'Rat Pack' bring a touch of glamour to charity do (From Swindon Advertiser)

'Rat Pack' bring a touch of glamour to charity do

9:20am Thursday 2nd February 2012 in News By Josh Layton

SWINDON’S Charity Ball will sway to the classy sounds of the Rat Pack after the West End show’s original cast agreed to top the bill.

The hit production, which has thrilled audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, features songs by legendary performers Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin.

In a coup for the ball’s organisers, the original cast of Mark Adams, George Daniel Long and Stephen Triffit will appear at the fundraiser.

Mark, who plays Martin, is Swindon born and bred and is looking forward to supporting a number of good causes in his hometown.

“The audience will get a great show because the original West End cast are still together, 10 years after we started,” he said.

“First and foremost the show is about the music. These guys recorded fantastic songs which have great arrangements and are timeless classics.

“But as well as singing songs we also play the characters and bring them to life with banter, humour and camaraderie.”

The show began its West End run in 2003 but has toured the UK and filled 4,600 seats at a theatre in St Louis, Missouri, before Christmas.

The Rat Pack will also play a string of dates around the UK this year.

“The audience are really getting the best of the best, as these guys know what they’re doing. It’s not a pub act,” said Mark, 52.

The father of four was born in Swindon and grew up in Marlow Avenue, Park North.

He attended Ridgeway School before going on to become a star of screen and stage, with The Bill, Holby City and EastEnders among his TV credits.

“It will be nice to come back and see how the town has changed,” he said. “I will certainly pop in and see my folks.”

And while Swindon might not compare to Vegas in the glamour stakes, the former PE and drama teacher points out that Martin himself grew up away from America’s showbusiness capitals.

“Martin grew up in Steubenville, Ohio, which is akin to Swindon,” Mark said.

“It is more of a steel town than a rail town, but it was somewhere from where Martin had to take himself off to make a name for himself.”

The original Rat Pack was best-known for living the high-life in the 1960s, when the group’s members also included Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford.

The Sophistication dancers, provided by entertainment company Fanfare300, will also add a touch of Vegas glitz to the ball by performing up to four routines.

The event, which is organised by the Rotary Club of Swindon, will take place at the Marriott Hotel on May 19.

Last year’s Moulin Rouge-themed ball bucked the economic gloom to raise £25,000 in just one night – and organisers are hoping to repeat that success.