'The Rat Pack Is Back' presents a classic time in Las Vegas entertainment
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The spirit of golden age Las Vegas is always present, even if visible signs are increasingly rare. The old gives way to the new, signs from classic resort-casinos retire to the Neon Museum just north of the Strip, and torches brandished by top entertainers get passed on to the next generation. Time stands still at the Copa Room at Tuscany Suites & Casino, though, where the music is performed by live musicians, the humor is blue and The Rat Pack Is Back.
The Chairman of the Board (Chris Jason) is running things, of course, fronting a seven-piece band that is unplugged save for electric keyboard amplification. He hits his stride early with a swinging rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon,” shaking hands with front-row fans and creating rapport with fairer audience members seated further away.
A percentage of those present are either true devotees of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. or have seen the show before in other locations. A British Columbia resident sitting at a front-center table says he saw the show at The Savoy in London and brought his brother from their Downtown Las Vegas hotel especially to see the show.
They are expecting a slightly but visibly inebriated Dino (Drew Anthony), in a shiny suit and sporting a luxurious coiffure, to come out and make things a little more rambunctious. The devil-may-care crooner of “Volare” and “That’s Amore” makes his connection to the audience with sing-alongs and light provocations.
This is, after all, both a show and a time capsule from 1960, when the Rat Pack assisted the Kennedy campaign with influence and entertainment. Sinatra and Martin refused to perform without Davis at appearances at a time when the Civil Rights Movement was about to explode. Without Sammy (Kyle Diamond) taking the stage at the Copa Room there would be a noticeable absence that Frank and Dean can’t fill on their own.
They can’t duet effectively on “Santa Baby” either, with all that masculinity on the stage. Luck be a lady in the form of the lovely and talented Santa’s Helper (Erinn Wasiak), who fills the role vivaciously. She’ll leave the liquor cart and most of the raucous humor to the boys, though. The Chairman provides a disclaimer early on regarding the fast-flying humor, making it clear that the standards of six decades earlier prevail at his show and truly tasteless jokes are not off the table.
What is on the table is the only tribute show to the Rat Pack in Las Vegas. It’s one of the only places to catch live horns, an upright bass player and a drummer venerable enough to have played Vegas showrooms during the reign of the Rat Pack. The assembled players know the era they pay tribute to well enough to do it justice. Combined with a dinner package in the classic dining atmosphere of Tuscany Gardens, The Rat Pack Is Back is as much a transport back in time as it is top-notch entertainment.
Tuscany Suites & Casino. 702.947.5981
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