On Tuesday, August 19, Billboard released its rankings of the 25 Most Popular Music Clubs in the U.S. The list is based on ticket sales reported to Billboard Boxscore from May 1, 2013-April 30, 2014. Stubb’s, Austin’s famed concert venue and barbecue restaurant came in at No. 25 — the only local music club to make the list.
During that time period, Stubb’s had a total attendance of 116,582. The No. 1 spot went to the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida with a total attendance of 339,470. In fact, the House of Blues chain of concert halls occupies 12 spots on the list, including the Dallas location at No. 4 and Houston’s House of Blues at No. 6.
In addition to serving up barbecue and hosting the famed Gospel Brunch on Sundays, Stubb's is known for the little details that make it such a special place for visiting musicians. Talent buyer Margaret Galton of C3 Presents told Billboard about the appeal of the recently renovated Airstream trailer that’s become a popular spot for bands to unwind while visiting Stubb's.
"It was gutted and lined with wood panels and decked out to be sleek and stylish, but still have that outdoor age-old music vibe to it," says Galton. "It's become a cool hang for bands to meet or talk or jam together."
Joining the House of Blues in Orlando to rounding out the top three venues in the nation are the House of Blues in Boston (No. 2) and the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. (No. 3).
The musical Wicked is indisputably the biggest Broadway smash of the 21st century, having grossed more $1.6 billion in New York alone and achieving the rare feat of running for over 20 years. All of which is to say that the long-awaited movie adaptation of The Wizard of Oz prequel will most likely be a massive success whether it lives up to what longtime fans envisioned or not.
Part one — yes, this 2 hour and 40 minute film is merely the first act of the musical; part two arrives a year from now — introduces Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the green-skinned witch who goes on to become Dorothy’s nemesis, and G(a)linda (Ariana Grande-Butera), the pink-garbed “good” witch, as they meet at Shiz University in Oz. Glinda is the ultra-popular one with sycophantic hangers-on, while Elphaba is shunned by almost everyone, sometimes including her disabled sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who’s desperate to make her own space away from Elphaba.
Her mistreatment by others leads Elphaba to get angry, which manifests itself in uncontrollable magic. Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) notices this and takes a personal interest in her, giving her one-on-one instruction in hopes of harnessing her power. In the meantime, Elphaba and Glinda attempt to go from forced roommates to actual friends, although Glinda’s entitled personality is more of an obstacle than anything else they encounter.
Directed by Jon M. Chu and written by original book writer Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, the film does a great job of distinguishing itself from the stage version while still remaining true to what made it so beloved. As Chu showed in his last film, In the Heights, he has an innate feel for how to tap into the essence of the source material while expanding it into something befitting the scope of a blockbuster movie.
In this case, he finds a way to give even greater emphasis to the bigotry that Elphaba faces simply because of her green skin; the fact that she is being played by a Black woman drives home the point even more. The story remains light and fluffy for the most part, but the ostracization/otherness that Elphaba feels is delivered in a powerful way, as is her empathy for talking animals like Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), who are facing their own persecution.
Of course, the highlight of the film is Stephen Schwartz’s music, and while not all of the songs are equal in impact, they still make for a cohesive whole. The number of songs and order they appear in the first act is identical to the stage musical, with the standouts remaining “The Wizard and I,” “Popular,” and “Defying Gravity.” While there is some superfluous action and cutaways added to certain numbers, it’s not enough to distract from what makes the songs effective.
Oddly, the progression of the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda works better on stage when the timeline is accelerated, but Erivo and Grande-Butera make up for this slight lack with their fantastic performances. The emotion each brings to their characters fits them almost perfectly, and there’s simply no denying the strength of each of their voices. Bode, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, and more make for a solid supporting cast.
The well-known ending of the first act of Wicked is a huge high point that is so good that it almost makes up for the fact that audiences won’t see the second film for a long time. But if part one is any indication, part two should turn out to be another great musical theater adaptation in a decade that has already seen its fair share.
