Rufus Wainwright – Theatre Royal, London 06/04/2014

The clan Wainwright, as previously documented, is not exactly deficient in the talent stakes; indeed, the three elder scions of Loudon III have all forged, to a greater or lesser extent, successful careers as singer-songwriters. Rufus Wainwright, the eldest, is perhaps the most famous of them all – an extravagantly camp tour-de-force of a performer known for his catty wit, erudite balladry, and a penchant for dressing up as Judy Garland- and tonight was a fine showcase for his considerable talents, despite the sense he was occasionally going through the motions.

The night started off well with his younger half-sister Lucy Wainwright Roche charming the audience with her solid if simple songwriting, self-depreciating banter and a grand sing-along rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart.” In some respects, Lucy’s unassuming and likeable demeanour made her easier to relate to than her brother, who whilst being a wonderfully sharp and funny man, comes across as someone with an ego the size of Canada. Normally, that’s not so much of an issue, as it goes hand-in-hand with the drama and ostentation of his music, but there were a few points tonight, especially during the sales pitches for his current projects, where it felt somewhat overbearing.

Heavy-handed hawking aside, the show had its fair share of impressive moments. Rufus has always been at his most engaging when tinkling the ivories and granting his baroque inclinations full rein, and a moving new song, “Argentina”, written in tribute to husband Jörn Weisbrodt bore testament to that. Old favourites such as “The Art Teacher” were very well received, as was the aria from his recent foray into opera (“Prima Donna”), but the evening ultimately belonged to “Candles”, his acapella elegy to his late mother Kate McGarrigle, and perhaps his most potent riposte to those who accuse him of style over substance.

Despite the stripped down nature of the performance – arguably a little too bare bones for the £50+ asking price – there were odd moments where his trademark theatricality broke through, most notably the confetti-strewn entrance of “Liza Minnelli” (i.e. his sister in a wig) to duet on “Me and Liza” and “Gay Messiah”. But for the most part tonight was rather muted by his standards, especially as the setlist skewed towards the more serious side of his oeuvre. Having the donors to his PledgeMusic campaign come on stage to act as backup singers for the closing numbers, including his famous cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, was a lovely touch but that je ne sais quoi that made his sister Martha’s Union Chapel show so spellbinding absent was strangely absent tonight. Perhaps it was just too polished. Perhaps it was fatigue, being the penultimate performance of a long international tour. Regardless, Rufus is currently only my second favourite Wainwright sibling (and Lucy’s catching up fast). He needs to step his game up.

• Photo by Wunmi Onibudo. See the full gallery here.