The Rat Pack brings Vegas cool to Branson

submitted photo Russ Loniello, James Tarver and Les Lankhorst perform tributes to Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra during the “Rat Pack Live & Swingin’ – A Tribute to Frank, Dean & Sammy” show.

Posted: Friday, August 20, 2010 3:16 pm

By Joshua Clark Entertainment Editor

    Greetings loyal reader(s). After a brief hiatus last week, I’m back with an all-new show review. Thursday afternoon I went to the new Superstars Live Theatre to check out the “Rat Pack Live & Swingin’– A Tribute to Frank, Dean & Sammy.”

    I’ve always found the music of Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin to be not only timeless, but just a whole lot of fun. And fun is exactly what I had at this show.

    This is the type of show those three legendary performers made a career out of doing for many years in Las Vegas and I’m very glad to see something this cool in Branson.

    Things get started with Russ Loniello performing a tribute to the “King of Cool,” Dean Martin. Of all the “Rat Pack” members I’ve always favored Martin more than the rest because, well, he was Dean Martin.

    As with all entertainers I consider to be personal favorites, I’m always very worried about tributes. I can say from the first notes of “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” Loniello had me.

    It’s not that he looks exactly like Martin, it’s the fact that his mannerisms and voice are really spot on. Plus, his jokes hit their target every time as far as I was concerned (there were a few cats in the audience not as hip as yours truly and several of the jokes sailed right over their heads).

    After coming out and performing a great set of Martin’s hits, he gave way to “The Chairman of the Board,” Frank Sinatra.

    OK, so it isn’t really Sinatra, but Les Lankhorst is a true crooner in every sense of the world. It isn’t the easiest thing in the world to pull off a convincing Sinatra, but his pitch-perfect delivery and attitude make it work very well. Plus, how often do you get to hear “That’s Life” in a Branson show?

    Up next is James Tarver as Sammy “The Candyman” Davis Jr. I must say that I enjoyed Tarver’s section the most and it was all about his song selection. In addition to “The Candyman” and “Mr. Bojangles,” he belted out one of my favorites, “Birth of the Blues.”

    After Tarver finishes up, there are several duets and trios, including a great rendition of “Sam’s Song,” which was every bit as fun as every previous version I’ve ever heard. Add in “My Way” and a great version of the Bobby Darin classic “Mack the Knife,” and this show is perfect for any happy hour.

    I also want to mention the fact that the band is absolutely smoking. They really go above and beyond in selling the fact that these performers are the real thing. I love shows with live bands playing this type of music. A great show from start to finish.

    Showtimes for the “Rat Pack Live & Swingin’ – A Tribute to Frank, Dean & Sammy,” are 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at the Superstars Live Theatre. For more information, visit superstarslivetheatre.com

Hello Les!  Your show was fantastic! I have heard most of the songs many times, but you gave them life. I felt as though I was in the original audience when they were released. You were able to seamlessly weave old and new and present them all with a style Sinatra and Darrin would applaud. Your timing, the clarity in your voice and your interaction with band and audience made for a wonderful evening. I was so impressed, I came back the next night! We also treated Alexandra's parents to the show and they loved it! I hope your schedule finds you in Charlotte again soon. Please let us know. We always look forward to a visit.

