Wednesday, December 15, 2004FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DEC 13, 2004 CONTACT: Dawn Singh
The Rat Pack Returns in "The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey & Dean" at Stoneham Theatre January 12-16, 2005
"This is as close as anyone has come to capturing the feeling of the real thing." Las Vegas Sun
The New England premier of "The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey & Dean" comes to the stage at Stoneham Theatre January 12-16, 2005 in the long-running Las Vegas production co-starring Sandy Hackett, son of comedian, Buddy Hackett, an outstanding cast of musical entertainers and a 12-piece big band. The show has been running for more than two years at The Greek Isles in Las Vegas and consistently attracts capacity crowds eager to re-live the swaggering camaraderie of the city's four favorite sons: Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin and Joey Bishop.
"A Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey & Dean" opens with the voice of the late Buddy Hackett as God asking the foursome to return to the stage one last time in a re-creation of their famous Copa Showroom performance at the Sands Hotel in the 1960's. Hackett's, son, Sandy, opens the show as comedian Joey Bishop, followed by music and comedy by the ensemble cast, including Gary Anthony singing Sinatra's "All of Me," "Fly Me to the Moon" and "Angel Eyes;" Doug Starks performing Davis' "What Kind of Fool Am I," "That Old Black Magic," "Me and My Shadow," and "Mr. Bojangles;" and Andy DiMino crooning Dean Martin's chart-topping hits, "Ain't That a Kick in the Head," "That's Amore," and "Volare." A cameo performance by Stacey Nicole as Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday" to a lucky audience member rounds out the cast.
Sandy Hackett has known Joey Bishop as "Uncle Joey" since he was a youngster when Bishop and Hackett's father were performing regularly in Las Vegas. "Joey taught me to box," Hackett recalls "and he taught me footwork." "One day we put on the gloves to spar and he said, 'This means you're going to get hit' and he hit me one shot. I said, 'You know, uncle, that's enough with the boxing.' He popped me a good one." Bishop has not only endorsed Sandy's portrayal of him in the show, but authored the title. "Joey contributed to this script and my dad (Buddy Hackett) contributed to the script. There are elements of the script we stay very close to and there is a section that's free-for-all. We have some very good ad-libbing and some wonderful moments," says Hackett. His co-producer, Dick Feeney, is a Rockland, Massachusetts native and former member of the highly popular Boston-based band "The Lewis & Clark Expedition" and "Gemini," and established himself as a leading producer in Las Vegas with the hit shows, "Viva Las Vegas," "Forbidden Vegas," and "Bottoms Up." His first two productions, "An Evening at La Cage" in 1985 and "Crazy Girls" in 1987 still continue to play to sold-out audiences.
Tickets to "A Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey and Dean" January 12-16, 2005, are $38 adults, $32 seniors, $22 students and are available by calling the box office at 781-279-2200 or ordering online at www.stonehamtheatre.org. Showtimes are: Wednesday & Thursday, 7:30 pm; Friday, 8 pm; Saturday, 4 & 8 pm; Sunday, 2 pm. The show runs 90 minutes with no intermission. Stoneham Theatre is located at 395 Main Street in Stoneham, Massachusetts. The theatre is fully handicapped accessible and there is plenty of free parking.
For a press kit, photos, bios for cast members and interviews, contact Dawn Singh, 857-544-0739 or dawn@dawnsinghpublicity.com.
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