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If you’re in the mood for a bit of musical nostalgia, visit the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square to enjoy the best hits once performed by legendary crooners Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.
IT WAS a time when women were called “broads”, things were “swell”, and you had “a gas”. It was the era of the Rat Pack, consisting principally of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.
Rat Pack fever has hit Joburg and you can take a memorable trip down nostalgia lane, and live through the three legends’ greatest hits, in the form of Patrick Tobin as Sinatra, Dantanio Goodman as Davis and Matthew Stewardson as Martin, with a seven-piece orchestra.
The Rat Pack opened at the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square in Sandton this week, and runs for four weeks.
Sinatra, Martin and Davis, the three rats, were talented singers, actors and comedians who hit the American stage and movie scene in a big way in the 1950s and ’60s, capturing an age of classy glamour and hard living.
While no one can replace the Rat Pack and Sinatra, or Ol’ Blue Eyes in particular, Tobin doesn’t do a bad job with his The Lady is a Tramp, and My Way, among other songs. It could have been my imagination but after a while he begins to look a little like Sinatra, minus the effortless charisma, of course.
Goodman pulls off a very credible Davis, with faultless renditions of Candy Man, Mr Bo Jangles, and I’ve got you under my Skin. He hits the high notes with ease in What kind of Fool?
Stewardson may be a bit over the top as Martin, with his wandering on to the stage minus his trousers, but he does capture an eccentric Martin, boozy and funny.
A group of entertainers
The Rat Pack was originally a group of entertainers with actor Humphrey Bogart as its leader in the 1960s, according to Wikipedia. It consisted of Sinatra, Martin, Davis, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, who appeared together on stage and in films, including the movies Ocean's Eleven, Sergeant’s 3, and 4 for Texas. In 1964 Sinatra, Martin and Davis appeared in Robin and the Seven Hoods.
The original Rat Pack
There are different explanations for the origins of the name. Wikipedia gives one: “According to one version, the group's original ‘Den Mother’, Lauren Bacall, after seeing her husband [Martin] and his friends return from a night in Las Vegas, said words to the effect of, ‘you look like a goddamn rat pack’.”
Sinatra died in 1998 at the age of 82, still crooning. Martin died in 1995 at the age of 78, while Davis succumbed to throat cancer in 1990 at the age of 64.
Tobin is an American, a professional singer who specialises in Sinatra’s music, who says he learnt to sing listening to Elvis Presley, Billy Joel and Neil Diamond.
Dantanio was born in Kimberley and grew up listening to gospel, pop, R&B and reggae. He belonged to several bands and went solo in 2005. He rates his performance for Madiba as one of his greatest, and has toured to Mauritius, Mozambique, New Orleans and London.
His musical influences include Michael Jackson, Nat King Cole, Phil Collins and Stevie Wonder.
Stewardson, also a South African, is an actor, TV presenter and comedian, and bills himself on his website as “The Entertainer”.
The three of them clearly had “a gas” on stage in Sandton on the opening night. And, judging by the audience’s wistful smiles and gently tapping feet, its run until 2 August is going to be sold out.
Tickets are R200 and available at www.ticket.co.za or telephonically on 073 725 7381 or from the theatre on 011 883 8606.
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