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THURSDAY

Now that the Burt Bacharach renaissance is in full swing, I believe it’s my journalistic duty to point out what a cheeseball he was before becoming hip. Previous to Painted From Memory, his recently released collaboration with Elvis Costello, Bacharach’s greatest muse was Dionne Warwick, and his meticulously crafted hits of the ’50s and ’60s are staples of the Muzak franchise. That said, Memory makes the case for Bacharach as the missing link between George Gershwin and Brian Wilson, and the overwrought romantic deserves a bronze bow tie for turning Costello into the cabaret singer he’s always longed to be. Employing his vibrato to signify longing instead of anger, Costello hasn’t sung this well in years. If tonight’s performance equals the recording, the Attractions won’t be missed. At 8 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall, 18th & D Sts. NW. $35.75-45.75. (202) 628-4780. (BA)