‘Rat Pack’ relived

But what if you could recapture one of the hotel’s most memorableevents, a night when Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. sang, told jokes and clowned around to the delight of guests? That’s the premise behind "The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands,” a touring production that comes to Civic Center Music Hall for eight performances this week.

"This show recreates one night when these three performers were riding the wave of success,” said Phil Barley, a British singer who portrays Dean Martin. "We have a 15-piece band on stage and three gorgeous backup singers. We try to get audiences to suspend belief and come back with us to 1962 Nevada. We hope people will feel they’re actually watching those guys perform.”

"The Rat Pack” surveys 17 musical hits recorded by Sinatra, Martin and Davis. Among the hits are "Everybody Loves Somebody,” "Fly Me to the Moon,” "Mack the Knife,” "The Lady Is a Tramp,” "That Old Black Magic,” "That’s Life,” "Volare,” "My Way” and "New York, New York.”

As preparation for going into "The Rat Pack,” Barley spent many hours watching videos and listening to recordings by Dean Martin. His aim wasn’t to create an impersonation of the singer, but rather to capture his movements, his lilt and his vocal inflections.

"He was a naturally gifted comedian, but that was very highly honed over the years,” Barley said of Martin. "American audiences remember him most for ‘The Dean Martin Show.’ Of course, one of his famous routines was starting to sing a song but not being able to finish it because he got the giggles halfway through.”

Portraying an older performer was another challenge for Barley, who at 33 is 12 years younger than Martin was in 1962. But after playing Martin on and off for the past 3½ years, Barley says he can easily slip into character.

"My personal challenge is that I don’t look 45,” Barley said. "So to convey the gravitas of a middle age man who was a good-looking film star was daunting. Then, there was Dean’s drinking which is where a lot of the gags come from. That became kind of his signature.

"The whole atmosphere of being in Las Vegas and seeing these world-famous film stars is in itself entertaining. I don’t think you can deny the excitement of listening to a big band either. These songs were fantastic and so were the arrangements. If you let yourself be taken back to that time, ultimately you’ll leave the theater humming a tune.”