It has been almost four years, 14 May 1998, since Frank Sinatra passed away. Like Elvis and the Beatles, his legend will live forever! The newest, most current, and maybe one of the best Sinatra tribute shows has just opened at the Venetian, 8 shows a week all at different times ($58.50 to $91.50). The price is a load with the cost of the ticket in the Tony Bennet, David Copperfield, and Bill Cosby range.
It was pretty easy for me to like this, since it was Sinatra close to its purest form with a 14 piece orchestra and band leader, a cast of 12, and a couple of really good headliners who managed not to screw up the music.
Sinatra themes are a hot topic in Las Vegas with the Rat Pack just closing and the Main Event just opening. It's some pretty big shoes to fill stepping in for Frank but British nightclub singer Stephen Triffitt handles it well; he even looks like Frank and the constant costume changes give the Sinatra persona a great look. Triffitt, at 40, has played the Sinatra game in England and bridges the age gap pretty well. I liked the songs and I liked his Sinatra style.
This show runs behind a 10-round boxing theme (although the main event in those days was 15-rounds and is now 12) with a quick chronology of Frank's life and music. Local mainstay Bob Anderson narrates the theme and does some nice impressions of Sammy, Tom Jones, Nat Cole and Dean Martin. Anderson, one mega talent, is in search of a stable venue and may continue to be in search of one as the track history of this spot and the price of this show may cause a quick demise; personally, hope not. I’d say less than a 100 on Saturday night for one of the Strip's top shows. In my opinion this show may be have short run, but hopefully some promotion and cost reduction can save it.
Each song had a little theme and production to it. In addition, the band was fine and the music was good. As always, with this genre and songwriting stable, the words were both understandable and audible which is always a pleasant experience.
We got to start on-time, which is always good, and ran an all too short 82 minutes. The premise and music alone could carry the quality of what we have here. The dancing, lighting, staging, and Sinatra theme history worked pretty well for me; my wife said, “you must have liked this,” and I sure did. She did too, although not particularly liking Sinatra, but impressed with the talent and production of a hard-working cast. I want to see this show succeed and the show itself is fine, it's just that the cost is a challenge.
Splash producer Jeff Kutash, with a positive track record, has a lot of ingredients in place, but what is the payroll for 27 on-stage performers with 2 headliners and a technical staff? The Main Event has a 90 day contract at the Venetian, that's May, June and July and then do an audit! The show is a biography of an era with music over six decades. Some of the production seemed tacky with two young black tap-dancing twins (what) and Sinatra stringing spaghetti. The twins were outstanding but I couldn't understand their placement. A couple of songs (Witchcraft and It Was a Very Good Year) ended up short and out of the hands of Triffitt, too bad.
If you like this music and theme, then go if you can afford it. I would see this again and again. 97 A+. Sammy Davis Jr. is still the standard we judge all shows by.
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