Review: The Rat Pack Christmas in Vegas brings swinging sparkle to The Edge
The Edge Arts Centre was transformed into 1960s Las Vegas last Friday night, as The Rat Pack Christmas in Vegas rolled into Much Wenlock with all the polish, charm and good humour that has made it the UK’s leading Rat Pack tribute show.
From the outset, the chemistry between the trio was effortless: the banter quick, the timing tight, and the crowd instantly on side. With just three musicians - drums, bass and piano - the Buddy Greco All-Stars created a full, velvety swing sound that anchored the night’s many musical highlights.
The first half delivered a joyous parade of classics, each rendered with vocal precision and a real affection for the originals. Dean crooned his way through “Sway” and “Everybody Loves Somebody,” punctuating the evening with droll one-liners, while Sammy dazzled with energetic takes on “A Lot of Livin’ to Do,” “The Candy Man,” and a particularly heartfelt “What Kind of Fool Am I.”
Alacey’s Sinatra proved the show’s vocal pillar, gliding through “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” and a beautifully smoky “One for My Baby,” performed as a touching saloon-style duet with Buddy Greco’s recorded cameo. Crowd interaction was plentiful - birthday serenades, cheeky back-and-forth, and requests under the house lights - and the trio’s straw-hatted return for “Mac the Knife,” “Style,” and “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” kept the energy buoyant to the interval.
But it was after the break that the Christmas magic truly took over. With the band reappearing in festive jumpers and the performers in white tuxedos and Santa hats, the evening shifted into a joyous yuletide revue. “Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “A Marshmallow World,” “Let It Snow,” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” all sparkled with playful staging and warm humour. An audience volunteer, Amanda, earned one of the night’s biggest cheers for a sweetly delivered duet of “Something Stupid” with Frank. Sammy’s “Mr Bojangles” was the standout emotional moment, followed by a final run of crowd-pleasers - “That’s Amore,” “Quando, Quando, Quando,” “Winter Wonderland,” and Andy Williams’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
The night closed in grand style with a triumphant “My Way,” a nostalgic “White Christmas,” and a roof-raising “New York, New York” that sent the audience home beaming. A slick, generous and thoroughly entertaining show - Vegas came to Wenlock, and the audience loved every minute.
The new Edge Arts Centre January – March 2026 brochure is out now and can be downloaded at edgeartscentre.com
Sensational photos by Bob May.
