Rufus Wainwright Sings Judy Garland - Series 1 Ep. 1 - Rufus Wainwright Sings Judy Garland

Synopsis

"Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!" is backed by a full orchestra on stage at the London Palladium, Rufus Wainwright performs a complete song-by-song facsimile of Judy Garland's celebrated 1961 Carnegie Hall concert. It is a tall order for Wainwright to capture the intensity and intimacy that Garland generated back then, but he manages it wonderfully with charm, wit and pizzazz.

The show comes packed with heart-stopping moments and like Garland he even provides amusing anecdotes between songs. Wainwright is joined by his sister Martha for a beautiful rendition of Stormy Weather and Someone to Watch Over Me.

Wainwright also enacts a sumptuous version of Lerner and Loewe's Almost Like Being in Love and sings Do It Again in a high register, bringing out the song's sensuality. This whole evening reiterates that, whatever the material, Rufus Wainwright is a truly tremendous performer.