Show re-lives the magic

After four unprecedented years on London's West End, “The Rat Pack – Live at the Sands” will take the stage for its final weekend in Atlanta at The Fabulous Fox Theatre.

The show, which opened on Tuesday, vividly recreates a legendary evening at the Sands Hotel with the most famous performers of our time: Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dean Martin. Atlanta audiences have been re-living the excitement of those nights with the Rat Pack, on stage, and will continue to do so with the final five performances, concluding Sunday, Sept. 30.

“The Rat Pack – Live at the Sands” transports audiences to the early 1960s, when Frank and his pals were filming the original version of the casino robbery caper “Ocean’s Eleven” in Las Vegas. The Sands Hotel was featured prominently in the film, which included solo performances by Frank, Sammy, and Dean. The Rat Pack legend was born when Frank and Dean spontaneously joined Sammy on stage and, to the surprise and delight of the audience, playfully interrupted his act. Subsequent nights included hi-jinks and horseplay as the three performed on stage together. They crooned, they quipped and they rolled out the gags right along with their on-stage liquor cart.

Director and choreographer Mitch Sebastian re-creates the magic that was the Rat Pack on stage. Performers evoke all the glamour of that notorious nightclub gig when the audience was glittered with the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Peck, Judy Garland, Tony Curtis, Sam Giancana and Jack Kennedy. It’s an evening of wisecracking, hip-cat nostalgia: a cool mix of sharpies and broads singing some of the finest music ever written.

“The Rat Pack – Live at the Sands” features set design by Sean Cavanagh, vocal and musical arrangements by Matthew Freeman, costume design by Christopher Woods and lighting design by Mark Wheatley. The U.S. tour is produced by Paul Walden and Derek Nicol for Rat Pack Touring, Ltd., in association with Paul Woolf.

This production celebrates the incredible talents of three larger than life entertainers -- legends in their own time. A 15-piece on-stage big band sets the tone for the show. Audiences will swing and swoon to the Rat Pack’s signature songs, including: “My Kinda Town,” “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Mack the Knife,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “That Old Black Magic,” and many more.

Tickets for “The Rat Pack – Live at the Sands” can be purchased through authorized ticket sellers at The Fox Theatre box office, Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 404-817-8700. Orders for groups of 15 or more may be placed by calling 404-881-2000. Ticket prices range from $17-50.

“The Rat Pack – Live at the Sands” will play the Fox Theatre on Friday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 29 at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 30 at 1 and 6:30 p.m.

The Atlanta engagement of “The Rat Pack – Live at the Sands” is presented by arrangement with Broadway Across America-Atlanta.

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