re-create the magic of the Rat Pack’s famously loose camaraderie. And while I was never really convinced I was watching Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop come back to life, I was thoroughly entertained – and even wowed a couple of times – by the performers themselves.

Sandy Hackett, the show’s creator as well as the guy playing Joey Bishop, is the glue that holds the whole thing together, even though his character is probably the least-famous or least-remembered of the four. Hackett, son the late comic Buddy Hackett, has a background in stand-up, which worked great as he opened the show to warm up the audience.

Hackett’s cynical, deadpan delivery was hilarious, reviving the somewhat risque Vegas routines of the 1960s although updating with some current references a la Viagra. There were wife jokes, dental assistant jokes and dwarf jokes dredged up from the sexist, un-PC past but made palatable with a sheen of mocking nostalgia. Audiences roared even as he heckled them for being rubes who needed his jokes explained to them.

Hackett carefully tailored several jokes around local topics, such as pronunciation of the Arkansas River, getting even bigger laughs for personalizing the show.

Tom Wallek, a New Yorker now based in Las Vegas, played Dean Martin with a delicious smugness. His voice captured those special little trills that Dino was famous for as he seemed to toss off “That’s Amore” and “Volare” effortlessly. Wallek also captures Martin’s pseudo-drunk act to a close degree, using all the gestures, postures and slow double-takes we remember from his old TV show.

Angelo Babbaro plays Frank Sinatra but basically doesn’t show up until the second act for a medley of Frank’s hits, including “Come Fly With Me,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and “The Best Is Yet to Come.” He later nails “Luck Be a Lady,” “My Way” and “New York, New York,” as well as joining with the others for “Me and My Shadow” and “Birth of the Blues.” Babbaro sounds like Frank most of the time, but his own aura as a singer seems to compete with the character. He’s good, but he’s not always Frank.

The unqualified highlight is Kenny Jones, a native Kansan from Atchison, as Sammy Davis Jr. Jones has a powerhouse voice that does absolute justice to Sammy’s wide range, particularly for “What Kind of Fool Am I?” and “Will I Still Be Me?” Jones also shows his versatility – like Sammy – by stepping in to a play a drum solo, prance and dance around (although, sadly, no real strenuous footwork) and cavort as the hapless but good-natured straight man for the other guys. His is the most convincing characterization.

One note: The show was modified at the last minute because a severe family illness prevented Lisa Dawn Miller, Hackett’s wife, co-writer and co-star, from performing. Miller, daughter of famed songwriter Ron Miller, was to have played a composite character known as “Frank’s One Love,” modeled on three of Sinatra’s wives, particularly the fiery Ava Gardner. Hackett acknowledged the change from the stage at the very end, asking audience members to join him in singing “Happy Birthday” to her over the phone, which they did with gusto. Despite that loss, there was no obvious gap in the show. The music, accompanied by a 10-piece, onstage live orchestra, kept the pace smooth and seamless.

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Review: ‘Rat Pack’ performers wow even when not convincing as characters."