Alex Proprietor/Owner BLUE, Charlotte, NC

Charlotte plays host to Les Lankhorst’s swing throwback show

Elisabeta Pindic
Staff Writer

Published: Monday, February 16, 2009
Updated: Monday, February 16, 2009

“A one, two, a one two three four!” Ah the good old days of the 1930s, when one would find the best of entertainment at the local saloon and could quickly get on his ‘groove.’ The piercing scent of cigars held in the bulky hands of drinking men cloaked in savvy black suits with black hats and polished shoes. They’re singing to that strong rhythm supported by the trumpets, trombones, drums, piano, and yes, that vivacious sax.  Those were the days … the times when the voices of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Dean Martin would swiftly sweep audiences into dynamic spirits of sprightly dance: “That’s right, it’s Swing Time!”
Fortunately, the past of swing and jazz music has not quite faded in the 21st century. One of the most notable and talented vocalists of swing music, Les Lankhorst, along with Charlotte’s own small Big Band restored numerous grooves here at the Booth Playhouse in downtown Charlotte. On Feb. 11, 2009, Lankhorst performed an impressive world premiere of “RED, HOT & SWING” with Susan Roberts Knowlson and the small Big Band of Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.
Band members included Phil Tompson (alto sax), Tim Gordon (tenor sax), Doug Burns (trumpet), Mark Munson (trombone), Noel Friedline (piano), Tom Hildreth (bass), Rick Dior (drums) and Stephen Westerfield (cello).
Despite a more compact venue, the band’s stimulating energy and zealous talent proved grand. As Les enchanted his listeners with pleasant reminiscences of “Fever,” “Starry, Starry Night,” “Call Me Irresponsible,” “Come Fly With Me,” “My Way,” and other classics, the crowd snapped, applauded, cheered, danced and sang along.
The performance was faultless; all members came in at their precise time and didn’t seem to overlook a single note. Moreover, their intense playing and unique maneuvering of instruments convinced the audience of the musicians’ matchless, inexpressible passions. Each of the members expressed an immeasurable dedication and regard for this vibrant genre.  Indeed all musicians have their sole, unique timbres and signature voices, although, astoundingly enough, Les Lankhorst’s tone of voice seemed to emerge the ever more similar to Frank Sinatra himself.  Surely the distinction was rather discernible, but at most times, the correlation appeared most conspicuous.
Lankhorst, along with Susan R. Knowlson, sang a romantic piece, “All I Ask of You,” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s, “The Phantom of the Opera.”  The venue dazzled with harmonious excitement and people just couldn’t seem to sit still at the upbeat flow of the jazz. 
Born in the little town of Salina, Kansas, Les Lankhorst graduated from Kansas State University.  He began his involvement in theater touring in Kansas City, Missouri, and New York City.  Les starred as Pharaoh in the musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” and in the off-Broadway musical, “Moses, My Love.” Furthermore,  Lankhorst skillfully portrayed our dearest Frank Sinatra in the Las Vegas production of “The Rat Pack Is Back.”  Les has engaged in several films and television productions such as “Law & Order,” “Rear Window” (with Christopher Reeve), “In & Out,” and “The Last Castle” (starring Robert Redford). In regard to his fascinating vocal presentations, Les delights in performing his one-man hit show from the tropical scenery of oceanic cruises to the animated settings of concert venues and resorts.  The gifted Les Lankhorst and the small Big Band group undeniably brought back the glories of sizzling swing.

The Rat Pack is Back with a Show of True Cool
By Klint Lowry
The Dearborn Times Herald
September 22nd, 2006

Ah, they don’t make them like that anymore.
They REmake them pretty well though.
The Rat Pack is Back and the Gem Theatre in Detroit has it, taking the old theatre and the crowds that fill it on a trip through time and space.
As the name implies, the show is a recreation of those legendary late night shows at the Sands Hotel when, often after their individual gigs up and down the Las Vegas Strip, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and Dean Martin would get together for a little impromptu fun.
For those who remember the days when singer sand comedians performed in tuxedoes, their ties undone as though they’d just been up to some untold mischief before coming onstage smoking, sipping booze, and talking up dimes in the crowd, all with a twinkle in their eye, this show re-creates that era with affection.
For those who might not be quite old enough to remember the era themselves but know it by reputation, this show will give some idea why it is remembered so fondly.
Now, in its fourth year in Las Vegas, road companies of the show have been playing in major cities the past two years.
Last year, when the show, then titled, The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey & Dean make it’s Detroit debut at the City Theatre, writer, producer and frequent Joey Bishop portrayer Sandy Hackett said that the show is an ever-changing thing. Because the real Rat Pack shows were largely improvised, there are slight changes from night to night, and larger adjustments are made as time goes by.
The premise of the show is that God (voiced by the late Buddy Hackett, Sandy Hackett’s dad) has decided heaven could use a night’s rest and the world could use a refreshing boost of true cool, so as only the almighty can, he rounds up the boys for the ultimate “one more time.”
Then the lights come up and , with a swinging live onstage orchestra, it’s the Copa Room and Frank, Dino, Sammy, and Joey are back in 1960 form.
While those who came last year will recognize much of the basic frame, they’ll be getting a different show, in part because it’s a whole different cast.
Hackett didn’t make the gig. Instead Mickey Joseph plays Joey Bishop, and is terrific! Of the four actors in this show, he bears the closest physical resemblance to the icon he’s playing. An experienced comedian, Joseph has Bishop’s delivery and style down cold.
Just as with music, comedy goes through style changes. And as politically incorrect as much of that era’s humor was by today’s self-conscious standard, it was belly-laugh funny. As opposed to today’s poser cool, these guys really understood what it meant to lighten up.
The Bishop role is pivotal; though he is the comic relief, he is really the glue that holds this show together.
Quietly standing still, Bobby Mayo Jr. doesn’t immediately look the Dean Martin type, but he has Dino’s attitude and mannerisms perfected, and his voice is not far behind, both singing and speaking.
Kyle Diamond and Les Lankhorst play Sammy and Frank, respectively. Neither has the vocal timbre of the originals, and their physical resemblance is just enough to get by. But like their castmates, they have something more important; they have the inner life to carry the roles. While they might not sound like Sinatra or Davis recordings, they have strong voices, and it’s to their credit that as the show progressed on press night, the audience bought into their portrayals more and more.
The act has wisely dispensed w/ the Marilyn Monroe segment that was in last year’s edition that seemed like a bit of a contrivance anyway. Instead the camaraderie among this private fraternity is allowed to build uninterrupted.
At about an hour and a half, The Rat Pack is Back delivers on it’s promise, a reverent blast from the past, a reminder that some of those oldies really WERE goodies.

