I’ve always been a fan of the Rat Pack.  Frank, Dean, Sammy…each of their voices different, yet worked in harmony so well when they sang together.  Their antics in Las Vegas are legendary, and they are back – well sort of.  In a “new” “musical”, Frank, Dean, and Sammy are here again in The Rat Pack is Back.  The show is pretty much a recreation of the Rat Pack’s stage antics, including a Joey Bishop who opens telling jokes.

I’ve heard various versions of their performances, via CD, including the great recording Live at the Sands.  So, I knew I was in for a lot of racist jokes as well as jokes regarding Dean Martin’s drinking.  What I wasn’t prepared for was the amount of dirty jokes.  But the rest of the show? Wonderful.  If you know anything about the Rat Pack’s shows, it wasn’t just songs, but comedy sketches as well, which are included in this new rendition.  This show is also updated slightly with newer jokes making references to Viagra and Brokeback Mountain.  The man performing as Dean Martin not only looked very much like the original, but sounded incredibly like the real deal.  The performer playing Frank also sounded very much like Mr. Blue Eyes himself, however only his hair reminded me of Sinatra.  As for Sammy, I was a little disappointed.  He didn’t look or sound very much like the real Sammy, but he was a fantastic performer regardless.

I went to see the show Friday night with my dad (another Rat Pack lover) and loved it. So much so, that upon returning home, I bought tickets for Patrick and I to go last night and saw it again.  I knew that this performance was as close as I was going to get, and it was well worth it.  The Rat Pack was only in Eugene two nights, but you can catch it nightly at the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, where it’s a dinner and a show (just like it was in the 60s), unlike the touring version, which is only the show.  So, if you’re in Sin City, check it out! I can tell you that you won’t be disappointed.

Well, this past weekend was certainly an eventful and fun one.  Patrick and I saw the musical Curtains and went to the roller derby over at the fair grounds.  While the weekend cost us a little under a hundred dollars for both events including food and souvenirs (I bought a t-shirt and some stickers from the roller derby) I didn’t mind so much because I knew that every penny spent was in the local economy, which is very much how I like to spend my money, especially in today’s market.  I can’t stress enough how important I think it is to support local arts (through galleries and theatre) and local sports.

Curtains – entertaining, though not period correct

One of the best theatre venues in Eugene is Actors Cabaret of Eugene.  Despite their small stage, they put on a really great show.  Plus, they offer up dinner before the show if you like!  Over the weekend, ACE put on their final performances of Curtains, a new “musical comedy whodunit” from the creators of both Cabaret and Chicago.  From a story point of view, Curtains is amusing from start to finish, but has hit-or-miss musical numbers.  Some you beg to be over, and never seem to end (”What Kind of Man?”), others are over before they should be (”In the Same Boat”).  But it is the incredible tongue-and-cheek writing that gets you.  The show is also one that I think is a nod to theatre people, especially with numbers like “Show People”.  Being formerly involved in theatre, both my boyfriend and I got quips that I think a large portion of the audience missed.  In terms of attending the show if given the opportunity, I think it’s a $20-$25 show.

Taking place in 1959, I couldn’t have had more complaints toward costuming aside from the character of the SM, Johnny, who wore a button down shirt, tie, and suspenders for the entire show.  Especially the female costuming got to me.  Many dresses and female jackets with large shoulder pads that screamed the 1980s came out scene after scene.  It was almost unnerving and seems as though they put little to no thought into being true to the period.  While not a period inaccuracy, there was a moment in which the detective explains that he taken the bullets out of one gun and puts them into another.  The first gun he pulls out is a revolver, which takes single bullets, the other an automatic which takes a magazine, so you see the problem.  ACE gets a few other chances this season to play up the 1950s, with Little Shop of Horrors, opening in September, and White Christmas, opening November, and I’ll keep a watchful eye out.

Rolling Out the Fun at the Derby

Emerald City Roller Girls is the local roller derby league here in Eugene.  They have several teams, and also face off with out of town leagues too.  Roller derbies are not only loads of fun, but also great opportunities to meet fantastic people who are interested in retro culture.  Many girls (both in the derby and spectators alike) don fishnet stockings, corsets and polka-dot halters.  I should also mention that it is the roller derby store, Emerald City Skates that sells Bettie Page dresses, as well as stockings, garters and other retro clothing.  So get out there and check to see if your city has a league!

Well, that about wraps it up.  The week ahead is suppose to be in the hundreds…I’m a true Oregonian, I can’t handle temperatures over 85 degrees.