Review: SINATRA 101 Puts You at the Sands with Frank and his Big Band

As a lifelong fan of Frank Sinatra thanks in part to my Mom being one of the bobbysoxers who fawned over him as I did for the Beatles, I was thrilled to jump at the chance to attend SINATRA 101 at the El Portal in Noho on November 26, 2016 at one of the 2 shows they did that date. Since 2011, Matt Mauser and the 101 Big Band led by Pete Jacobs have been playing Frank Sinatra's greatest hits with high-octane arrangements. Their collaboration captures Sinatra at the height of his career at the Sands Hotel in early 1966, backed by Quincy Jones conducting the Count Basie Orchestra.

The show began with Matt Mauser walking into the theater and then up on the stage to lead the "class" during his class, Sinatra 101, at the University of Hoboken, Sinatra's hometown. After writing his name on the chalkboard, Mauser started to lecture the class but then stopped in his tracks to share Sinatra's music on his CD player. Of course, as soon as the music started, the curtain raised to reveal the Pete Jacobs Big Band playing the music live with Mauser donning a small-brimmed Fedora, moving to sing center stage with microphone in hand.

We were truly amazed at how much like Sinatra he sounded, and often just closed our eyes and felt as if we really were listening to him live at the Sands! And while Mauser does not really resemble Frank, he manages to sing, move, and relate to the audience just as Ol' Blue Eyes did.

And what a marvelous rundown of Sinatra songs were performed, including "Come Fly With Me," "Luck be a Lady" (first as Brando sang it in "Guys and Dolls"), "The Best is Yet to Come," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Fly Me to the Moon," "Night and Day," "The Lady is a Tramp," "You Make me Feel so Young," and "I've Got You Under my Skin." Mauser then performed "A Kick in the Head" as Dean Martin, Sinatra's fellow Brat Packer who often visited Frank's show at the Sands when Dean was performing down the street. After "Roll Out the Barrel," Mauser portrayed Bobby Darin singing his big hit, "Mack the Knife." To round out Act 1, a video of Frank and Mauser's grandfather was shown when they appeared together as Mauser crooned "A Quarter to Three" and "One for my Baby."

Returning for Act 2, Mauser portrayed some of his favorite singers of the 60's including "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones, "Saturday in the Park" by Chicago (perfect for the Big Band sound), Stevie Wonder's "I Wish," and Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" complete with moon walk dancing! And while I enjoyed each of those numbers, it was Sinatra I wanted to hear. Thankfully Mauser ended the show with "That's Life," "a rousing "New York, New York," "My Way," and an encore of "My Kind of Town." It was certainly a disappointment when the music ended as I could have closed my eyes and imagined being in the presence of Sinatra for awhile longer.

Sinatra 101 was conceived by Producer Ronald Kurtz and Writer/Director Gary Grantham, with Edwin Pleitez as Technical Director and Beau Bancroft handling the sound for the El Portal Theatre. I wish I knew who to give credit to for the awe-inspiring lighting design which enhanced every number, giving the entire show the feeling of a Las Vegas show from the glory days when Sinatra and the Brat Pack rules the Las Vegas Strip.

Start spreading the news: Sinatra 101 will play at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on March 17, 2017. Get ready for a fabulous St. Patrick's Day party and order your tickets at www.cerritoscenter.com

Watch clips from the show at: https://www.facebook.com/sinatrabigband/videos/vb.1639129933002303/1785180535063908/?type=2&theater

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