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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

RAT PACK LIVE AT THE SNEDDON

(Pic: Matthew Stewardson, Patrick Tobin and Dantanio Goodman appear in The Rat Pack)

Frank, Dean and Sammy will be swinging their way in late October 2009, when The Rat Pack promises the coolest party to town at the Sneddon Theatre, campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

The epitome of style and suaveness, the Rat Pack – that is Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior and others – took the world by storm in the 1960s. The glitzy city of Las Vegas will come to Durban as these hip, cool, wisecracking cats swagger onto stage.

Unfortunately, it won’t be the slick trio themselves but the next best thing: a crack South African cast of singers, featuring American impersonator Patrick Tobin as Ol’ Blue Eyes, Dantanio Goodman as Sammy, and Matthew Stewardson – one of South Africa’s most accomplished Rat Pack performers – as “Dino”.

Audiences can look forward to an entertaining evening with these whisky-swigging legends, who will recreate the era of swing, jazz and rock ’n roll, complete with a nine-piece big band. Expect to hear favourites such as Fly me to the Moon, That’s Amore, Mack the Knife, I Only Have Eyes for You and My Way. The production is staged by Colin Law with choreography by Trish Mckenna.

The Rat Pack concept originated in the 1950s anchored around Humphrey Bogart. However, by the ’60s the group included Frank, Dean and Sammy, as well as Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. Along with their music, they have become immortal - no less with the recent remake of the Ocean’s 11 movie and its sequels, as well as artists such as Robbie Williams and Michael BublĂ© helping to re-popularise the genre among younger generations.

The Rat Pack runs from October 27 to November 14. Tickets from R95 to R150 available through www.computicket.com