Cabaret is easy to review. Did you hear your favorite songs? Were you exposed to something new? Did the singer and the accompanist hit all their notes?

Connie Champagne, however, is not the kind of cabaret singer who does things the easy way. She excels in Victor/Victoria faux queen confusion.

Sometimes she impersonates Judy Garland. First polite sober then quavering drunk Judy Garland. Then she impersonates Patty Duke impersonating Judy Garland. Sometimes she does all this at once in the same song ("Somewhere Over The Rainbow," "Mad About the Boy.")

Also, when Champagne discards her Julie London songbook and begins mining rock songs for cabaret you're reminded that she legitimized the practice.

What seemed strange almost twenty years ago on ABC's "Wild Palms," was re-cheezed by 2003s "Lost in Translation"  (with an assist from SNL lounge lizard Bill Murray) and redeemed by last years Tony nomination for Champagne contemporaries Justin Bond and Kenny Melman. Champagne has casually owned the emotional spectrum of this behavior for two decades.

"Connie Champagne Sings Songs To Make You Gay" at New Conservatory Theater is likable in all the ways cabaret wants to be liked.

I heard "Lady Stardust," as part of a Bowie medley. The two "Maria's (from  "West Side Story" and "Sound of Music") were twisted into a lesbi-friendly nun's lament. "Hot Stuff," and "I Will Survive," made their obligatory appearance in the disco tribute portion of the show.

Accompanist Trauma Flintstone busted out "Lesbian Love Story," during a stage break. Both he and Champagne hit all their notes, dueting for the You Tube notorious "Turning On." All measures were favorable.

So, here is a broader consideration for cabaret shows which it's slightly unfair to insert into this review: Why stage them in a theater at all if you are unable to advantage yourself over the environment?

Solo performance is guilty of skimping on scenery. Yes, Minimalism has a way of focusing on the quality of the entertainment blah-blah-blah, but in a gold-sequins or spaghetti straps, your specimen cabaret entertainer is not going for the unnoticed look.

Tom Orr's "I Feel A Thong Coming On," last fall made comic use of an onstage wardrobe and a changing screen that dramatized space and structured action. Those were organic, minimalist properties that enhanced, rather than detracted from, the performance.

At one point, Champagne handed a basket of cookies into the audience. That's a little too familiar. I'd much rather see the cookie money turned into a piece of non-edible scenery during the run.

Of course, I'm grateful for the cookie!

"Songs To Make You Gay," runs Wednesday through Sunday until August 1. Tickets are available here.