Rat Pack Together Again to make first Pittsburgh appearance
Three legendary performers and good friends took the stage in Las Vegas in the 1960s to sing, dance and tell jokes — but what Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. gave, was entertainment so pure that performers all over the world are still trying to recreate the magic of the Rat Pack trio.
“The Rat Pack, Together Again” will take a journey back to perform some of the most unforgettable music ever written and deliver impersonations of the iconic stars during a show at Carnegie Music Hall in Munhall, 8 p.m. Nov. 15.
Tony Sands (Frank Sinatra), Johnny Petillo (Dean Martin) and Geno Monroe (Sammy Davis Jr.) portray the trio in the Vegas night club format that made the audience laugh, cry and sing along.
“We get them feeling all those good feelings and reliving those great memories,” said Sands. “We try to recreate what they did by doing comedy, impressions and their music. We try to fit everything into an hour-an-a-half show.”
Sands has been impersonating his childhood idol for more than two decades, crooning Sinatra signature songs like “Luck Be A Lady,” “New York, New York,” “Fly Me To the Moon” and his personal favorite, “Put Your Dreams Away.”
“When I first heard him my ears were up. I just visualized what he was singing about. He knew how to bring a song across and paint a picture. I listened to him constantly the way he was phrasing a song and holding his notes,” Sands said.
Sinatra was the informal leader of a group of Hollywood A-listers, known for womanizing and boozing, dubbed by the press as “The Rat Pack.” In addition to Martin and Davis, others considered to be Rat Packers were Joey Bishop, Corbett Monica and Peter Lawford.
In the early 60s, many of their Vegas shows were impromptu–when one of the members was scheduled to give a performance, the rest of the Pack would show up. The marquee at Sands Hotel once famously featured, “Dean Martin – Maybe Frank – Maybe Sammy.”
Vegas was overrun with people clamoring hoping to be part of The Rat Pack experience.
Sands explained the origins and closeness of the Pack, that began when they were all working together in Atlantic City and New York and hanging around Humphrey Bogart, who is credited as being the ring leader of the group’s first incarnation.
“Frank loved Sammy and Dean, and he knew they were great entertainers. He considered Sammy to be the best of all three and loved being with Sammy on stage and off. People were attracted to watch those guys bond on stage. Nothing was scripted, it was music and laughs and the audience loved it,” said Sands.
Sands’ “Rat Pack Together Again” crew has the same vibe on stage.
“We get along so well. To have a good Rat Pack you have to. There’s no jealousy. We just do a lot of gigs and we, thank God, love what we do,” he said.
The group has been performing together up and down the east coast and in Las Vegas for five years but this will be their first stop in the Pittsburgh region.
Sands is excited to be coming to the Steel City because he knows there is a great Sinatra fan base in the area.
Among his greatest joys about performing, Sands said, is introducing young people to the music of their grandparents’ generation and keeping the standards alive.
“Someone has to turn you on to the music. We do have young people that come in to listen to the show. I think many young people may be looking for a music that gives you a chill, that has a deeper meaning,” Sands said. “It’s just the music and the song writing are so beautiful and the feelings the music evokes. You sing those songs over and over again and it never gets tiresome.”
The Rat Pack Together Again performers will add their personal touches to songs like “My Way,” “Everybody Loves Somebody,” and “Mr. Bojangles,” while incorporating dances, other impersonations and comedy when they introduce themselves to the Pittsburgh audience Sands said.