Rufus Wainwright's World Tour Comes to Storrs 12/10-11

This time when you see Rufus Wainwright, it will be personal. First, there's no orchestra, just him, his voice and a piano. Second, Scottish artist Douglas Gordon has created a video close-up of Wainwright's eye as an emotional stage element on the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter's world tour.

Wainwright's two nights in the popular Jorgensen Cabaret setting, on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 10 and 11, will feature songs from his new album, "All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu." And it's pure Rufus.

"With this album, when the curtain is raised, it's me on my own," says Wainwright, who toured with a 70-piece orchestra to perform his celebrated opera, "Prima Donna," that debuted in 2009.

About that venture, The London Times declared, "...the Canadian singer-songwriter hasn't just written an opera. He's written a love song to opera, soaked in the perennial operatic themes of loss, betrayal, delusion and nostalgia, and saturated in the musical styles of opera's golden age."

A favorite of critics and vocal purists, Wainwright has been dubbed "genuine" by The New York Times and "the greatest songwriter on the planet" by Elton John. He has released eight albums and three DVDs to date, and has appeared on numerous soundtracks and compilations, making music alongside Elton John, David Byrne, Rosanne Cash, Pet Shop Boys and Keane.

His last album was a live recording from his "Release The Stars" tour titled, "Milwaukee At Last!!!" And his Judy Garland tribute album, "Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall," was nominated for a Grammy and released as a DVD. His album, "Release The Stars," went Gold in Canada and the U.K. and earned him a Songwriter of the Year nomination in 2008.

He composed music for choreographer Stephen Petronio's work, BLOOM, and for a musical adaptation of Shakespeare Sonnets that debuted in 2009. He has acted in films, including Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" and the Merchant Ivory film "Heights."

He is the son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, and the brother of Lucy Wainwright Roche and Martha Wainwright, who sometimes join him in performance.

Fri & Sat, Dec. 10 & 11, 2010, 8 p.m.;
Cabaret | Doors open at 7 p.m.

Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts is located at 2132 Hillside Road on the UConn campus in Storrs. Doors open at 7 p.m. Sandwiches, dessert, alcohol and other beverages are available for purchase, cash only. Regular tickets are $45, $38 and $34, with some discounts available. For tickets and information, call the Box Office at 860.486.4226, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., or order online at jorgensen.uconn.edu. Convenient free parking is available across the street in the North Garage.