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The Rat Pack is Back

January 19th, 2007 Posted in Music

Dynasty Productions has put together the one and only show for true Rat Pack fans to see. Every attention to detail forced this show above and beyond the norm and several key points certainly outdistance their show from any others. First and foremost, The Rat Pack is Back! is the only show of its kind legally granted permission to use the name, Rat Pack. Secondly, this show is the only one to have personal involvement and development from people who were actually in and around the show in its heyday. As a matter of fact, one of the key components to this production is Sandy Hackett, son of the legendary comedian Buddy Hackett, who often performed with Frank, Sammy, Joey and Dean. In addition to this, because of

Sandy’s involvement, Joey Bishop has issued his personal endorsement of the show; even working with the team to help make sure every detail is as authentic as possible for this modern day recreation of entertainment history. No other show of its kind can even come close to boasting the incredible credentials of The Rat Pack Is Back!

In addition to the time and talents of Mr. Hackett, this show has some other big guns behind it. Dick Feeney, one of the most successful producers in Las Vegas really got the ball rolling in Sin City for the show to form. He has been responsible for some of the more memorable shows in Vegas, including Viva Las Vegas!, the longest running daytime show in the history of the town and The Flying Elvi, one of the most unique acts to come along in years, featured in the film Honeymoon in Vegas with Nicholas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Rick Kanfer, founding member of ISES and prolific corporate producer, was responsible for bringing the show on the road. It was his vision that provided opportunity for The Rat Pack Is Back! to make it to the stage of corporate and special events clients across the nation. His foresight has turned this production into one of the hottest new acts in the corporate market.

Before all the glamour, traveling and legendary gigs, this show, like many others, was simply an idea. Several years ago, Sandy Hackett had a comedy club in Laughlin, Nevada, bearing his own name. He wanted to make the move to Las Vegas with his show and club, so he called for a meeting with Dick. One of his specialties being marketing, especially in Las Vegas, Dick was the go to guy to make a show happen in Vegas for Sandy.

After they opened the show at a showroom at the Greek Isles, Dick and Sandy were in another room of the same facility that was holding a show, which wasn’t doing too well and was closing. “I looked at Sandy and said ‘Boy! This would make a great Rat Pack room!’ he says.

Dick just happened to have an interesting insight on the suitability of the room for a Rat Pack show. He was actually the last producer (or person for that matter) to ever stand on the Copa room stage at The Sands Hotel before they imploded it, the same stage that Frank, Sammy, Joey and Dean shared in the 1960’s. Dick’s show Viva Las Vegas! opened there in 1991, where it ran for five years until the building was demolished.

Once the realization of the suitability of the room hit Dick and Sandy, they were immediately struck with the inspiration to go for it and put together a Rat Pack show. Sandy volunteered to play the part of Joey Bishop and the search was on for the rest of the cast. The beginning of a one of a kind show (in its second coming) had commenced. “We went in and pitched it to the general manager of the Greek Isles at the time and it took him about five seconds to jump on board.” Dick says. “I think it was the quickest show we ever sold.”

Dick says the fact of Sandy being part of the project along with his getting Joey Bishop personally involved lent their venture a great deal of credibility. “People love Hollywood stories and its connections and Sandy is definitely connected, growing up right in the middle of it. Every night when people leave the show they tell Sandy how big a fan of his father’s they were. Buddy Hackett was and is a legend and people feel connected to him when they see Sandy.”

In addition to the star power that Sandy brings to the table, this is the one and only Rat Pack show that has been officially endorsed by the only remaining member of The Rat Pack, Joey Bishop. “Joey gave us some inside help, tips and jokes. He gave us an insight into what really happened with the guys and it helped us formulate the look, feel and sound of the show.”

Las Vegas is crammed full of entertainment, more than any market could possibly offer. While it may take any show a little bit of time to get up and running, the fiercely competitive nature there tends to force many shows in and out of existence before they really register on the map. Luckily, The Rat Pack is Back not only was widely accepted immediately, but had the drive and ambition of a few key people behind it to really make it take off. “The show was an immediate success on stage. The audiences loved it from the get go, but it took three or four months to get the marketing aspect of the program to the point of having the crowds to levels where we saw financial success. Vegas is extremely competitive right now, going from the days where there were fifteen major showrooms with twenty or twenty five headlining shows to the climate now, where there are well over 100 different draws in the same small area.”

This is where Dick’s specialty came in. He is deeply rooted in the Las Vegas culture and excels in developing relationships with ticket brokers and getting butts in the seats. “That is obviously the vital point; you can have the best product in town, but if no one shows up, you are out of business.”

Sandy explains that having a quality product was first and foremost on their list. “We are dealing with one of the most famous acts of all time here and we knew it needed to be done right. Not only are we putting on a show almost everyone is familiar with, but it is also very personally important to all of the people involved. Joey is a great friend of mine and was a great friend of my father’s, so honoring the memory of all the fellows involved here was extremely important. We weren’t about to take one of the greatest acts of all time and do a half-assed recreation of it. We wanted every detail down to the finest point to be as true to the original as it could possibly be.”

