David Cassidy on the Web
Frank, Sammy, Dean and Joey Revived in The Rat Pack Is Back! at NYC's Supper Club
October 29, 2005
playbill.com
By Kenneth Jones
The Rat Pack Is Back!, a new musical entertainment directed and co-written by David Cassidy, will play The Supper Club in midtown Manhattan starting Nov. 17, taking audiences back to a time of swingin' pop songs and glitzy Vegas showmanship.
The Manhattan premiere of the show that was a hit in Vegas, where it launched in 1999, will feature former teen idol Cassidy in a special appearance as Bobby (as in Darin), one of the pals of Frank, Sammy, Dean and Joey - the foursome known in the late '50s and '60s as the Rat Pack. In case you need the surnames, the boys were Sinatra, Davis, Martin and Bishop. Actor Peter Lawford was also a member, but apparently no "Peter" character is on stage.
Opening night is set for Dec. 12. Pop songs made famous by the singers of the Rat Pack (Joey was the comedian) are part of the experience, backed up by the 15-piece Supper Club Big Band.
Michael Civisca is Frank, Julian Rebolledo is Dean, Mark Cohen is Joey and Eric Jordan Young is Sammy.
The book of the show is by Don Reo & David Cassidy.
The Supper Club is producing in association with Rachlin Entertainment and Dave Clemens.
According to the announcement, "They were arguably the four sexiest men in the world; certainly the most powerful men in the entertainment industry. They were the new film idols, recording czars and the powerful magnates who attracted millions and millions of people to Las Vegas where they helped pave the casino floors in platinum.."
The Rat Pack Is Back! takes place on "one imaginary martini-drenched night (Dec. 12, 1961 - Frank's 46th birthday) during which the foursome perform and celebrate on stage in Las Vegas," according to production notes. "Their relationship with the blues is as sensually intimate as is their white-hot obsession with jazz."
The songlist includes the boys' signature tunes, including "Luck Be a Lady," "One for the Road," "The Lady Is a Tramp," "What Kind of Fool Am I?," "Mr. Bo Jangles," "Birth of the Blues," "Volare" and "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You."
Bobby Darin's appearance is explained this way: "Their friend and protégé is a rock idol named Bobby. He joins the celebration and serenades the birthday boy with some of his hits including 'Mack the Knife' and 'Beyond the Sea.'"
The Rat Pack Is Back! opened at The Desert Inn in Las Vegas on July 18, 1999, playing to sellout audiences for one year. It then moved to the Sahara Hotel & Casino on March 25, 2000 where it continued to do big business for the next three years. This is the first time the tribute to the legendary foursome will be seen on a New York stage.
The Supper Club, at 240 W. 47th Street, opened in 1931 as The Edison Ballroom in The Hotel Edison. With 25-foot vaulted, gilded ceilings, sweeping marble staircases and the booths of crimson velvet, the venue became known as "The Ballroom of the Era," where Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and their orchestras played. The space reopened in 1970 as The Edison Theatre and offered Oh! Calcutta! for a 13-year run. The Supper Club opened in 1991 in the tradition of classic supper club entertainment and dining.
David Cassidy is the son of entertainer Jack Cassidy and Evelyn Ward; his stepmother is Shirley Jones; his brothers are Shaun and Patrick Cassidy. He began his career as an actor in his senior year of high school while studying drama and was accepted as the only non-professional in the newly formed Los Angeles Theatre Company. After graduation he moved to New York and began studying with David Craig. He was hired by legendary producer-director George Abbott for the Broadway production of Fig Leaves Are Falling. A career in TV, including "The Patridge Family," followed. A recording career blossomed.
Cassidy's legit stage credits include regional productions of Tribute, Voice of the Turtle, the national company of George M. Cohan's Little Johnny Jones, Jesus Christ Superstar, and the title role in Broadway's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. On London's West End, he was the lead in Time. He also starred in the musical Blood Brothers on Broadway, in London and in a North American tour.
David Cassidy and brother Shaun re-wrote the MGM Grand's EFX in which David starred. He then partnered with Don Reo and created the book At the Copa, which he headlined. The Rat Pack Is Back! played Vegas and the road.
The Rat Pack Is Back! plays Mondays-Thursdays. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Dining and dancing begin at that time, with the 15-piece Supper Club Big Band playing until the Rat Pack takes the stage.
Tickets are $60. Dinner and drinks are a la carte. For reservations, call Telecharge at (212) 239-6200.
