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Rufus Wainwright is an old-time showbiz composer and performer, his flair being something from another era.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail

Pack up your troubles and just get Rufus. On Friday, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra celebrates the swashbuckling songwriter Rufus Wainwright, someone who deserves such an honour.

A production showcases his interests, from cabaret-pop to songs made famous by Judy Garland, and from Broadway pizzazz to his own French-language opera Prima Donna (with that material handled by the soprano Melody Moore).

Wainwright is an old-time showbiz composer and performer, his flair being something from another era. He doesn't sell all that many records; he fills no arenas. But he sings Get Happy in lipstick and heels, and that is never a drag.

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