MUSIC > Iconic Judy Garland show lovingly re-created by Rufus Wainwright

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Singer Rufus Wainwright's idea to perfectly re-create Judy Garland's legendary 1961 Carnegie Hall concert was audacious, brilliant and so utterly simple that it's a wonder no one thought of it until now.

Garland's iconic show, immortalized on a classic recording, is a touchstone of gay culture, leading to fears that this attempt to celebrate it would turn into an exercise in camp.

Thankfully, such was not the case on Wednesday night, the first of two sold-out shows.

Performing all 26 numbers plus a two-song encore, Wainwright delivered an impassioned and moving performance that was more homage than stunt.

If the results were not likely to replace the original in anybody's record collection, well, that's because legends are legends for a reason.

The structure of the show followed the album perfectly. There was a 40-piece orchestra, playing the original arrangements by Mort Lindsey, Billy May and Nelson Riddle. The overture was performed, as was each of the numbers in the proper order. Thankfully, Wainwright avoided re-creating Garland's original stage patter.

Greeted with a standing ovation by an audience that was clearly primed to witness an event, the singer declared, "We're not in Kansas anymore."

As he sang song after song, one of the reasons for the original show's reputation became clear. It is a brilliant set list, comprising 100 years' worth of standards spanning a wide emotional and stylistic gamut.

From the giddiness of "The Trolley Song" and "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" to the vintage "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody" and "Swanee" to the deep emotionalism of "The Man That Got Away" and "Stormy Weather," the numbers seem to define American popular music -- and present a nearly athletic challenge for their singer.

Wainwright's somewhat nasal voice is hardly a match for Garland's, but in terms of feeling and technique he managed to do more than justice to the material.

He seemed nervous at times: he made a couple of false starts on "Just You, Just Me"; embarrassingly fumbled his band introductions; and, after "The Man That Got Away," he admitted in relieved fashion, "I'm glad that wasn't the song that got away."

He seemed to relish the hokier aspects of the material, dropping onto one knee for "Swanee" and anxiously announcing, "Here we go," before launching into "The Trolley Song."

He brought some special guests to help him get through the night, including sister Martha Wainwright, who delivered a highly affected rendition of "Stormy Weather" that brought the crowd to its feet; mother Kate McGarrigle, who accompanied him on piano for "Over the Rainbow"; and Garland's daughter Lorna Luft, sounding startlingly like her mother on a duet of "After You've Gone."

Watching the show, it was easy to imagine that performing this set list at this venue may someday become the ultimate challenge -- sort of the vocalist's version of playing Hamlet.