MACKINAW CITY - Undo the bowtie on your tuxedo and put another olive in your Martini. The Rat Pack is coming to town.
      A tribute show featuring impersonators of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. 
      The three performers sing solos, duets and trios, and joke with each other in the character of the three iconic performers.
      "They interacted a lot and we try to keep that alive during the show," said Andy DiMino, who plays Dino. Brian Duprey plays Sinatra and Allen Gregory plays Sammy.
      The trio play their characters from 1962-64, when the real performers often shared the stage. The Pack also often included comedian Joey Bishop and actor Peter Lawford.
      The group is based in Las Vegas and work there regularly. They also do engagements throughout the rest of the United States.
      Each show is different, with the three ad libbing with each other and interacting with the audience, DiMino said.
      "Maybe somebody from the audience will make a comment and that will take us in another direction," he said. "We try to personalize the performance."
      DiMino doesn't have trouble remaining in character - mirroring Dean Martin's singing voice, speaking voice, mannerisms and smoking habits - throughout a show.
      "As soon as the stage lights go on, I think as Dean and I act as Dean," he said.
      Acting classes and a career in acting and singing helps him with that, he said. A long-time performer in rock and country bands, he had been in Vegas for some time.
      As DiMino looked to get into the popular and growing world of celebrity impersonators, he looked for someone he "liked and respected" and eventually decided on Martin.
      DiMino is 53. He said Martin was more a favorite of his parents' age group than of his own generation.
      "I grew up more with the Beatles and '60s music and all that stuff," he said.
      Still, he remembers watching "The Dean Martin Show" at 10 p.m. Thursdays on NBC. The show ran from 1965 to 1974.
      He spent about five years researching, watching and listening to the crooner as much as possible
      Meanwhile, he was working as a gondolier at The Venetian hotel and casino in Vegas, which required him to speak with an accent and sing in Italian for eight hours at a time. He said that was also good training for staying in character for an extended time.
      Eventually, he hooked up with the Royal Talent agency, which schedules him for individual shows, in addition to Rat Pack shows.
      Kristy Royle, owner of the agency, said celebrity impersonators are a booming form of live entertainment. Royal represents performers who do the often-impersonated stars of the past - Sinatra, Elvis, the Beatles - as well as many stars who are still around, like David Bowie, Neil Diamond, Tina Turner, Madonna, Shania Twain, Britney Spears.
      Duprey has been a Sinatra fan since age 13, and has appeared as the singer in FOX TV's "Performing As." He has been a stand-up comic and discovered jazz and swing music while attending Fairfield University.
      Gregory's first public performance was on a train at age 3. His mother had him sing in the aisle; impressed passengers tossed him money.
      Gregory, who used to work with rock bands, has always been told he looks like Sammy and now he portrays the star in the big showrooms of the casino circuit.
      DiMino said about 70 percent of the Pack's audience consists of people who came of age in the 1940s or '50s, the generation that most identified with members of the Pack.
      But he also sees people closer to his age or younger, who remember the performers mostly from their parents. Others bring children to the show wanting them to see an older style of entertainment.

www.RatPackTributeShow.com