This original musical by Kingdom Theatre is a tribute to the songs of Frank Sinatra.
A very enjoyable show and Rat Pack fans will love it.
From his hospital bed, an ailing Sinatra (Moray Innes) recounts his life to a young nurse as his younger self performs some of his most-loved songs.
Moray Innes absolutely embodies Sinatra. Unsurprisingly he’s got experience performing as Sinatra in tribute shows. Close your eyes and you’ll swear you’re listening to Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. His voice matches the timbre and intonation and he has the easy drawl to his voice that we all recognise.
As Dean Martin, who appears some of these reminiscences, Steve Worlsey’s character is well realised and does a great job with the vocal quality – again, close your eyes and you could be listening to Dean Martin. Worlsey performs with a smirk and a twinkle in his eye, and when playing various ensemble characters he has good energy and focus.
As the younger Sinatra, James Heatlie, although a very good performer, fails to match the heights of the other two in bringing the characters to life. Playing Nurse Rosie, Sarah MacGillivray is a foil to the ailing Sinatra. While Rosie is little more than an expositional device, MacGillivray imbues the character with charm. All performers do an excellent job with accents – particularly Innes, who catches the New Jersey nuance without overplaying it.
There’s a level of sentimentality and predictability about the show and a rather soap opera-ish hospital scene towards the end. Using a ‘this is your life’ type of format left me wanting more from the narrative. There’s no plot, as such, but rather exposition-heavy reminisces. There are times when it feels as though the dialogue scenes are there only to push us from one song to the next. I found it strange that lapel mics were used even in the dialogue scenes, as the space wasn’t large enough to require it.
Nonetheless this is a very enjoyable show and Rat Pack fans will love it. You’ll want to see it for Innes’ Sinatra alone.
