Broadway fans, your secret is safe with us: We know many of you only watch the Super Bowl for the bean dip and the intermission halftime show. For football fanatics, the Super Bowl is like the Tony Awards—it's very important. But if it's just not your thing, don't panic. Whether you spend the afternoon flipping back and forth to watch the Doritos commercials or decide to boycott the big game altogether, we’ve got your non-Super Bowl Sunday activities covered! (Oh, and if you're lucky enough to be a sports fan and a Broadway fan, can you tell us what a "first down" is? Thanks!)
TAILGATE WITH LAW & ORDER: SVU
Take your mind off the fact that you don’t know who Richard Sherman is and play a "Spot the Broadway Actor" drinking game during USA’s Law and Order: SVU marathon. If you’re watching a B.D. Wong episode, that's a few beers right there. Dun-dun!
READ A BOOK, PEOPLE
Be like Matilda: Turn off the telly and feed your brain this Super Bowl Sunday. Pick up Tim Federle’s new middle-grade theater novel Five, Six, Seven, Nate! Just try not to get buffalo sauce on the pages.
CHANNEL FRAN DRESCHER
Say "Mistah Sheffield!" Keep that oh-so-sassy cadence and say "Cindah-rella!" Franny the Nanny is about to be Carly Rae Jepsen’s stepmom, but we can't let her forget her roots. Honor the flashy girl from Flushing, then show her what you’ve learned at the Cinderella stage door beginning February 4.
RECORD A 'LET IT GO' COVER
The internet can be cruel (#YoutubeTrolls). Get your head in the game to get those haters off your back! Pick up the newly released piano/vocal/guitar score for Frozen and learn an indie cover to blow them away. (Your mom can record it, but make sure her thumb's not on the lens like last time.)
PRETEND IT'S ST. PATTY'S DAY
Dying to see Outside Mullingar? Head over heels in love with Once? Throw yourself an early St. Patrick’s Day party! After a few shots of Jameson and a six-pack of Guinness, you’ll be falling for a vacuum repairman in no time. Go long! And (Erinn) Go Bragh!
CHEER FOR ALICE RIPLEY
Seeing Broadway goddess Alice Ripley perform her solo show Ripley Reflects at 54 Below while sipping a glass of Pinot sounds like the perfect alternative to a sports bar full of screaming Giants fans. They’re playing, right? Wait, no? Oops.
PARTY WITH A RODENT
Don't forget February 2 is the best holiday ever, Groundhog Day! Yep, the day a bucktoothed rat comes out of the ground and tells us it's going to be freezing for another month. He's the subject of a hilarious movie, which is about to become the subject of a (hopefully) hilarious musical by Tim Minchin. Watch the whole flick (over and over and over) on CMT!
TELEPORT TO ENGLAND
Few networks are battling with Super Bowl Sunday ratings, but PBS says, "When ya got it, flaunt it!" Watch new episodes of both Downton Abbey and Sherlock at their regularly scheduled times. Let’s be real, they’ve got London stage hottie and August: Osage County star Benedict Cumberbatch. Game on!