Review: Sinatra @ Palace Theatre, Manchester

11:00pm Thursday 19th June 2008

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OL BLUE Eyes is ol black n'white eyes for most of the Sinatra Show at the Palace Theatre, Manchester until Sunday, June 8.

But it doesn't matter. For it is none other than Frank himself who croons to you.

Director David Levaux uses cleaned and edited old film and home movies to tell the singer's life story which, despite their monochromatic images, have sharpness and clarity.

Sinatra's unforgettable voice rings out loud and clear via a top quality sound track.

If you crave colour, don't worry. For movers and shakers dressed in bright costumes dance in front of the 25' high screen brilliantly choreographed by Stephen Mear.

The dancers skilfully interact with the image of Sinatra behind them whilst keeping in time to the big band playing on stage.

advertisement But, even more amazing, is the way the band accompanies Sinatra's on screen voice after the original backing sound has been removed.

As he grows older, Frank sings in full colour. Numbers such as "The Lady is a Tramp" and the moving "Send in the Clowns" benefit from this.

Sinatra's life experiences were not always as happy as his songs. Frank himself relates them, referring, among other things, to his traumatic birth and supposed involvement with the Mafia.

The show benefits from the full support of the Sinatra family. They gave the producers access to private archive material enabling the audience to see the great performer playing with his children.

I hope they have seen the show because I know they would have loved it.

Sinatra made his mark over many years with hits that are still popular today.

They include songs such as "Come Fly with Me", "Fly me to the Moon" and the popular "New York, New York". "My Way" speaks of the final curtain that nobody wanted to see.

For it came down after an evening of over 30 songs, all of which the ecstatic audience recognised, loved and didn't want to stop, despite a somewhat elongated finale.

By Julia Taylor.