The lighter side of Rufus Wainwright

POOR Rufus Wainwright; music critics seem to love him more than the record-buying public and commercial success has always found a way to elude him.

But he acknowledges his cult status with a sense of irony, playing 22 of what he calls "non-hits" during his first-ever solo show here at the Esplanade Theatre on Tuesday.

Wainwright's self-deprecating humour was slightly unexpected given he's a musician's musician whose intricate brand of baroque pop is typically marked by unconventional chord changes and unusual time signatures.