Rat Pack reprises

Just ask British theater director Mitch Sebastian, who came up with the concept for “The Rat Pack — Live at the Sands,” a show that brings Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin back to the stage.

The show — which ran on London’s West End for four years — has been making its way around the globe, touring in the U.S., opening in Germany, Scandinavia and, next week, in Tucson.

“We have four different casts right now,” Sebastian said in a phone interview from London. “It’s a Rat Pack machine. We’re taking over the world and coming to a town near you.”

The Tucson show — brought to local audiences by Broadway in Tucson — will open Tuesday at the Music Hall for eight performances. “It’s not a musical theater story but more of a cabaret show, a look at how they played back then,” said Nigel Casey, who has portrayed the show’s Dean Martin for 2› years. “It’s absolutely phenomenal. We’ve played around the world, in places that don’t speak English,” Casey said in a phone interview from London. “But everyone recognizes the music.”

American audiences, though, seem to understand the show in a deeper way, the British actor said. “Seriously, it’s massive in England and Northern Ireland, but it’s your guys’ history and your guys’ icons,” Casey said. “There are subtleties that are lost with European audiences,” he said. “But in America, every gag lands, it really does fly, and crowds come with us on this journey.”

That journey begins in Las Vegas at the Sands Hotel, circa 1960. The Sands was the hottest spot in Sin City, and the Rat Pack was the coolest ticket in town. Hollywood starlets and powerhouse actors — Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Peck and Judy Garland — were among the hundreds who packed the showroom to hear the entertainers’ signature songs. Those numbers include Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” Martin’s “That’s Amore” and Davis’s “Mr. Bojangles.”

Sebastian’s show re-creates the Rat Pack’s legendary performances though the talents of Casey, Stephen Triffitt (Sinatra) and David Hayes (Davis). “Audiences react and understood the power of the music,” Sebastian said. “It’s pure energy. It’s the whole big-band thing, the whole sadness and pathos of the ballads everyone gets.”

Completing the package are a 15-piece big band and the Burelli Sisters, played by singers and dancers Anna Carmichael, Lucie Florentine and Andrea Winglelaar.

“It’s a loving tribute to the men, but I didn’t’ want it to be sycophantic,” Sebastian said. “It is a celebration of them but it’s also a celebration of America at that time and the wonderful music of that time. But it also focuses on the negatives.”

That includes tones in the show that look at race, sexism and homophobia, Sebastian said. “It has a degree of authenticity,” he said. “Though in the beginning, producers were pushing for a show that was more about the music and being commercial-minded, I wanted to do a play about the political and historical relevance of what they were doing. It’s that middle ground that seems to have struck more than anything else.”

The Tucson stop for “The Rat Pack” is halfway through its 12-week U.S. run. Does this mean the show might soon make its way to Broadway? Sebastian is hopeful but remains coy.

“I’ve said this with London,” he said. “It’s not a West End product. It doesn’t belong in London and it doesn’t feel like a Broadway product, but I was wrong before and am ready to be wrong again.”

Sebastian’s next project is a new musical about cheerleading called “Cheer!” He’s working with the producers of “Stomp” and “Hairspray” to take “Cheer!” to Tokyo in 2008 and plans to bring the musical to the U.S.

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Preview

“The Rat Pack — Live at the Sands”

• Director: Mitch Sebastian.

• Presented by: Broadway in Tucson.

• When: Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 8 p.m. next Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 1; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2.

• ASL: An interpreted performance will be at 2 p.m. on Dec. 1. For information call 903-2929.

• Where: Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave.

• Tickets: $20-$55, with discounts available, through Ticketmaster, 321-1000, or in person at the Tucson Convention Center box office.

• Information: www.broadwayintucson.com

• Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes, with one intermission.

• Cast: Stephen Triffitt, David Hayes and Nigel Casey.