Sandy plays the part of Joey Bishop in the Las Vegas production of The Rat Pack Is Back! and also played the same role in HBO’s feature film about the group. Upon further inspection, it becomes clear that no one is better suited for the job. Aside from his personalrelationship with Joey and the others, Sandy is a natural born performer. Watching his Dad entertain millions rubbed right off on Sandy and had a profound impact on him. Despite his being only in his forties, Sandy already has nearly thirty years of experience in show biz and on stage. “I was a kid in grade school doing plays and stuff, but at eleven years old I got my first taste of the stage on a national level. My Dad was a guest star on “Rowen & Martin’s Laugh-In” and he invited me to tag along. While we were hanging out before the show, they were all sitting there tossing around this joke and trying to decide whether it was funny or not. I stuck my two cents in and said ‘Hey, I’m just a kid, but I thought it was funny.’ It was like a Kodak moment. Eight faces turned and looked at me. I thought I was in trouble for yapping and they all got in a little huddle around my Dad. He came over and told me they wanted to put me on camera. He asked if I wanted to be on TV. I said sure.”

They went on, did the joke, then John Wayne walked on stage and asked if it was funny. Sandy played the same line he did in the previous meeting and the studio went wild. That was his first big time gig. The next time Buddy was invited to be on the show, the producers specifically asked him to bring Sandy along.

There should be no doubt that few people on earth would be more qualified to spearhead a show like this than Sandy Hackett. Besides all of the production work he did with Dick on building the show, he does an amazing job in performance as well. A true air of authenticity is lent to the entire project by his involvement.

The Rat Pack Is Back certainly has interesting origins and an undeniable appeal for the Las Vegas market, but how does a show like this make the leap from becoming successful in a room in the entertainment capital of the world to becoming one of the hottest new touring acts in the corporate market? Enter Rick Kanfer, agent and visionary for bringing this show on the road. When Rick first encountered this show, he knew it had potential for his personal cup of tea, corporate entertainment. Rick is the exclusive agent for the show and says for him, getting involved was a no-brainer. This show is so far above and beyond anything else like it; Rick says they refuse to even compare it with any other so-called “Rat Pack” shows. Aside from the prestigious features mentioned above, Rick goes on to explain that: “We are the only Rat Pack show in the country that is represented by an actual company. We have insurance, worker’s comp., benefits to the employees, etc. We are licensed and completely vetted and official. We have the rights to the name and are completely and totally THE show.”

Rick has been in the market for a long time, beginning his career in special events in Atlanta in 1979. As one of the eight original founding members of the International Special Events Society (ISES), he has had a hand in many developments in the special events and corporate entertainment markets. In the midst of some of his work with corporate clientele, he ended up working in and out of Las Vegas and while there, saw several shows he wanted to be involved with. One of them was Legends In Concert, now the longest running independently produced show in Las Vegas. He built a relationship with the producers of that show, who, in 1996, bought Rick’s company and moved him to Las Vegas. While living in Vegas, Rick became tied in with many of the entertainment gurus there and was able to produce some of his own shows. That is when he decided to take Dynasty Production in a new direction. “We decided to take hit shows and bring them to the corporate marketplace. There has never been a Las Vegas show produced outside of Las Vegas successfully, until now. The Dick Feeney/Sandy Hackett show is the first one, ever.”

With the credentials this show carries, it is little wonder. Dynasty Productions has done an incredible job in converting The Rat Pack Is Back! into a viable show with a touring troupe and perfecting it for the corporate market. With fully customizable shows, a solid cast, incredible humor and star power, The Rat Pack Is Pack! is the quintessential show of its kind.

Dynasty Productions has other great shows to their credit as well – The Flying Elvi, one of the hottest new shows in the world and Dick Feeney and Dynasty are also responsible for a show known as The World’s Greatest Magic. There are no major touring magic shows anymore with the exception of David Copperfield, who does extremely limited dates. Because of this, Dick had the idea to take a multitude of amazing magical and mysterious talent in Las Vegas and slam them all together into one amazing show. The result is a varied cast depending on the show, but always consisting the best at what they do. “The great thing about this concept,” Dick says, “is that we can take the guy who has an awesome close up show but no good grand stage illusions and put him in the same set with the guy that has great huge illusions. We can put the guy that is really funny, but who has weaker material with the guy that will blow your socks off with a trick, but may not have an electrifying personality. With this formula, we have been able to put together the strongest magic shows I have ever seen and put them on tour. Before that, if you wanted to see good magic, you had to come to Vegas. Now, anyone can enjoy it and at almost any budget, depending on their needs.”

Dynasty Productions specializes in meeting any and all of their clients needs. With one of the most unique and exclusive rosters in the industry, be sure to give Dynasty a call for some one of a kind entertainment that no one else can provide and nothing comes close to.

BOOK IT!
Rick Kanfer
Dynasty Productions
(770) 451-2785