New Yorkers Still Want to See Wicked

Wikipedia

Even after eight years, Wicked is still popular. (Sorry about that, we just had to.) HopStop calculated the top 10 Broadway shows New Yorkers have been going to see this summer, based on what theaters were most frequently inserted as HopStop destinations or starting addresses between the dates of May 23 through July 17. The long-running, Glee-covered, teenage girl-idolized Wicked came out on top.

Second on the list was Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy followed by the Tony-grabbing The Book of Mormon. (If you have any doubts about the latter, we implore you to watch this.) The only non-musical on the list of 10 was The Motherfucker With The Hat in ninth place. Besides its profanity, Motherfucker had a big celebrity draw: Chris Rock.

The study also broke down which shows are most HopStopped based on borough. Staten Island and Queens tend to like jukebox musicals Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles and Baby It's You!.

Of coure, we have questions about this study. Who really is using HopStop to get theater directions? And even if they type in the theater address, does that necessarily mean they are going to see the show? Well, according to the study:

Although HopStop's user base certainly includes tourists, it is most well-known among local residents. As a result, it would make sense that shows that are more popular among tourists would not do as well as those that are attracting New Yorkers, a trend that our analysis appears to validate.

We are also told, based on the research, that people using HopStop are more likely to search for directions to newer shows.

This means, as they rightfully assert, Wicked's presence on the list -- which also includes the disaster-prone Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and celeb-helmed How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying -- is an anomaly because it is both an old show and a big tourist draw. Read the study to learn more about their theories...we're going to chalk this one up to 13-year-old girls. And now is the time for a joke about the musical defying gravity.

[ezwrites]