INTERVIEW: Rat Pack is back, and this time they are tapping
The Tap Pack is a swinging, tapping tribute to the Rat Pack performers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. The concert experience is reminiscent of the musical group’s heyday, but this time there’s a lot more dancing — and of the tapping variety.
The Tap Pack consists of Jesse Rasmussen, Jordan Pollard and Thomas J. Egan, all billed as creative directors and performers. They are joined by a variety of other cast members, all under the direction of co-creator Nigel Turner Carroll.
“So about six years ago myself, Jordan Pollard, Jesse Rasmussen and Nigel Turner Carroll, we were really caught by the idea of combining the Rat Pack and tap-dancing, and we wanted to create a project of our own instead of waiting by the phone to audition,” Egan said in a recent phone interview. “And we got a chance to do a season of theater in Sydney, and from there, it grew. We’ve been lucky enough to play in Edinburgh and Beijing and London’s West End and Berlin as well, and now we’re here in the States. It’s been a bit of a dream come true.”
Their run in the United States includes dates in Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, in addition to many international dates. Although it should be mentioned that the continued coronavirus outbreak may halt some plans.
“In terms of the Rat Pack, we sing some of the classic songs, some of the classic jazz standards, but we also model the show a bit more after the camaraderie of the Rat Pack,” Egan said. “We just love that they take the mickey out of each other and have a lot of fun up on stage, and you’ve got the classic tap-dancing routines with canes and hats and very rhythmical. But we’ve also adapted it for a modern audience as well, so we have some modern music that’s kind of swungified, stuff like Bruno Mars and Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran. So there’s a little bit for everyone in there.”
Egan worked as a commercial dancer in Sydney with Kylie Minogue, Delta Goodrem, Timomatic, Jessica Mauboy, X-Factor, Australia’s Got Talent, So You Think You Can Dance and Channel V, according to his official biography. On film, he was in Baz Luhrman’s The Great Gatsby, and on stage he’s been in Singin‘ in the Rain and Fame the Musical.
“I didn’t really have a choice in the matter,” Egan said about his entry into dance. “When I was younger, my mom owned a dance school, so from about 18 months, she put me on stage and taught me a couple of steps. I was lucky enough to have a lot of influences growing up, especially for tap.”
What he and his fellow performers have accomplished with the Tap Pack is truly extraordinary and a real molding together of the past and present. Egan said he enjoys performing each night and looking out into the audience to see the young faces in the crowd.
“Generally over a longer run in a city we find that younger people kind of turn out toward the end of the season from word of mouth,” he said. “It is a show that an older generation love because of the Rat Pack. I think they get a real sense of that reminiscent vibe, but the younger audience love it as well. We’re on the younger side, too, and loving what we do. That seems to resonate with a younger audience as well. … The show is very high energy. It’s a two-hour evening show, so it’s very taxing on the body.”
The show has morphed throughout the years. The extravaganza started with a storyline, and now it has progressed into an evening with a cabaret feel.
“We’ve always wanted to make the show better and get better at incorporating other people’s talents,” Egan said. “The show itself changes every night. We have improvised sections. The band is on stage. It’s a just little bit different every night, and tour to tour it’s also different depending on the people that we get involved. We like to take whatever people are good at and showcase that. … One of our goals is we’d really love to get to Vegas. That’s a big goal of ours. We’d love to play Vegas. That’s something the Rat Pack did, too, so we’re loving doing the show still after six years. We just hope to find new audiences all the time.”
Egan fell in love with each member of the Rat Pack at an early age, but he had a special affinity for Davis. “Sammy Davis for me was the one that I got interested in initially because he was also a tap dancer,” Egan said. “I just loved the way he sang as well and his performance style. I had a CD of the ‘Best of the Rat Pack’ when I was about maybe 12 years old, and I just listened to that incessantly.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Tap Pack continues with their tour of the United States. Click here for more information and tickets.
