Les Lankhorst: Press & Reviews

“Les Lankhorst delivers the
goods, from swagger to swing
to sweet melancholy notes…”

"I loved his show! I'd see it anytime, anywhere!"

“In phrasing and skill in
bending a note to make a
musical point, Les Lankhorst
reminds us most of Sinatra…”

"If you like Sinatra, you'll LOVE this guy!"

"My Way" is a tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes' songs.

When all was said and done, Frank Sinatra did it his way - and his legend endures.
"He was an everyday guy, sort of a perfect, American success story," says entertainer Les Lankhorst. The singer grew up with limited means and even though he had fluctuations thoughout his career, he had drive and perseverance. He kept coming back.
That's one reason Mr. Lankhorst believes the chairman of the board's legend and music endures.
The other, naturally, is "his instrument, his voice."
Mr. Lankhorst is part of the cast of "My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra" to be presented at the River Raisin Centre for the Arts at 7 p.m. March 4.
"My Way" isn't a biography and no one is cast as Mr. Sinatra. Instead, it's a tribute to his career and a commemoration of his music.
"(It's) a fitting tribute to the music that made Sinatra a pop icon, this show combines great songs with witty and charming diaglogue to create an eye-popping and ear-pleasing performance," said Calley Duffey, RRCA director of public relations. "(It's) one of the hottest shows in the country today."
The show is making its first national tour. Featured is a New York cast of four along with three musicians. Mr. Lankhorst is part of the cast that includes Nancie Sanderson, Natalie Silverlieb and Steve Parmenter.
"Everyone does their best to give respect to the music and his style," Mr. Lankhorst said from New York.
"I've always kind of said that he was not necessarily the greatest singer there ever was, but he really knew how to tell a story … He never held back. People always knew they would leave (a concert) with a piece of him," he said.
Mr. Lankhorst, who is in his mid-30s, said he grew up listening to Frank Sinatra. His father was a big fan even though his mother wasn't.
"I got hooked on it because of my father," he said. His mother didn't care for Mr. Sinatra's personality, so she didn't care for his music.
Mr. Sinatra recorded "some of the greatest music ever written for singers. They're a combination of a simple melody, a ‘hook,' and the lyrics are the opposite of that. They're subtle," he said.
In his early days, in the 1930s and '40s, Mr. Sinatra put a lot of energy and verve into his music, Mr. Lankhorst said. In his later days, his emphasis was on his "instrument." His voice became lower and richer. His music reflected his life experiences, he said.
One of Mr. Lankhorst's favorite tunes is "One for My Baby." "He called it a saloon song," he said.
He also likes Mr. Sinatra's Broadway songs, such as "Soliloquy" from the musical "Carousel." In fact, Mr. Sinatra was to star in the film version but because the Technicolor process required two takes, he backed out.
"He never did two takes. He did one take and that's it," Mr. Lankhorst said.
Gordon MacRae took over the role opposite Shirley Jones.
Mr. Lankhorst, who learned a few things about the singer while doing the show, said Mr. Sinatra surprised "Ocean's 11" director Lewis Milestone with his one-take style. After doing a few scenes with Angie Dickinson, Mr. Sinatra got up and started to walk away. "The director said, ‘Wait,' but he said, ‘good night' " and left.
After filming all day in Las Vegas, he performed on stage into the wee hours of the morning with the Rat Pack. Then he went back to filming the next day.
My Way is produced by Encore Attractions and directed by Michael Licata.
Mr. Lankhorst said he hopes the audience enjoys the show, which he described as an "intimate experience."

Les Lankhorst, who has been performing as a swing singer since the 1990s, said the singers do not attempt to impersonate Sinatra. Rather, the singers try to capture some of the flavor of the songs Sinatra made famous, he said.
"The show is not as if anyone is trying to imitate Sinatra," Lankhorst said. "It's a tribute to the music Sinatra made famous. All of the songs are our own interpretation, but it's all within the framework of his style."
Sinatra's music has universal appeal, Lankhorst said.
"I like to say, and I really do believe, that sometimes the simplest things in life are the most enduring," Lankhorst said. "In those days, melody was simple and catchy."
"To me, it's the beauty and the simplicity of the music and the writing" that has helped it last for generations, he said. "It's the greatest music ever written for singers, I think."
The evening, Lankhorst said, will appeal to swing and Sinatra fans of all ages. "I think it's positive, beautiful music, so it's a pleasure for us to be able to share it," he said. "I think (the audience) can expect an unexpected evening. It's full of music, but there's humor and a little bit of drama. I think people will walk away humming."

