PART Theatre is following up this summer’s hit, “My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra,” with a new Christmas offering, “Christmas My Way: A Sinatra Holiday Bash!”. This show celebrates the music and life of Sinatra, and includes a mix of forty swinging holiday and Sinatra standards. The show even includes “Mistletoe and Holly,” the one Christmas song Frank Sinatra wrote.
Director and PART Theatre founder Gordon Cantiello grew up on Sinatra. His parents spun Sinatra records and he watched countless Sinatra TV specials. He even saw Sinatra in concert. “I was totally star struck,” he remembers. As time passes, Sinatra’s star shines brighter. “I appreciate him more now as I get older than I did at the time. The way he delivers a song, the way he phrases.” “That’s Life” remains his favorite Sinatra tune. “It’s so well written. And the key change is thrilling.”
Unsurprisingly for someone as prolific as Sinatra, there are plenty of Christmas albums in his catalogue. He produced original albums in 1948, 1957, 1964 (with Bing Crosby and Fred Waring) and in 1968. Later Christmas compilations were released, including one with the Rat Pack  in 2002. Sinatra also had a classic 1957 Christmas TV special with guest star Bing Crosby as part of his ill-fated variety show (Sinatra hated rehearsing the shows, and he never attempted another TV series).
While there are excellent Sinatra impersonators, Cantiello is not trying to replicate Sinatra in “Christmas My Way.” His stellar cast, Wendy Eaton, Bob Golding, Matthias Jeske, and Jody Vaccaro, along with music director Jennifer Novak Haar, will put their own spin on the Sinatra canon, including “Winter Wonderland,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Silver Bells,” “The Gal That Got Away,” “That’s Life,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “My Way,” “New York, New York,” and Rat Pack-ish interpretations of “T’was the Night Before Christmas” and “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Rick Brayshaw co-directs, adding some Christmas swing to the choreography.
If you have not been to PART Theatre yet, it’s a lovely space for cabaret performance. It includes a bar selling non-alcoholic beverages and snacks. Rehearsals have just begun, but Christmas decorating is already well under way. The show is a perfect kick off to the holiday season.
“Christmas My Way: A Sinatra Holiday Bash!” will run December 1-3 and 8-10. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7pm. Sunday matinees are at 2pm. Doors open 45-minutes before curtain. Single tickets are $35. Senior (60+) tickets are $30. Students are $25. All seating is on a first come basis. For tickets call the box-office at (402) 706-0778. All performances will be held at The PART Theatre at the Crossroads Mall, 7400 Dodge Street, Omaha, Nebraska. The theater is just west of Target. Check out their website, http://performingartistsrepertorytheatre.org/ and their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/PARTheatre. You can also e-mail them at info@performingartistsrepertorytheatre.org.