Jennifer Shrader and Les Lankhorst Sing Superbly
in Meet Me on the Corner of Broadway and Swing
By Robert W. McDowell
Triangle Theater Review
E-mail: RobertM748@aol.com

Meet Me on the Corner of Broadway and Swing, an original concert program a la last year’s Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy season-ender Beyond Broadway: An Evening of Song with Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell, concludes HSN’s 2006 season on a very high note indeed. It provides a wonderful showcase for rising Broadway star Jennifer Shrader and crooner Les Lankhorst, who has made a career of reproducing Frank Sinatra’s distinctive vocal stylings.

Shrader brings a Broadway voice to the Kennedy Theater stage; Lankhorst brings a superb sense of phrasing; and Kelsey Halbert, who does triple duty as the show’s musical director, arranger, and pianist in the on-stage HSN band, has custom-tailored a potpourri of familiar show tunes and swing standards to the impressive vocal talents of Shrader and Lankhorst and a red-hot on-stage band that includes Mike Kris (trombone), Michael Mole (trumpet), Steve Roe (saxophone and flute), Carlton Miles (drums), and Damon Brown (bass).

Lankhorst and Shrader opened the show with dynamic duets on two classic songs from the American songbook: Peggy Lee’s “I Love Being Here with You” and Cole Porter’s “I Get a Kick Out of You.” Shrader begin her solo segment of Meet Me on the Corner of Broadway and Swing with two songs from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (the title tune, which she never got to sing when she played Belle and Babette on Broadway and on tour, and “(There’s Been) A Change in Me,” which was added to the show for Toni Braxton and remains in it today).

Shrader delighted HSN patrons with her bravura performances of Kristin Chenoweth’s “The Girl in 14G,” especially the operatic arias of her downstairs neighbor; “Cry Me a River” (with Mike Kris providing hilarious comic counterpoint on trombone), “Zing Went the Strings (of My Heart), “Meet Me in St. Louis,” country diva Martina McBride’s “In My Daughter’s Eyes,” and “Tomorrow” from Annie.

Lankhorst returned for a poignant duet with Shrader on “(That’s) All I Ask of You” from The Phantom of the Opera, then sang two Sinatra hits (“I’ve Got the World on a String” and “Come Fly with Me”) and a Harry Connick, Jr. hit (“It Had to Be You” from the soundtrack of the hit movie When Harry Met Sally), putting his own personal stamp on each and every lyric.

Les Lankhorst also delivered a finger-snapping, toe-tapping version of Peggy Lee’s signature song (“Fever”) and joined with Jennifer Shrader for a memorable duet on Nat King Cole’s hit “Unforgettable.” Then Lankhorst switched gears to perform vivacious versions of a country-and-western classic (Roger Miller’s “King of the Road”), a haunting Broadway ballad (“Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables), and Kermit the Frog’s whimsical hit (“Rainbow Connection” from the “Sesame Street” TV series.

