The Impossible Team

You wait for the first frisson of hair-raising recognition, and it doesn't arrive with Frank Sinatra's opening songs. How soon will The Rat Pack Live at the Sands deliver on the promise of spot-on impersonations of ol' blue eyes, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin?
For me, it came when David Hayes as Sammy hit just the right note with "For Once in a Lifetime" and then sealed the deal with a moving "Mr. Bojangles."
Enter Phil Barley as Deano and another realization: Frank was the greatest star, Sammy the greatest talent, but somehow the faithfully rendered "That's Amore" and "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" evoke more warm nostalgia. Okay, a big helping of warm nostalgia may not top your menu, but, God, he sounded good.
Steve Triffitt has by far the toughest task in trying to create a credible Sinatra, but he comes close on "Angel Eyes" and "Mack the Knife," and that's impressive enough. If you stayed away because you thought they were trying to come up with The Impossible Team, that was a mistake. You missed a great show.
But you weren't wrong in stressing the impossibility. Barley does beautifully in capturing the Martin sound and not badly with the banter, but he's a half-foot too short and far too smiley for the full Deano feeling.
Hayes comes closest to the complete package--song, dance, looks. But he has the furthest to reach, given the enormity of the Davis' talent, and you're grateful for his even trying to deliver "What Kind of Fool Am I." I saw Sammy do a one-man show in his prime and it remains my standard.
Unfortunately, I saw Sinatra well past his prime, when Frank Jr. had to help him remember lines. Fortunately, Triffit's Frank is much better than that and well worth a trip to the Orpheum and the restraint to resist singing along.
Still, I'm left with the feeling that came from hearing vocalists in My Way at the Omaha Community Playhouse. There will never be another Frank Sinatra.
--Warren Francke