It's gonna be popuuuuular

Seven years in, Wicked still casts a spell

Gone are the days when traveling musical productions were a pale imitation of the Broadway versions. They've been banished, at least from the land of Oz.

Wicked, running at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts through July 25, boasts incredible production values, some blockbuster songs and two superstar leads in Donna Vivino's Elphaba and Chandra Lee Schwartz's Glinda.

The show has now traveled three times to Houston in the seven years since the Broadway debut, and it runs like a well-oiled machine. According to production stage manager Peter Van Dyke, the traveling production regularly earns more than the New York show, which garners more than $1.5 million per week.

Were it not for the standout quality of the leads, the star of the show could easily be the rich sets. From the dragon grumbling menacingly overhead to Glinda's bubble lift, the wizard's public face and the chaotic scene in the rain, this is a show with so many moving parts it would be impressive on a purely technical level if the audience wasn't busy being thoroughly transported inside its world of magic.

Vivino has the jaw-dropping voice and the bone structure to pull off Elphaba's green, but in pure stage presence she's surpassed by Schwartz, who plays Glinda with a healthy helping of Elle Woods, practically skipping across the stage and giggling through the first act, most notably pausing to worship her shoe collection during "Popular."

The only real hiccup in the production on Thursday night was when large portions of the audience seemed unprepared for the beginning of the second act. With Wicked, there are always certain sticking points for critics — the second act doesn't live up musically to the first, some dance scenes are a bit overwrought, etc.

But Wicked is the rarest of musicals — one that truly shows its leads as complex, imperfect characters instead of archetypes, all while wrapping them in a familiar tale with creatively re-imagined lessons that feel real, never hokey. Talk about defying gravity.

Whether seeing Wicked for the first or 10th time, this production is a joy to experience.

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Play Like Gary

Texas musician Gary Clark Jr. honors B.B. King with $8,000 Gibson guitar

gibson.com

Gary Clark Jr. plays his limited edition ES-355.

Houstonians who want to play guitar like Gary Clark Jr. will have to get a lot of practice in — but maybe having the same Gibson will help? Gibson Custom is now offering up the Gary Clark Jr. ES-355, a limited-edition model that the famous brand is presenting as "a tribute to the tone and tradition of blues trailblazers."

The ES-355 was originally introduced in 1958. With a thin, semi-hollow body, this instrument became the prized possession of many guitarists for its playability and clean sound. It was manufactured until 1984, and returned to the scene in 2018. Clark has had two custom models with Gibson and Epiphone before.

Although this guitar is primarily a treasure for guitarists who love Gary Clark Jr., the Austin-based musician was paying tribute to an icon of his own, according to a blog post by Gibson announcing the new model. B.B. King, another regular in Austin's music scene, also played an ES-355.

“When I was a child, I had a poster on my wall of B.B. King playing his signature Lucille,” Clark told Gibson TV. “As a kid I always wanted one of those guitars.

Clark's version is limited to only 100 units, and buyers will have to part with $7,999 to take it home.

$Gibson Custom Gary Clark Jr.\u200b ES-355$ Take a closer look at the aged nickel finish on the pickups that give the brand-new guitar a vintage feel.gibson.com

This guitar's body is made of maple and poplar, with a 50s-style mahogany neck, an ebony fretboard, and a multi-ply binding. The most striking design feature, of course, is the Cobra Burst, giving the instrument a silvery finish that really brings out the chatoyancy — the rippling sheen — in the maple.

For hardware, two unpotted Custombuckers cancel feedback for "warm, articulate tones." Aged nickel complements the Cobra Burst with a touch of amber on the switch. Like other custom ES-355s, this one features a Bigsby B7 Vibrato tailpiece. To wrap it all up, the included hardshell case is marked with Clark's monogram.

The Gibson Custom Gary Clark Jr. ES‐355 can be purchased from authorized Gibson Custom dealers, Gibson Garage locations, and Gibson.com.

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