“… a genuinely moving and, musically speaking, deeply satisfying experience. When I saw Shelton, he was a better Sinatra than Sinatra had been.” The American Prospect
The critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning play ‘Sinatra: RAW’ stars actor and singer Richard Shelton, accompanied on piano. Wolverhampton-born, and fondly remembered from TV’s ‘Emmerdale’, Shelton is internationally acclaimed as one of the world’s best interpreters of Frank Sinatra’s music. ‘Sinatra: RAW’ brings to life the man who defined an era, and whose musical legacy will never die.
Palm Springs, 1971 – Frank Sinatra prepares for his last pre-retirement intimate show. But his blue eyes are red rimmed with memories and regret. He drinks ‘One For My Baby’ too many when things take an unexpected twist. This is the 2am Sinatra you dream of meeting – dangerous, unpredictable, brilliant!
Regrets? He’s had a few. Sinatra gathers a few friends together in the Purple Room, Palm Springs to sing a few songs around the piano, smoke a few cigarettes and reminisce. As the Jack Daniels goes down, the memories surface. He rails against the iniquities of Mafia allegations, a trail of broken love affairs, a life as the leader of the Rat Pack and a life in Hollywood littered with indiscretions and even a suicide attempt.
At the heart of it is the great love of his life, Ava Gardner – arguably the most beautiful actress in Hollywood and known as ‘The Body’. She’s no pushover and meets him drink for drink and punch for punch as he recalls the heartbreak of their doomed love affair and marriage.
Despite it all, Sinatra emerges triumphant in a belting rendition of ‘That’s Life!’, summing up the substance of the man, and we see what made him such an enduring icon.
* includes adult themes and language
Quotes
“Richard Shelton’s masterful take on Ol’ Blue Eyes is a must see. Pitched somewhere between concert and confessional, this modest show has greatness in it. Shelton’s vocals are remarkable, manifesting not only Sinatra’s sliding rhythms and nuanced phrasing, but also the timbre of that famous instrument. His voice wraps you up. It helps that the Sinatra songbook contains pure gold. But, again, the veracity of Shelton’s flinty performance adds a fillip to his interpretations of the music.” The Times
“This show packs a surprising emotional punch and Shelton delivers terrific versions of Sinatra’s greatest hits. No wonder the production sells out all over the world.” The Spectator
“Outstanding – from the opening notes of ‘A Very Good Year’ Richard Shelton is remarkable, completely transforming into the great man so you would believe he was back in the room with you!” LondonTheatre1.com
“He absolutely inhabits Ol’ Blue Eyes’ persona… right down to every mannerism, facial tic and spoken inflection, nailing Sinatra’s distinctive phrasing and the rich timbre of his singing voice.” Adelaide Advertise
Book a table for pre-concert dining
Acapela Studio provides pre-concert dining between 6.00pm and 7.30pm from our pizza oven. To view the current menu visit here.
Please purchase your concert tickets first before booking a table. We will not accept any table bookings that do not have a corresponding ticket purchase.
Then return to the event page to book your table, by selecting the date of your event, number of diners and time you require table. The times shown are the only vacancies left. Please complete your email and phone number as this is required to ensure your table is allocated. You will receive confirmation of your booking by email and text.
If on the date you have chosen no tables are available - no times will be shown and the booking system will revert you back to todays date - PLEASE ENSURE YOU BOOK THE CORRECT DATE!
PLEASE NOTE THE VENUE RELIES ON THE INCOME FROM DINING TO ENSURE WE CAN BOOK ALL THE GREAT ACTS PERFORMING.
Income from the provision of pizzas is very important to the venue and if you have booked a table it is a requirement that all people sat at tables order food - a salad alternative is available to pizzas. Please do ensure that all individuals will be ordering on your table - if this is not the case please cancel your table so others who are looking to dine can do so. Our apologies to raise this but recently we have had many tables (some very large) where less than 50% of those sat at tables have ordered food. Financially this is a real problem to the sustainability of the venue.
- All seating at tables must purchase a pizza - so please do not book a table if everyone is not eating.
- Please ensure that you arrive 10 minutes before the time slot allocated to order your pizzas prior to your booking time.
- Tables not seated within 15 minutes of the allocated time may be lost and allocated to other audience members wishing to order pizzas.
- If you wish to book a table for 6 or more please email info@acapela.co.uk
Please note that all of our pizzas are made fresh to order and cooked in an authentic wood-fired oven. It may take up to 45 minutes to be served during busy periods.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO BOOK A TABLE YOU CAN STILL ORDER PIZZAS ON THE NIGHT (USUALLY ON BUSY NIGHTS NO LATER THAN 7.15PM) AND WE WILL SERVE THEM TO YOU WHEREVER YOU ARE SAT IN THE VENUE - IN A PIZZA BOX.