"Les Lankhorst was a strong singer with a fine feel for comedy...My Way ranked A-Number One, top of the heap with last Friday night's audience, which gave the show a hearty standing ovation."

Encore
November 18, 2005

'The Rat Pack'
Lankhorst's biggest challenge was learning to play the essence of Sinatra's persona in the Las Vegas show

Gary Demuth
Salina Journal



Songs for Sinatra

Ever since he can remember, Les Lankhorst was enraptured by the classic songs of Frank Sinatra.
Years later, he's portraying his idol on a Las Vegas stage.

Lankhorst, 38, has been a professional singer for 12 years, performing in nightclubs and cruise ships throughout the world. In recent years, he has developed a concert show that includes such Sinatra classics as "Come Fly With Me" and "I've Got the World on a String."

Lankhorst is the son of Salinans Han and Eva Lankhorst and is a 1985 graduate of Salina South High School.

Singing talent runs in the family: His brother Alex a teacher at South, acts and sings in local theater productions, and his sister Christel is a singer-songwriter in a Christian band in Minnesota.

In October, Les Lankhorst saw a casting notice for a show called "The Rat Pack," a theatrical tribute to the 1960s "summit" concerts of Sinatra and fellow entertainers Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop. The show has been playing to sold-out houses for two years in the Star Theatre at the Greek Isles Hotel and Casino, just off the Las Vegas strip.

Producers were looking for someone to temporarily replace the actor who played Sinatra, so Lankhorst sent them one of his concert tapes. He was flown to Chicago to audition and was offered the part.

"I've been listening to Sinatra my whole life, so it wasn't a stretch to make myself sing like him -- it was just getting in the right mindset to actually be him," Lankhorst said.

Lankhorst is contracted to play Sinatra from Sunday to Dec. 18. After that, he hopes to open the show in Chicago or New York and be part of a national tour planned for next year.

In the meantime, he will get plenty of exposure from the Vegas show. About a week after his opening, the show will be taped by a public broadcasting station for airing on PBS stations around the country.

"I'm really lucky I was able to come into this show when I did," he said.

Lankhorst described "The Rat Pack" as a nearly literal re-creation of an hour and a half classic performance by Frank, Dean, Sammy and Joey at the Copa Room at the Sands Hotel during their peak years, in the early 1960s.

"There's old-fashioned seating, with tables and booths," he said. "Even 'Marilyn Monroe' shows up at one point to sing 'Happy Birthday' to a member of the audience."

Also there, nearly every night, is the club maitre d' from the original Rat Pack shows. He's now 82 and richer than many of the entertainers who play Vegas, Lankhorst said.

"Back then, celebrities would come in the Copa and slip him hundred dollar bills as tips," he said. "The guy doesn't have to work anymore, but he loves to come to the show. It makes him feel like he's back there again, when tickets were just $3.35."

Blending into a long-running show was not a difficult task for Lankhorst -- he already had performed most of the songs featured in the show in his nightclub act. His biggest challenge was learning to play the essence of Sinatra's persona without falling into a mere impersonation.

"I'm playing the character 'Sinatra,' not the actual person," Lankhorst said. "I was once told that when you play a real person on stage, you've got to be able to do two out of three things: You have to look like him, sound like him or capture his attitude.

"I don't look anything like Sinatra, but I think I do the other two things pretty well."

sjgdemuth@saljournal.com.

"Les Lankhorst is one of the four singers in the production, which first hit the stage last fall on the East Coast. After taking the past several months off from the production, the group began performing the Sinatra
"It's just such a pleasure to do this," Lankhorst said. "It's something I've been doing for quite a while on my own. His is the greatest music in the world and it's nice when the audience is so receptive to it."
He first learned of the production on-line while he was performing on a cruise ship.
He said Sinatra fans will definitely get a litany of his best works during the show. Unlike many tributes to Sinatra, all the performances will be live.
"They get what they come for, which is lots of Sinatra music," Lankhorst said. "We've got our own live three-piece combo that's incredibly hot. They supply the energy and we continue on its path."
With performers dressed in Sinatra's dinner-jacket-style, it's easy to get brought back into simpler times.
"The music lends itself to that," Lankhorst said. "Music can be such a nice memory stimulator."