Old Blue Eyes’ music will live again at 3 and 7 p.m. today in Durham, NC as The Carolina Theatre hosts the first National Tour of My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, which features a New York cast (Les Lankhorst, Steve Parmenter, Nancie Sanderson, and Natalie Silverlieb) and New York musicians.
The 7 p.m. performance of My Way, which will be preceded by a champagne reception and followed by a celebrity gala featuring live entertainment, a silent auction, and a sumptuous buffet, will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the re-opening of The Carolina Theatre in February 1994. Tickets for the shows are $22-$26, and the cost to attend the gala is $125.
Conceived by David Grapes and Todd Olson and originally created for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre by Gary Wayne Golden, My Way features a book by Todd Olson. Michael Licata will direct, Rex Henriques will choreograph, and Jason Loffredo will serve as musical director the show’s first National Tour. Scenic designer Bradley Kaye, lighting designer Jeremy Isaacs, and costume designer Glenn Avery Breed will complete the production team for the current tour.
My Way is a musical tribute to Francis Albert Sinatra (1915-98) — a.k.a. “Old Blue Eyes” and “The Chairman of the Board.” Sinatra was a legendary 20th-century American singer and favorite son of Hoboken, New Jersey. When he started out as a big-band singer in the 1939, Sinatra inspired the same kind of hysteria and frenzy in his female fans that The Beatles provoked when they invaded the United States 40 years ago.
A Carolina Theatre publicist calls My Way a “fitting tribute to the music that made Sinatra a pop icon. [My Way] combines great songs with witty and charming dialog to create an eye-popping and ear-pleasing performance. No one plays Frank in this show, nor is it a recitation of the facts of Sinatra’s life. My Way commemorates the music that Sinatra left behind when he died in 1998. And it’s done with a flair that the Chairman of the Board would have applauded.” The Phoenix New Times said, “My Way… which is among the top 10 theatrical attractions in the country this year… is a homage that’s both respectful to the man and wildly entertaining for his fans — or anyone else who loves good music.”
The Carolina Theatre publicist adds, “There are almost 60 Sinatra favorites in the show. The four multi-talented performers… invite the audience into the heart of Sinatra’s music with ‘Come Fly With Me,’ ‘I Love Paris,’ ‘Strangers in the Night,’ ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin,’ ‘That’s Life,’ ‘New York New York’ and, of course, ‘My Way.’ In breaks between the medleys, the actors recall quotes from Sinatra and memories other musicians had of the man.”
The Carolina Theatre presents My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra Friday, Feb. 6, at 3 and 7 p.m. in The Carolina Theatre, 309 W. Morgan St., Durham, North Carolina. $22-$26. 919/560-3030. Note: There will be a champagne reception before the 7 p.m. performance, and a $125 celebrity gala featuring live entertainment, a silent auction, and a sumptuous buffet after the show. The Carolina Theatre: http://www.carolinatheatre.org/. My Way: http://www.summerwindproductions.com/My%20Way.html.
