The Rat Pack is back

Sandy Hackett may be uniquely qualified to produce a show about the Rat Pack. He traces his connection to the legendary 1960s entertainers all the way back to his childhood.

For Hackett, the son of the late comedian Buddy Hackett, show business was part of the family, and the Rat Pack members — Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis Jr. — were always around.

“I grew up with them,” Hackett explained in a recent phone call from Southern California. “Joey Bishop was ‘Uncle Joey.’ He and my dad were very close. They played golf together, and I would ride in their golf cart. When my dad did the Dean Martin roasts, I would hang out with them. It was the same with Frank and Sammy. I didn’t know they were mega-stars. They were just my dad’s friends.”

Hackett is creator, writer and producer of “Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show,” a theater piece based on the singers and their music.

Directed by Billy Karl, the new show has been playing in Las Vegas since November; it opens at The City’s Marines Memorial Theatre on Thursday.

The “Rat Pack” takes audiences on a nostalgic journey, with classic songs such as “My Way,” “Mack the Knife” and “For Once in My Life” included.

Hackett says it’s a chance for fans to re-connect with Sinatra and his cohorts. “People have been having a terrific time at the show,” he says. “It’s a lot of laughs, and a lot of great music.”

Fifty years after their legendary shows at the Las Vegas Sands, Hackett says the Rat Pack performers still have tremendous appeal. “They had their foibles, but they were bigger than life,” he says. “People just loved them.”

Their music, meanwhile, stands the test of time: “The songs are great,” he says. “You can understand the lyrics. They’re melodic, and they’re filled with life.”

Hackett, who started acting at age 11, plays Bishop. “It’s an honor,” he says. “I was his first choice to play him.”

Family connections run through the show: Hackett’s wife, Lisa Dawn Miller, is the daughter of songwriter Ron Miller, who wrote “For Once in My Life.” She appears in the show as Frank Sinatra’s One Love.

As for his own dad, Hackett says that Buddy Hackett plays a part, too.

“He’s the voice of God, telling them to go back to Earth for one last show,” says Hackett, who recorded his father’s voice in 2003. “He says, ‘You guys are making too much trouble up in Heaven, and we gotta get you outta here so we can get some rest.’”

IF YOU GO

Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show

Where: Marines Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter St., San Francisco

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; closes May 23

Tickets: $49 to $89

Contact: (415) 771-6900, www.marinesmemorialtheatre.com