Eclectic pop singer Rufus Wainwright bridged musical generations on Wednesday with a daring re-creation of Judy Garland's legendary 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall.
Wainwright took the stage to thunderous applause from the sellout crowd and launched straight into the first number, "When You're Smiling."
The Canadian crooner said, "We're not in Kansas anymore, we're in New York," -- a play on the memorable line from the "Wizard of Oz" movie which launched Garland's career. Backed by a 40-piece orchestra, Wainwright then restaged the monumental concert often called the greatest single night in show-business history.
Garland's double album, "Judy at Carnegie Hall," won two Grammys, including Album of the Year, and became her best-selling record, made when she was 39.
Wednesday's show was the first of a sold-out two-night run. 
Among some two dozen numbers were classics such as "Do It Again," "That's Entertainment!" and "Puttin' on the Ritz."
But it was the songs most closely associated with Garland -- "San Francisco," "The Man That Got Away," "The Trolley Song," "Swanee," "Chicago" and her signature, "Over the Rainbow," that drew the strongest response.
Wainwright's dreamy, reedy tenor marked an arresting counterpoint to Garland's throaty belting. Continued... 
(above : waiters from the after-party. A memo to future party throwers: The one essential element to ensure a fabulous time is the wait staff—big slabs of tasty beef need to be serving big slabs of tasty beef.)
No comments:
Post a Comment