SINATRA THE MUSICAL Aldwych Theatre

OL’ BLUE EYES, THE COMEBACK It’s one of the great showbiz comeback stories: how a tough Italian-American kid saw Bing Crosby in 1935 and had a dream; rose in he 1940s to crazy fame, albums and films, married his Nancy with the laughing face. But as decades rolled on he erred, was dropped by both film and music giants after upsetting American moralities with his affair with Ava Gardner and being suspected of Mafia links after going to Cuba with a childhood friend turned Mob. . He dumps Nancy, marries Ava but is abandoned by her two years on. Near broke for a spell, Frankie fights his way back, wins an Oscar and becomes a legend once again. Here’s a man who faced scorn for being Eye-talian in his youth, who messed up his marriage but adored his children, an emotional stormer who turned down work rather than sing numbers he didn’t “feel”. There’s a really sharp, sensitive play in there, unwritten, which haunted my imagination all through this big, blasting, powerhouse show by Joe…