‘We ain’t figured out what the hell we do up here,’ is what Frank Sinatra once said about the Rat Pack’s antics on stage, and he was probably right. By all accounts they were a bunch of cool cats having a public stage party, and probably a lot more fun than the audience they were supposed to be entertaining. But that was fine, because the public loved them for it.
At the time, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr were three of the hottest personalities in show business. What they called the Summit, and the media tagged the Rat Pack, became immortalised as the Swinging Revolution. There were no rules. They made statements, political, social and racial. They laughed at bigotry, sang and jeered and improvised. Songs and acts were interrupted by wise-cracks and inside jokes. It was like the world was invited to Humphrey Bogart’s living room, which is where it all started from really; a group of actors who had defied the tyranny of Hollywood studios. But that’s a whole other kettle of fish.
‘You only live once,’ Frank said. ‘And the way I live, once is enough.’ For us, enduring the dark ages of the entertainment industry today, we might not agree with him as we reminisce nostalgically about that heady, swinging time whenever Justin Beiber comes on radio. And that’s why, when the Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular comes to town, we will be flocking to ADNEC in the hopes of reliving it all.
Ladies and gentleman, this week we celebrate the magic of Dino, Smoky and Ol’ Blue Eyes. And to get the party swinging, we spoke to Wayne Kennedy, the man who has performed as Dean Martin for many years, and is now producing the show.
As someone who is dedicated to resurrecting the magic of the Rat Pack and the golden age of Vegas, can you tell us what it all means to you?
What does it mean to anyone? It means good times, good banter, great friends and fantastic music. The Rat Pack and the era we’re talking about, it has come to stand for something different, something that is lost in today’s society. It was very polite as well as stylish, glamorous and fantastic fun.
Historically there was a lot more to the Rat Pack than entertainment. Can you tell us a little about it?
I’m glad you asked. The Rat Pack performers actually played a heavy role in politics in their early days, which is something not a lot of people realise. Frank Sinatra was the main political one and even recorded a song for John F. Kennedy’s campaign for president. They were also performing in the early 1960s when the civil rights movement was only just getting going – racial segregation was still an issue in Las Vegas hotels then! Sammy often faced prejudice because he was African-American but the others refused to perform in venues that had a segregation policy. The Rat Pack were so popular it forced these venues to remove these policies permanently.
What do you think made these guys unforgettable?
There is nothing more romantic than listening to Dean Martin croon his way through That’s Amore or Frank Sinatra asking you to Come Fly With Me – they are songs to fall in love to. They were all well known as spectacular performers in their own right but when they were together it was like magic. It was not simply about how they sounded together but they also bounced off one another, joking and teasing. Frank Sinatra said it best himself when he said, ‘We’re not setting out to make Hamlet or Gone With the Wind. The idea is to hang out together and have a great time.’ That is what we are hoping to recreate when we perform at ADNEC.
For those less familiar with these legends of show business, can you tell us a little about what to expect?
The show is set in 1960s Las Vegas, in the Sands Hotel where the original Rat Pack first performed. We will be taking the audience back in time to experience what it was really like to live in this era. We encourage people to dress up as much as possible and really get into character – it’s a chance for ladies to look glamorous and for the gents to look sharp. The show is not strictly scripted and we love audience interaction – in fact it’s a big part of our show. The wonderful thing about the Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular is that it is for everyone – young and old.
Tickets are Dhs125 available from BoxOfficeME.com The Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular is on June 8 at ADNEC (02 406 3475).
