Few podiums in New York are as serious as that of the Manhattan Institute. In a city full of talking heads, the conservative think tank, which funds scholars and publishes the City Journal, presents the major voices on major issues to major audiences.

As Vice President Cheney put it in his address to the institute yesterday: “This is a place of tremendous creativity, of original thinking, and of intellectual rigor. … The scholars of the Manhattan Institute have shown, time and again, the power of good ideas to shape public policy and to have an impact on the lives of people here in New York and across the nation. … The Manhattan Institute is greatly admired in the country, and rightly so.”

More than 300 people attended the event, including Governor Pataki; America’s ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton; the chancellor of City University of New York, Matthew Goldstein; Mayor Koch, and dozens of business, foundation, and cultural leaders.

Mr. Cheney defending the Patriot Act and asserted the commander in chief’s authority to decide on troop levels. The speech was stirring.

“Either we are serious about fighting this war on terror or we are not.And the enemies of America need to know: We are serious, and this administration will not let down our guard,” Mr. Cheney said.

Applause filled the room, but it didn’t feel mandatory.

“What I like about the Manhattan Institute is that it attracts people who are able to analyze issues,” Mr. Koch said. “Though most would describe themselves as conservatives, they are not thinking in lockstep.”

“I am not a conservative, but I love it,” a board member of the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation, Heidi Fiske, said. “It’s interesting to hear different points of view.”

“Even if I don’t agree with the speaker, it’s stimulating and thought provoking. How else do we form opinions if we don’t listen to all sides?” the chairman of Off the Record, a presenter of events on foreign policy, Ann Charters, said.

The executive vice president of the Children’s Health Fund, Dennis Johnson, said institute events “provide a valuable and much-needed perspective.”

“It’s a place for new ideas and challenges,” a professor emeritus of economics at Columbia University, C. Lowell Harris, said.

William Ginsberg appreciates the fact that the institute is selective about the issues it pursues, such as education and welfare reform. “And they don’t expect to have the issues solved by next month,” he added.

“They’re always pertinent, sometimes controversial. And they make the quality of living in New York even better,” a trustee of the institute, Fleur Harlan, said.

For author Robert Caro,the luncheon event was a legitimate distraction from his day’s work, writing the fourth volume of his biography of Lyndon Johnson.

“I was typing ‘vice president’ all morning, and I was thinking, do you capitalize it? And then I come to listen to the vice president. Where else but in New York?”

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On opening night of the new show devoted to Elvis Presley, “Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love,” the jazz pianist and crooner Peter Cincotti’s favorite number was the cast’s creative take on “All Shook Up.” To prove that Elvis’s music fits into genres beyond gospel, rock ‘n’ roll, and country, the performers recast the tune in other, completely unrelated musical styles. It was a comic and effective way to show Elvis’s musicality, and also one of the few times the cast got to show off their acting skills.

Tom LoSchiavo, with his almost pompadour and dreamy face, most closely resembles the King, but the show’s stated objective is to celebrate, not imitate.

The celebration is ambitious, cramming nearly 50 songs into an hour and 40 minute performance. The variety of approaches keeps the show moving.

Medleys cover familiar ground quickly, leaving time for the singers to shine on full renditions that are fresh and poignant. Emily Drennan gives completely new and wonderful life to two songs. She transforms the boppy “Don’t Be Cruel” into a slow and sad song with a jazz voice reminiscent of Norah Jones. And she does a beautiful version of “In the Ghetto,” which was and always will be a tearjerker.

Andy Karl has one helluva deep Elvis-like voice, and he also has the honor of performing the funniest bit, involving “Return to Sender.” It’s too good to give away here, so you’ll just have to see the show at Au Bar before the run ends February 5.

The show’s creators are Will Friedwald, Jay Leonhart, and Jack Lewin. Mr. Friedwald is The New York Sun’s jazz and cabaret critic.

agordon@nysun.com