insideKENT Magazine Issue 40 - July 2015 | Page 26

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

The Definitive Rat Pack
exclusive interview by Gemma Dunn

Witnessing a master of his craft is and should forever be something extraordinary; but observing
three at once – now that is something truly special. In an unwavering tour de force, Stephen Triffit,
Mark Adams and George Daniel Long – best known as The Definitive Rat Pack – shun the 'tribute'
tag in favour of a much higher bid: offering a matchless homage to an entire era. And this July, you
can see the prized trio for yourselves at Leeds Castle Open Air Classical Concert.
The epitome of 'cool', the infamous Rat Pack
ruled Hollywood and Las Vegas during the 1950s
and 60s – and rightly so. Instrumental in the rise
of Vegas as a popular entertainment destination,
their impromptu sell-out shows and award-winning
songs attracted hoards of fans – including the
rich and famous – who were desperate to be a
part of the Rat Pack experience. And thanks to
The Definitive Rat Pack, that same experience
exists today.
The original cast members of the Rat Pack – Live
from Las Vegas in the West End, Stephen (Frank
Sinatra); Mark Adams (Dean Martin); and George
Daniel Long (Sammy Davis Jnr) are recognised
internationally as the best at 'what they do' thanks
to years of experience, dedication and, having
met them, bucket loads of charisma.
All three of you have extensive experience
in show business; however, would you
agree that your Rat Pack personas have
been particularly career defining?
M: Well we call ourselves The Definitive Rat Pack
and anything that can take over your career for

the length of time that it has – for all of three of
us – then, yeah. We don't define it, but I'm sure
other people would define us in the roles and
shows that we do.
To what extent do you live and breathe
your characters?
S: There are aspects of our characters that have
taken on elements of the originals, but we don't
behave like them; you can't these days!
M: We don't have enough money to be able to
do that, unfortunately.
G: We don't live, breathe and sleep them, but
when you've been doing it for so long, you can
kind of turn it on and off.
The Definitive Rat Pack is far beyond a
'tribute' act – you recreate a defining era
on stage. How do you ensure you remain
at the top of your game?
S: Thankfully, our audiences see us as the best
of what we do and we do work to maintain that.
It's not a case of being blasé; we're continuously

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working, striving, learning, looking, watching and
listening to be better.
G: There are times when you listen to something
you've done a few months later and go 'oh, I'm
starting to change that'. For me personally, it's
the odd adjustment here and there; I just keep
track.
M: You reach a point where you go way beyond
what you would deem a tribute act (for want of
a better word), and you take it as close as you
can to an art form.
S: We're more homage artists.
G: Interpreters, rather than impersonators.
The Rat Pack certainly knew how to make
performing look effortless. How easy is it
to recreate that same on-stage chemistry?
S: It's difficult considering we actually hate each
other. No, I'm joking; we've known each other
for over 15 years now and like all relationships,
you have your ups and downs.
M: As they did! They wouldn't talk to each other
for ages, and then all of a sudden Frank would
pick up the phone and say 'I've got a show, be
there', and they'd all turn up and have a great