As Sinatra The Musical opens at the Aldwych Theatre, Phoebe Panaretos, who plays Nancy Sinatra, talks about the man behind the myth, the comeback nobody saw coming and why Nancy never stopped loving him.
There is a version of Frank Sinatra that everyone knows. The swagger, the fedora, The Rat Pack, and of course, the voice that could make a lyric feel like a confession. But Phoebe Panaretos, who plays Nancy Sinatra in the forthcoming Sinatra the Musical, has spent the last few years getting to know a different version.
Panaretos talks about a Sinatra who plummeted from the top of the world to near-obscurity before staging what is still considered the greatest comeback in the history of popular music. The one who wanted, impossibly, to be the perfect Italian family man and the most glamorous figure in Hollywood.
Featuring over 20 iconic Sinatra songs, Sinatra the Musical set to premiere at the Aldwych Theatre on 3 June. Frank and Nancy’s daughter Tina Sinatra serves as an executive producer and has been heavily involved in the production, even hand-picking Phoebe to play her mother.
We spoke to Phoebe about what the experience has been like so far, what audiences can expect from the musical and what it’s like bringing such an icon to the stage.
View live availability for Sinatra the Musical here
An Interview with Phoebe Panaretos (Nancy Sinatra)
West End Theatre (WE): You play Frank Sinatra’s wife Nancy in Sinatra the Musical. Can you tell us a little bit about what that experience is like?
Phoebe Panaretos (PP): I mean, it’s been an epic journey. We first did this a few years ago in Birmingham, and now it’s had this great evolution, and it’s been incredible to be part of something from the ground up, from its inception.
I’ve grown with the show, and I feel so lucky to be along for the ride and to have been cast by Tina Sinatra and this amazing team and to be entrusted with the role of Nancy.
She’s a special person, and I feel very honoured to play her.
WE: And you were handpicked by their daughter Tina, who’s been very involved in the whole process. Has that influenced your portrayal of Nancy, knowing that you literally have Tina there to bounce ideas off?
PP: This is her baby. I say to my castmates all the time, she’s a holy grail. Anything she gives you is gold, and you’ve got this incredible source of truth and integrity in the room to propel your performance and your storytelling to a deeper, greater level.
Having her as part of this is incredibly special. You don’t often get that. I’ve never had that before.
This is a true story, and it means a lot to people, and these are real people, so having Tina Sinatra in the room is everything.
WE: Has she shared with you any special stories about her and her mum?
PP: Oh, lots. We touch on some things in our show, and then there’s more that as an actor I get to access on a deeper level and then bring to the moments that I have on stage.
WE: That’s so special. And we all know Frank Sinatra’s iconic music. What do you think it is about his music that really touches people so much and makes it so special?
PP: I mean, everybody knows who Sinatra is, but I think younger people who are coming who are maybe not as familiar will be surprised that they’ll know every song. His music is so embedded in society. He’s a cultural icon, and his music is so powerful and transcendent because he lived within the music.
That’s what our show is. Our show is the making of the man who gifted us these songs. I think when you come and see it, you’ll understand why this music is so touching and powerful and relatable, because this man lived these big emotions. He lived this drama, and he brought that to his music, and that connected with people on a deep level that has transcended time, and it will live on.
With our show too, it was in Birmingham, and now it’s coming to the West End, so it’s even bigger now. It feels like it’s getting bigger and bigger.
WE: It feels very befitting of Sinatra. Do you have a favourite song that’s made it into the show that you’re really excited for people to see?
PP: It’s hard to comment on! There are songs and moments I love as the actor doing them, but I think it’s the ones I’m watching from the side that I’m finding really impactful.
I just enjoy watching our cast. ‘I’m Gonna Live till I Die’ is incredible: the choreography, the way it’s staged, the way it’s sung, it’s such a great number.
I also really love ‘The Best Is Yet to Come.’ Nancy’s a part of that and it’s a beautiful, glamorous Hollywood moment.
The voices in this cast are incredible, and I think it really transports you back to a time that was glamorous and beautiful and old Hollywood.
WE: It must be so fun to sit in the rehearsal room.
PP: We’re all having a great time. I mean, how could you not? This music is incredible. The music is really – it’s the star of the show.
WE: I remember reading that Tina was very clear that it was fine not to gloss over the slightly messier elements of his life. Are there moments in Sinatra’s story that audiences might not be as familiar with?
PP: Sinatra was deeply human and he made some big mistakes, I think. And I don’t think people are so familiar with the massive decline he had in his career. He really plummeted and his resurrection was considered the greatest in history. He went from the top right to the bottom and then rose again. That’s exactly where our show is.
He was also torn in these two parts of wanting to be the Italian family man with the perfect family and he wanted the Hollywood and the glamour and the beautiful women.
Those two things were true at the same time. That’s where we meet in our story. It’s the messy bit. I think it also defines why his music was so good because he lived in this messy complicated world for a good chunk of his life.
Book tickets to Sinatra the Musical here
WE: And how does Nancy fit into that story?
PP: Not a lot of people really know who Nancy was and the impact she had on his life either. She was asked later in her life why she never remarried, and she said, ‘well, when you’ve been married to Frank Sinatra, why would you bother getting married to anybody else?’
She’s amazing and this cool, strong woman with a huge heart. She was a mother, and a friend to Frank and a lover to him. There’s a part of me that wishes she had another love in her life, but learning more about her and about their relationship and their dynamic, it makes sense. They had this really deep connection.
WE: Does it feel quite different then, playing someone real, as opposed to someone fictional?
PP: I mean there’s a huge difference between me and say, Joel Harper-Jackson who’s playing Frank. Nancy’s not the famous superstar so I do have a little more freedom in that. People aren’t coming in with an expectation of who she is.
However, the people behind this who are creating it and Tina Sinatra have a huge expectation of who she is and it’s up to me to get that right. So there’s pressure in that sense.
I’ve developed a relationship with these people and I want to get it right for them. There’s a lot of creative licence when you’re playing someone fictional but when you’re playing someone who is real, and I think if you’re good at your job, you do your research, you keep your eyes and your ears open and you take as much as you can and interpret it, of course, in your own way.
But to be as authentic and as truthful as possible, that’s the goal. That’s what I hope to do.
Sinatra the Musical begins performances on 3 June 2026 at the Aldwych Theatre in London.
Plan your visit to Sinatra the Musical
- Theatre: Aldwych Theatre
- Booking Dates: 3 June 2026 until 10 April 2027
- Performance schedule: Tuesday to Saturday evenings, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday matinees.
- Age range: TBC
Aldwych Theatre, London
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