Rania Khallaf looks back to the 1970s in the company of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr The Rat Pack is making its first group appearance in Egypt, coming all the way from Las Vegas in the United States to present a show in tribute to the legendary masters of American singing of the 1960 and 70s, singers who were known and beloved throughout the world. Hearing again the sounds of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin sent a wave of nostalgia surging through the Cairo Opera House. The Rat Pack gave eight performances in the Opera House last week. According to Mohamed Mounir, an Opera House official, more than 8,500 people saw the performances and box office revenues reached LE1.200.000. The three performers, Gary Anthony (Sinatra), Allen Gregory (Davis) and Andrew DiMino (Martin), bear a singular resemblance to the most famous Rat Pack masters . The three of them typically look and act like their heroes, but sadly their voices lack the same romance and power. Nevertheless the show, backed by a live orchestra, was amazing. The old razzmatazz was there, including beautiful show girls with long legs and glamorous costumes. Along each side of the stage was a row of chairs and tables to add a touch of the night club life back in 1960s- and 70s-Las Vegas A huge screen at the back of the stage acted as a reminder of the old Rat Packers themselves, featuring pictures of their live solo concerts and concerts that put the three of them on stage together, as well as glimpses of occasions when the three masters met for a friendly chat in a café, hugely enjoying themselves and smoking cigars. Allen Gregory's uncanny resemblance to Sammy Davis has taken him into the big show houses in the United States and overseas since the superstar's death in 1990, and he performs one of the best Sammy Tributes in the world. On stage, DiMino did his best to bring the spirit of Dean Martin back to life. Martin, one of the most popular singers and actors in the US from the 1960s to the 80s, was nicknamed the 'King of Cool'. DiMino welcomed the singers and dancers on stage, praised the orchestra, told constant jokes and interacted with the audience. Apart from singing, DiMino has also appeared in TV commercials and has starred in Jay Leno's program The Tonight Show. Anthony, who has been singing Sinatra songs since he was a child, was allowed at the age of 10 to sing with the big band directed by his father in Los Angeles. Blessed with his voice, Anthony moved to Las Vegas in 1994 where destiny led him to create his lifelong dream of honoring his hero and paying tribute to his legacy by performing all over the world. As there was with their mentors, there is excellent chemistry between the three singers. They performed songs that are dear to people of all ages, and the audience sang gaily along."Everybody Loves Somebody", "You Belong To Me", "You Make Me Feel So Young", "My Kind Of Town", "Fly Me To The Moon" and Davis's "Sam's Song" were some of the 30 songs they performed during the show. Anthony won hearts by dedicating Sinatra's song "My Kind Of Town" to Cairo, describing it as the city which "will never let you down". It was a smart touch, but I found it distracting since I was already flying over New York City. The performance by pianist Barry Robinson, who also conducts the orchestra, was superb, perfectly bringing the old romance back to life. Robinson was quoted as saying that the band's visit to Egypt was very successful, and moreover was the band's golden gateway to more performances in Africa." Sinatra's "My Way" -- one of the numbers the maestro himself sang at a private performance at the Pyramids way back in 1979 -- was the song I was waiting to hear, or rather to celebrate with the resurrected Rat Pack. Although this song, which came along at the end of the two-hour performance, did not sound altogether like the original, it was an excellent conclusion to the show. Anthony asked the audience to sing along, and yes we did! Feeling the pride, the sentimentality and the spirit of my beloved Sinatra, I sang loud. Yes, I did it my way!
