Rat Pack musical more than just lounge hits

There is nothing cheesy about the new Rat Pack musical "Heaven Help Us," enjoying its world premiere through Sept 5 at Florida Stage, 262 S. Ocean Drive, Manalapan.

"Heaven Help Us" is a rose‑colored vision of the swinging sixties in Las Vegas, when Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and their buddies ruled the roost.

Written by James Hindman and Ray Roderick (who also directs and choreographs), with musical arrangements by John Glaudini, "Heaven Help Us" is a quantum leap ahead of the team's last show, "I Love a Piano," which commemorated the work of Irving Berlin.

"Heaven Help Us" honors a whole batch of songwriters, from Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen to Harold Arlen, Paul Anka,  Johnny Mercer, Harry Warren, Anthony Newley and more.

But "Heaven Help Us" is not just a musical revue of lounge hits of the 1960s. It is wrapped around a sentimental fable borrowed from "It=s a Wonderful Life" and a number of similar life‑is‑worth‑living parables, while at the same time honoring three of the greatest performers to ever play Las Vegas.

Adam Petty is Vic, the woebegone owner of the Rat Pack Lounge on the seedy side of Las Vegas. Back when Vic's dad ran the place, the Rat Pack was the toast of the town. Frank Sinatra himself once stopped by when his limo got a flat, and he told Vic's dad he thought his son had talent.

Frank was just being nice, but Vic grew up thinking he could be the next Sinatra. His father decorated the Rat Pack as a shrine to Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., and to this day the jukebox plays nothing but their greatest hits.

Vic has just about had it, though. Hardly anyone stops in at the Rat Pack anymore, and a local developer, Mr. Saunders (Marcus Neville), accompanied by his officious secretary Katherine (Jodi Stevens) and Latino chauffeur Jeorge (Julian Rebolledo), has made Vic an offer for the land. He wants to tear the place down to make way for a parking lot for Hooters.

Vic's loyal bartender, Bobby (Eddie Korbich) will lose his job, but hardly anyone else cares.

Ah, but upstairs in heaven, three guys do care. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis are being denied admission to heaven until they fix Frank's little white lie to Vic and give him the will to live again.

Like "The Wizard of Oz," all the characters except Vic return in different guises.

Mr. Saunders takes control as Ol' Blue Eyes, the Chairman of the Board.

Midway through the trio's mission, Katherine reappears as a sexpot singer who acts a lot like Angie Dickenson.

"Heaven Help Us" is a delight from start to finish, with a wonderful parade of hits like "Ain=t That a Kick in the Head," "Bye Bye Blackbird," "Fly me To the Moon," "High Hopes," "I=ve Got You Under My Skin," "My Way," "One For My Baby" and "Wee Small Hours of the Morning," each sung in distinctive Rat Pack style, backed by the lively onstage quartet of Jo Lynn Burks (piano), Rupert Ziawinski (bass), Neel Shukka (marimba, percussion) and Julie Jacobs (drums).

The actors were not cast to impersonate the celebrities they represent, but Julian Rebolledo comes awfully darn close to duplicating Dino's boozy, flippant style.

Jodi Steven helps fill out the pre‑feminist boys' club, yet she rounds out her sexy portrait with the thoroughly modern Katherine.

I've read about other Rat Pack musicals in the works, but I can't imagine anything being more entertaining than this ‑ and we get to see it first.