A new show Sinatra: The Musical will open at the Aldwych Theatre in April

LONDON’S ground-breaking theatre scene is at it again, unearthing the fascinating life story of a little-known singer forgotten from the history books.

You won’t have heard of him, he’s a shy guy called Frank Sinatra, and for many years he might have been the king of the crooners, such was his velvety but crisp voice.

Harrington is being silly but the arrival of a new musical based on the life of Ol’ Blue Eyes does appear to follow what has become a lazy, if not cynical, formula.

That’s the format where you work out who sold the most records in the 20th century and then construct a loose outline of their lives in between belting out the hits.

We gotta give those tourists what they want: Tina, Michael Jackson and now Sinatra.

It might be a tad more exciting to learn of this new production if it was likely that the writers would really root into the icon’s life. Was he really pals with Lucky Luciano and other mob figures? What really happened during his stormy marriage with Ava Gardner? Apparently the show at the Aldwych Theatre will be set in 1942, so no chance to see him make friends and then fall out with JFK.

All of that doesn’t stop Harrington putting on one of Sinatra’s platters every now and then ­– may we recommend the lesser-played Lonesome Cities and Love’s Been Good To Me for quiet nights­ – but I don’t really want to spend an evening listening to a tribute band singer.

It’s probably good that the Jacko tribute musical didn’t delve too deeply into his off-stage controversies, that would be quite a gear change while trying to draw a line from Billie Jean to Earth Song.

The Sinatra estate has given its blessing to the new show. That could mean the nitty-gritty we never knew about his life might tumble out into the open.

More likely it’s a consent which will mean the opposite.