I saw the Rat Pack Is Back at the Plaza on Monday night. This is a show that was once run by Buddy Hackett's son, Sandy. Then there was a huge conflict at the highest levels of production and Sandy left to start his own Rat Pack show. There are piles of dirty legal issues that will take time to sort out. I believe the Plaza show is called The Rat Pack is Back, and I think Sandy's show at the Sahara is called Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show, Shadows In The Desert. To reduce confusion, we'll just call one the Plaza show and the other the Sahara show.

First, I started with dinner downtown. I was wanting the Redwood Grill, but it's closed on Mondays. I wanted something different for me, so I stopped at Tinoco's Kitchen in The Las Vegas Club. It's a little Italian place towards the back. They've sliced and diced the Las Vegas Club so many times, I couldn't remember what that area was. I thought I knew but then there's a magic showroom back in that area too. The big open area in the very back is now Foxy's dance club.

Back to Tinoco's. It's mostly Italian with plenty of variety from burgers to steaks. There is a menu on-line if you want to check it out. The theme seems to include a lot of dark wood. It's not a large place. It might have 10 booths and 10 tables. To enjoy my meal, I first lowered my expectations down to the price range shown on the on-line menu. Then I lowered my expectations down for a downtown restaurant. Then I took it down yet again for being in the Las Vegas Club. I know there are hidden gems in the desert, but I'd rather be prepared than disappointed. With all those factors in mind, I thought it was a decent meal and I wouldn't mind going back again. It was enjoyable without being memorable.

On to the Plaza where I picked up my free ticket. I was offered a $16 upgrade to VIP that included seating in the front half and a T-shirt. I see a lot of free shows and I like to give back something to the hosts, so I took the upgrade. At 30 minutes to showtime, there was a long line to be seated that went back about 3/4 through the casino. Before entering the showroom, everyone got their picture taken with a Marilyn Monroe imitatette. I was pleasantly surprised how much this showroom has NOT been remodeled. It is extremely old school. Booths, tables, step down, booths, tables, step down, booths, tables, step down, etc. The VIP seating was in the front half of the showroom, and the GA seating was in the back half. There were no assigned seats, so it was tip for what you want. I did not tip but was given a front seat table next to the stage. I was again pleasantly surprised that there was more room than many old school table seatings. I'm not a fan of those tables and having more room made them much more tolerable. BTW, if you know your haunted Vegas, you know this is a haunted show room. This show was on a Monday night and seemed over 80% full. In fact, downtown seemed to be jumping pretty good for a Monday night. Even the Plaza buffet was full when I first got there, after I ate at Tinoco's, and after the show.

The show starts with an old guy cleaning and moping up on the stage. He warms the crowd up talking about the good old days. Then the curtain comes up and the band is jamming. I think it was a 12 piece band. They were pretty good. The performance was kinda weak in my opinion. Not surprisingly, there were many similarities to the Sahara show. There were many of the same songs, jokes, and flows. It was an enjoyable show considering it was downtown and at the Plaza.

The Dean Martin guy didn't look very Dean to me. He was Hawaiian or Japanese or something. He didn't look or sound Italian to me. He knew the lines and sang pretty good and had a very thin version of Dean's hair style. It's just a little bit creepy that he was the best actor of the bunch.

The Sammy guy was probably pretty new. He had no flow to his words. He sounded more like he was still trying to remember what to say and when to say it. He didn't do much dancing.

The Joey Bishop guy was pretty giggly, laughing at his own jokes. I confess that I don't know much about the real Joey. He seemed like a separate comic from the rest of the guys. Maybe that's how the Rat Pack was. In the Sahara show, he was separate but had a bigger singing role. Maybe that's because Sandy plays Joey in the Sahara show.

The Frank Sinatra in the Plaza show was more like a lovable teddy bear than the leader of the pack. He sang pretty well, probably a little too well and not really Frank's style.

The Marilyn Monroe part was more of a comic relief than anything else. it was kinda fun and gave the guys a break.

Overall, it was entertaining and I got my money's worth. I think most everyone had a good time. I think the show needs a whole of work. I don't know if the show is always that lame or if I caught them trying out new talent or if they lost something when Sandy left. The Plaza show does have some advantages. First, the showroom is much better for that type of show. The band is bigger, but not better. They also have an option for dinner in the showroom before the show. I passed on that one. Having Marilyn Monroe is much better than the Sahara option. The Sahara show uses Sandy's wife, Lisa Dawn Miller, the son of Ron Miller who wrote many great songs. The Sahara show never really explains who she is. She has a great voice and can sing Broadway songs like the pros. She doesn't really fit in the Sahara show or any Rat Pack show though. But since she is married to the owner and produces the Sahara show, she gets to sing. I've seen her around town in other shows. She is a locals favorite for that type of singing.

If you want to see a Rat Pack show, I strongly suggest the Sahara show. In fact, it should be high on your to-do list and must do. OTOH if circumstances take you to the Plaza show, just keep your expectations low and have a good time. I think both shows are available for discounts all over town at the usual suspects. Currently the Sahara show is a 5:00pm show and the Plaza show starts at 7:30pm. Both are 90 minute shows.

Thanks Joe.
I keep saying I want to go to see this show but when I get there other things clog up the itinerary. We are still hanging on a thread to go next friday so if it works out we are seeing Lionel ritchie on saturday night and maybe I will book this on Sunday.

You want to see the one at the Sahara, not the Plaza.

Well the thread just broke. I had to cancel our end of March trip. No Lionel Ritchie. Terry is more upset about that than I am. He has always been one of her favorites. I'm hoping to rebook sometime in April or May and then go to the Sahara to see the show.

Thanks for the great critique, Joe. (As always.) I'm going to be in Vegas next week and I think I'll try to see that show. The one at the Sahara, right?

Vickie, yep, the Sahara show. It's a 5pm show. How many in your party? I might can hook you up with tickets. I know you like music of that era. If you would like to critique both shows, I could probably get tix for both.

Thanks for the kind offer JMT. I had to postpone my trip for a little bit because of the weather in Pahrump. It looks like I'll be there next week, tho and I'll take you up on your offer. I'll let you know when as soon as I know.

Hi JMT,
I'm in Pahrump as I speak. Planning to go to M tomorrow for their holiday buffet, which is supposed to be fantastic and a little unusual, according to the write-up on the Net. They have live cooking demonstrations. Any luck on the tickets, Joe?

working on it.

Thanks, Joe. You're the greatest!

Thanks Joe for all your effort on getting the tickets. I am so sorry I had to cancel. As you know, there was a 7.2 earthquake very close to my home in California and I had to get back very quickly to assess the damage & pick up the pieces, or so I thought, but when I got here yesterday afternoon, I found that my daughter & son-in-law had done all the cleanup, bless their hearts. Now I just have to rearrange & make things safer around here. I hope to get back to Las Vegas soon.

I'm glad everyone is okay. Come back when you can.