A British musical that recreates a performance featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr, at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in the early 1960s. Filmed live during its West End run at the Strand Theatre.
The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas
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Stage Production Notes
Conceived and directed by Mitch Sebastian, The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas recreates a performance featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr, at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in the early 1960s.
Mitch Sebastian reportedly created the script from interviews and recordings from the original Sands Hotel performance. The show featured three actors impersonating the Rat Pack, three chorus girls, and a 15-piece orchestra. Songs included “The Lady is a Tramp,” “Mr. Bojangles,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “New York, New York,” and “Candyman.”
The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas was first performed regionally in the UK in 2000.
The show transferred to the West End in March 2003, opening at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, for a limited engagement. It re-opened at the Strand Theatre (now named the Novello) in July 2003 where it played for two years. The show subsequently played at six more West End theatres, including the Adelphi, London Palladium, Peacock, Savoy, and Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The Rat Pack was nominated for “Best Entertainment” at the 2004 Olivier Awards.
During the festive season, the show was re-branded “Christmas With the Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas.” The Christmas reincarnation received scathing reviews, with The Guardian’s Julie Burchill describing it as a “rat trap,” and claiming “you will soon wish you were back on the street taking your chances with the druggies and thugees [sic].”
The show received its North American premiere in Toronto in 2004. In the United States, the show was re-named The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands.
The show continues to tour around the United Kingdom, and around the world. It was scheduled to return to the West End in December, 2017.
Conceived and directed by Mitch Sebastian, The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas recreates a performance featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr, at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in the early 1960s.
Mitch Sebastian reportedly created the script from interviews and recordings from the original Sands Hotel performance. The show featured three actors impersonating the Rat Pack, three chorus girls, and a 15-piece orchestra. Songs included “The Lady is a Tramp,” “Mr. Bojangles,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “New York, New York,” and “Candyman.”
The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas was first performed regionally in the UK in 2000.
The show transferred to the West End in March 2003, opening at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, for a limited engagement. It re-opened at the Strand Theatre (now named the Novello) in July 2003 where it played for two years. The show subsequently played at six more West End theatres, including the Adelphi, London Palladium, Peacock, Savoy, and Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The Rat Pack was nominated for “Best Entertainment” at the 2004 Olivier Awards.
During the festive season, the show was re-branded “Christmas With the Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas.” The Christmas reincarnation received scathing reviews, with The Guardian’s Julie Burchill describing it as a “rat trap,” and claiming “you will soon wish you were back on the street taking your chances with the druggies and thugees [sic].”
The show received its North American premiere in Toronto in 2004. In the United States, the show was re-named The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands.
The show continues to tour around the United Kingdom, and around the world. It was scheduled to return to the West End in December, 2017.
Filmed Production Notes
The Rat Pack was filmed live during its run at the Strand Theatre in London.
The DVD was released by Lace in the United Kingdom in 2004. The DVD included a behind-the-scenes documentary and bonus tracks.
PBS aired the recording on American television in August 2005.
In October 2005, Image Entertainment released the DVD in the United States. According to Amazon listings, the Region 1 DVD does not contain any special features.
The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas is available on DVD from Amazon.
The Rat Pack was filmed live during its run at the Strand Theatre in London.
The DVD was released by Lace in the United Kingdom in 2004. The DVD included a behind-the-scenes documentary and bonus tracks.
PBS aired the recording on American television in August 2005.
In October 2005, Image Entertainment released the DVD in the United States. According to Amazon listings, the Region 1 DVD does not contain any special features.
The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas is available on DVD from Amazon.
The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: Strand Theatre, London
Producer: Paul Walden, Derek Nicol, Paul Woolf
Writers: Mitch Sebastian and Roy Smiles
Music: Various
Director: Mitch Sebastian
Musical Director and Arrangements: Matthew Freeman
Choreography: Mitch Sebastian
Scenic Design: Sean Cavanagh
Costume Design: Paul Clarke, Christopher Woods
Lighting Design: Mark Wheatley
Sound Design: Peter Barnard
Cast:
Stephen Triffitt, Gilz Terera, Mark Adams
Theatre: Strand Theatre, London
Producer: Paul Walden, Derek Nicol, Paul Woolf
Writers: Mitch Sebastian and Roy Smiles
Music: Various
Director: Mitch Sebastian
Musical Director and Arrangements: Matthew Freeman
Choreography: Mitch Sebastian
Scenic Design: Sean Cavanagh
Costume Design: Paul Clarke, Christopher Woods
Lighting Design: Mark Wheatley
Sound Design: Peter Barnard
Cast:
Stephen Triffitt, Gilz Terera, Mark Adams
Sources
Articles
Websites
- Julie Burchill, “It’s a rat trap,” The Guardian (Dec 13, 2003)
- John Curtis, “Schedule of Upcoming London Shows,” Playbill (Aug 21, 2017)
- Carrie Dunn, “West End girl: Elf in the workshop for Broadway,” The Guardian (June 25, 2009)
- Kenneth Jones, “Ring a Ding Ding! Dean, Sammy and Frank Conjured in Rat Pack Live, Making North American Premiere in Toronto,” Playbill (Oct 6, 2004)
- Howard Loxton, “Christmas with the Rat Pack Live from Las Vegas,” British Theatre Guide (2011)
- Post Staff Report, “Swingin’ Rat Pack Musical,” New York Post (April 19, 2005)
- Frank Rizzo, “Review: ‘The Rat Pack Live From Las Vegas’,” Variety (Oct 20, 2005)
- Mark Shenton, “The Rat Pack Live from Las Vegas to Return to the West End in September,” Playbill (June 20, 2009)
- Mark Shenton, “Rat Pack Live Heads Back to London to Play Its Eighth West End Theatre,” Playbill (July 29, 2011)
- John Thaxter, “The Rat Pack – Live from Las Vegas review at Strand Theatre London,” The Stage (Feb 16, 2004)
- LondonTheatre.co.uk, “Rat Pack extends to 25 Sep 2004 at Strand,” LondonTheatre.co.uk (Nov 13, 2003)
Websites
- Olivier Awards, “Olivier Winners 2004,” Accessed via: http://www.olivierawards.com/winners/view/item98547/olivier-winners-2004/
- Out and About Nashville, “The Rat Pack - Live at the Sands,” Accessed via: https://www.outandaboutnashville.com/story/rat-pack-live-sands-comes-tpac#.WaBqNZN94xc
- UK Theatre Web, “Archive Listings for The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas,” Accessed via: http://www.uktw.co.uk/archive/concert/the-rat-pack-live-from-las-vegas/S2009233183/
- The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas, “About the Show,” Accessed via: https://web.archive.org/web/20051124130550/http://www.theratpacklivefromlasvegas.com:80/about_show.shtml
- W.H. Smith, “Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas - The West End Musical [Ex],” Accessed via: https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/rat-pack-live-from-las-vegas-the-west-end-musical-%5Bex%5D/9007001100426
Written by Luisa Lyons (August, 2017)