Shrader sang a haunting version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, and then combined with Lankhorst (channeling Bobby Darin) for a frisky version of “Mack the Knife” from The Threepenny Opera.

With Jennifer Shrader demonstrating a remarkable vocal range, Les Lankhorst caressing lyrics until he makes them purr, and the HSN band led by musical director Kelsey Halbert provided high-octane instrumental accompaniment, Meet Me on the Corner of Broadway and Swing is a veritable feast for the ear. The opening-night audience gave the show a standing ovation. No doubt, it is only the first of many.

“Lankhorst, without becoming
imitative, demonstrates full
comprehension of Sinatra’s
ability to phrase with
consummate precision…”

“Les Lankhorst delivers the
goods, from swagger to swing
to sweet melancholy notes…”

"I loved his show! I'd see it anytime, anywhere!"

“In phrasing and skill in
bending a note to make a
musical point, Les Lankhorst
reminds us most of Sinatra…”

"My Way" is a tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes' songs.

When all was said and done, Frank Sinatra did it his way - and his legend endures.
"He was an everyday guy, sort of a perfect, American success story," says entertainer Les Lankhorst. The singer grew up with limited means and even though he had fluctuations thoughout his career, he had drive and perseverance. He kept coming back.
That's one reason Mr. Lankhorst believes the chairman of the board's legend and music endures.
The other, naturally, is "his instrument, his voice."
Mr. Lankhorst is part of the cast of "My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra" to be presented at the River Raisin Centre for the Arts at 7 p.m. March 4.
"My Way" isn't a biography and no one is cast as Mr. Sinatra. Instead, it's a tribute to his career and a commemoration of his music.
"(It's) a fitting tribute to the music that made Sinatra a pop icon, this show combines great songs with witty and charming diaglogue to create an eye-popping and ear-pleasing performance," said Calley Duffey, RRCA director of public relations. "(It's) one of the hottest shows in the country today."
The show is making its first national tour. Featured is a New York cast of four along with three musicians. Mr. Lankhorst is part of the cast that includes Nancie Sanderson, Natalie Silverlieb and Steve Parmenter.
"Everyone does their best to give respect to the music and his style," Mr. Lankhorst said from New York.
"I've always kind of said that he was not necessarily the greatest singer there ever was, but he really knew how to tell a story … He never held back. People always knew they would leave (a concert) with a piece of him," he said.
Mr. Lankhorst, who is in his mid-30s, said he grew up listening to Frank Sinatra. His father was a big fan even though his mother wasn't.
"I got hooked on it because of my father," he said. His mother didn't care for Mr. Sinatra's personality, so she didn't care for his music.
Mr. Sinatra recorded "some of the greatest music ever written for singers. They're a combination of a simple melody, a ‘hook,' and the lyrics are the opposite of that. They're subtle," he said.
In his early days, in the 1930s and '40s, Mr. Sinatra put a lot of energy and verve into his music, Mr. Lankhorst said. In his later days, his emphasis was on his "instrument." His voice became lower and richer. His music reflected his life experiences, he said.
One of Mr. Lankhorst's favorite tunes is "One for My Baby." "He called it a saloon song," he said.
He also likes Mr. Sinatra's Broadway songs, such as "Soliloquy" from the musical "Carousel." In fact, Mr. Sinatra was to star in the film version but because the Technicolor process required two takes, he backed out.
"He never did two takes. He did one take and that's it," Mr. Lankhorst said.
Gordon MacRae took over the role opposite Shirley Jones.
Mr. Lankhorst, who learned a few things about the singer while doing the show, said Mr. Sinatra surprised "Ocean's 11" director Lewis Milestone with his one-take style. After doing a few scenes with Angie Dickinson, Mr. Sinatra got up and started to walk away. "The director said, ‘Wait,' but he said, ‘good night' " and left.
After filming all day in Las Vegas, he performed on stage into the wee hours of the morning with the Rat Pack. Then he went back to filming the next day.
My Way is produced by Encore Attractions and directed by Michael Licata.
Mr. Lankhorst said he hopes the audience enjoys the show, which he described as an "intimate experience."

"Les Lankhorst was a strong singer with a fine feel for comedy...My Way ranked A-Number One, top of the heap with last Friday night's audience, which gave the show a hearty standing ovation."