NEW YORK -- Aside from MetLife Stadium on Sunday at 6:25 p.m. EST, Super Bowl Boulevard will be the primary attraction for fans to enjoy uniquely American party that is Super Bowl XLVIII. By Wednesday, you could already find television studios, souvenir stands, a set of goalposts and the much-ballyhooed toboggan run.
But despite the temporary name change, this spot remains Broadway and Times Square: the ultra-wattage, musical theatre capital of the English-speaking world (although London's West End will argue otherwise). And if you've forgotten, the ticket hawkers that stalk the sidewalks will remind you.
"Tickets for 'Wicked'!"
"Discount theatre tickets!"
On Wednesday, you still heard about musical theatre more than football at this corner.
Broadway rarely stops, besides the typical Monday on which nearly every theatre goes dark. But even Sunday matinees will be few and far between, and the few shows that are usually scheduled for Sunday night will take their bows and leave the stage to the Broncos and Seahawks.
For a change, "Wicked," "The Lion King" and "The Book of Mormon" aren't the biggest shows in town. It takes a contest once called "the biggest football game in the history of Western civilization" to shove the entertainment center of New York to the side -- if only for a night.
