Posted September 22, 2021
DAYTON, OH (September 22, 2021) – On Friday, October 15, 2021 and Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 8:00 pm in the Mead Theatre of the Schuster Center, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, under the leadership of Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman, will present The Rat Pack, Symphonic!, the first SuperPops concert in the 2021–2022 season of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance.
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and their inimitable brand of woozy, boozy pop step onto the stage in the forms of three entertainers you’ll swear are the real deal. With illustrious Broadway careers spanning an array of captivating roles, nominations, and awards, Nat Chandler, Sal Viviano, and Eric Jordan Young take center stage at the Schuster for a night that pays homage to the Rat Pack of the 1950s and 1960s.
Audiences will be whisked back in time with hits like “New York, New York,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Luck Be a Lady,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” and so many others songs that highlight an era of glitz and glamour with a tight-knit group of crooners called the Rat Pack, who were also close friends both on and off the stage. When the big band—the Dayton Philharmonic—starts to play and the three members of this modern-day Rat Pack begin to sing, you might wonder if you’re in Dayton or Las Vegas!
Nat Chandler has appeared on Broadway in the title role of The Scarlet Pimpernel and Children and Art. Other credits include Georges in La Cage Aux Folles, Fred/Petruchio in Kiss Me Kate, King Arthur in Spamalot, Prince Danilo in The Merry Widow, Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, Lancelot in Camelot, and Lun Tha in The King And I. He was nominated for a Barrymore Award for his work in Phantom and Camelot, as well as a Kevin Kline nomination for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He has appeared in concert with the Naples Philharmonic, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra, Florida Sunshine Pops, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and several other prominent orchestras and ensembles worldwide.
Sal Viviano has sung well over 300 Pops Concert with nearly 200 Symphony Orchestras around the world, at such iconic venues as The White House, Carnegie Hall, Wolf Trap, Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, The Waldorf Astoria’s Starlight Roof and Ballroom, London’s Palladium, The Kennedy Center, NY’s Central Park, Teatro Massimo (Palermo), and The Hollywood Bowl, to name a few. On Broadway, Sal made his debut in The Three Musketeers and has since co-starred in Romance/Romance, City of Angels, Falsettos, The Life, and The Full Monty. On tour, Viviano has starred in Chicago, Evita, Joseph and The Technicolor Dreamcoat, Anything Goes!, The Pirates of Penzance, Hair, and Sunday in the Park with George, for which he was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor. On film, Viviano starred John Fasano’s cult classics Black Roses and The Jitters. He has also appeared and recorded songs for Legally Blonde 2, Spike of Bensonhurst, and Life with Mikey. Viviano’s original cast, compilation, and solo CD recordings number over 70, and as a proud 20-year member of the famed Friars Club, Viviano has also sung our National Anthem for over 30 seasons for the New York Mets.
Eric Jordan Young is an accomplished producer, director, choreographer, entertainer, playwright, and songwriter. His credits include television (Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Ugly Betty), Broadway (Ragtime, Chicago, Seussical, The Look of Love), Off-Broadway (NYSF, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center), National Tours (Chicago, Ragtime, Dreamgirls) and several commercials. Young headlined on the Las Vegas Strip in his production Shakin’, and he appeared in Starlight Express, Rock of Ages, Cocktail Cabaret, and Vegas! The Show. He has performed with symphonies across the country, including the Atlanta Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, Las Vegas Philharmonic, and the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. His solo album, Once in a Lifetime, was produced by his company EnJoY! Productions, and his one-man musical, Sammy & Me, is a winner of the ArtVoice and Salt Awards. His most recent performances include Celebrating Sammy, Bachrach and Beyond, and the Usher residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Young is a graduate of Ithaca College, where he also recently directed the 2018 fall musical Ragtime.
Safety Protocols
The DPAA is excited to welcome audiences back to the 2021–2022 Season. The health and safety of patrons, performers, staff, and volunteers is our top priority. Beginning October 1, 2021, in partnership with DPAA’s venue partner Dayton Live, the following new health and safety protocols will be in place at all performances and events until further notice:
- Vaccination – Proof of vaccination (vaccination card or a photo of card on phone), along with a valid ID, must be presented by all attendees.
- Testing – If you have not been fully vaccinated for any reason, you must provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test (within 72 hours) or a negative rapid antigen test (within 24 hours) of performance.
- Masks – Masks will be required for all patrons over the age of 2 during entire visit while attending a DPAA performance or event. Mask must cover both nose and mouth.
- Age Restrictions – Children under the age of 12 are exempt from providing proof of a COVID test in order to attend.
Tickets for The Rat Pack, Symphonic! start at $26 and are available at the box office by calling (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. Senior, teacher and student discounts are available at the box office. For more information or to order subscriptions, including flexible subscription types that include performances by Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet, visit www.daytonperformingarts.org.
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About the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) was formed in July 2012 as the result of a groundbreaking and innovative merger between the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Together, they are the largest performing arts organization in the greater Dayton community, with a mission to be the community’s indispensable source for traditional, diverse and innovative experiences in ballet, opera, and orchestral music. The vision of the DPAA is to transform lives through the power of music and dance. The DPAA offers a wide variety of performance and education programs, setting a new standard for artistic excellence. DPAA performances reach an audience of more than 90,000 people annually, and their rich arts education programming serves over 60,000 schoolchildren in 150 schools in the Miami Valley. These performances and education initiatives are made possible in part through major support provided by the Ohio Arts Council, Culture Works, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County and the National Endowment for the Arts.