SANDY HACKETT’S RAT PACK SHOW
HACKETT IS BACK… AT THE SAHARA!
SANDY THAT IS, WITH ‘SANDY HACKETT’S RAT PACK SHOW,’
SET TO OPEN MID-NOVEMBER
CARRYING ON THE LEGACY OF HIS FATHER, LEGENDARY
COMEDIAN BUDDY HACKETT AND HIS FRIENDS, FRANK SINATRA,
DEAN MARTIN, SAMMY DAVIS, JR. AND JOEY BISHOP
Producing With His Wife,
Producer/Singer/Songwriter Lisa Dawn Miller Hackett—
Returning To The Original Location Of
The Former Hit Show “The Rat Pack Is Back”—Hackett Stars
As Rat Pack Comic Catalyst “Joey Bishop”
And Is The Show’s Writer, Producer & Joey
The legendary Buddy Hackett arrived in comedy heaven in 2003, but he’s coming back to work at Las Vegas’ Sahara Hotel—where he held court and entertained audiences for decades—when his son makes his debut in the Congo Room as Joey Bishop in “Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show,” set to open just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
You heard right…Buddy, via the power of a voiceover recorded before he died, is snapping back to our mortal coil as the voice of God, sending the legendary Rat Pack—Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and their comedic catalyst Joey Bishop—down from their mischievous lair in heaven for one last spin, and some final performances, on earth.
Produced by the younger Hackett, a powerhouse veteran writer, producer and film and TV actor, and his wife, producer/singer/songwriter Lisa Dawn Miller, the show offers a fresh and exciting take on the comedic and musical legacy of the Rat Pack.
Sandy Hackett, who hung out with the “Pack” during their heyday as a result of Buddy’s great friendship with them, starred as Bishop—who he knew fondly as “Uncle Joey”–for several years in “The Tribute To Frank, Sammy, Joey and Dean” at The Greek Isles Hotel, later titled “The Rat Pack is Back” at The Plaza Hotel & Casino.
Over the years, the show, which Sandy also wrote, produced and directed, had performances in dozens of cities throughout the U.S. under both of the previously mentioned titles. “The Rat Pack is Back” show made its Vegas debut in the late 90s in the Congo Room. Hackett’s new show brings the legacy of the Rat Pack, and his beloved father, full circle.
Sandy’s history at the Sahara extends back to the age of 15, when he was a cook’s helper and his dad headlined the showroom. For 12 years, he produced and hosted Sandy Hackett’s Talent Showcase in the hotel’s Casbar lounge, which helped shine a spotlight on numerous rising stars over the years, including Howie Mandel, Andrew Dice Clay, Jenny Jones, Tony D’Andrea, The Unknown Comic, and Gary Mule Deer.
“I still have keys from the Sahara that I never turned in,” he laughs. “This is a wonderful homecoming for me and my dad, who worked on The Strip for 50 years and opens the show as the voice of God sending the Pack back for one last gig. Mostly, I’m really looking forward to working on this project with my amazing genius wife, Lisa. As a result of our combined vision, an amazing cast and the freedom to add many exciting elements and creative touches that were left out of previous productions, this show will be bigger and better than any other Rat Pack show.
“The body of work left behind by these wonderful entertainers is extraordinary and continues to fascinate millions of people all these many years later,” Sandy adds. “I always like to say, they smoked before there was cancer, they drank before there was alcoholism and they had sex before there was AIDS. A new “Ocean’s Eleven” was introduced to the current generation, but everyone in the film was an actor only. Frank, Dean, Sammy and Joey did it all.”
