Wainwright brings Garland to life

Wainwright said after the show he "felt a real connection" with Garland

Canadian singer Rufus Wainwright has recreated Judy Garland's legendary 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall in a sell-out show in New York.

Wainwright performed several of Garland's most famous numbers at Wednesday's concert, including Chicago and Over The Rainbow.

Garland's original show has often been called the greatest single night in show-business history.

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be Dorothy," Wainwright told the audience.

The singer will perform a second concert on Thursday evening.

Momentous

Wainwright performed with Garland's daughter Lorna Luft on the duet, After You've Gone, but her other daughter, Liza Minnelli, did not appear on stage.

Garland's Carnegie Hall concert was one of several comebacks during her troubled life - she nearly died from hepatitis not long before the show.

Rock Hudson, Julie Andrews, Richard Burton and Henry Fonda were among the audience.

Her double album, Judy at Carnegie Hall, won two Grammys, including album of the year. It went on to become her best-selling record. She died at the age of 47 in 1969.

Wainwright first found fame in the US with his self-titled debut album in the spring of 1998.