(bright music) - Please, oh this thing when it's wet, it doesn't work.

Hold on, I'm gonna get there.

(Gavin chuckles) Ah!

(upbeat music) - The lives of Broadway performers are busy.

They only have a few short hours between their matinee and evening performances.

And they're giving us an inside look from grabbing a bite to unwinding, plus a backstage tour.

Have you ever wanted to see what we do in the time sandwiched between performances?

Follow along and find out.

(actors clapping) This is "Broadway Sandwich."

What a day.

Skies of blue, clouds of white.

(chuckles) Anyhow, today we're getting our groove on at one of the most legendary nightclubs of all time, Studio 54, but this ain't no disco.

The former club turned Broadway Theater is currently home to "A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical."

(bright music) ♪ 'Cause when you're smilin' "A Wonderful World," follows the incredible journey of Louis Armstrong from New Orleans to worldwide fame.

I bet you didn't know he actually preferred Louis.

In the late seventies, Studio 54 was the place for some of the most extravagant parties and fiercest fashions of the era.

Stars like Diana Ross, Cher, Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, even Elton John danced the night away in here.

Today we're meeting up with Gavin Gregory.

Gavin plays King Joe Oliver, one of the most important figures in early jazz.

Not only was he a star himself, but he's the one who put the cornet in Louis Armstrong's hand.

This is Gavin's third Broadway show but his first in a leading role.

I can't wait to hear all about it.

Thanks!

Hey Gavin, how are you?

- Hey, all right, good.

How are you, man?

- Great to finally meet you.

- Good to meet you.

(laughs) - So how was your matinee?

- Oh God, it was great.

It was great.

We had a good one today.

I really love you as King Oliver in this show.

- Thank you.

- You're just fabulous.

So, what's the plan for the time sandwiched between your matinee and evening shows today?

- We gotta get a workout in, but first, I want to go to Norma's to get some lasagna if you don't mind.

- So we improvise an order?

- Yeah, yeah, lasagna, lasagna, but we're gonna jazzercise our way there.

- Let's go!

(upbeat music) - [Gavin] Just look at this.

This is incredible.

- So this show is a kind of cool, full-circle moment for you because you grew up playing the trumpet.

- Yes, I did.

- [Garen] And you play the trumpet in the show.

- Yeah, I actually started playing the trumpet when I was a kid.

I used the school trumpet, but then my brother thought, let me buy him his own trumpet.

So he ended up buying me a trumpet when I was like 13-years-old, which is the trumpet that I use today.

- Really?

- Yeah, absolutely.

And then I did a talent show, sang a Michael Jackson song.

- Which one?

- "Off the Wall."

This is pre "Thriller," so I am a fan.

And people liked it and I was just like, "I think I need to start doing this."

- [Garen] So after high school, you moved to Atlanta and started in theater.

- Yes.

I had a very good, wonderful friend.

She's like a sister to me.

She said, "You've gotta move down to Atlanta "because there's a lot going on in Atlanta."

And she knew that I wanted to record, record music.

I wanted to be the next Baby Face, you know what I'm saying?

That's what I was going after.

But I ended up auditioning for some things in Atlanta in their local theaters there.

Several of my friends ended up moving here to New York.

And they were like, "Oh, you need to come to New York.

"Come to New York," and I was like, "I don't have any infrastructure set up in New York.

"I have no family, no friends, "I don't know anybody in New York."

I was like, "The only way I'm gonna come to New York "is if I book a gig."

It just so happened that I ended up booking "The Color Purple," the original "Color Purple."

That's what got me here in 2006.

- So you had to come to town to audition, I'm imagining.

- Oh yeah, I was on tour with "The Lion King."

And I would come up to audition to New York.

I would just fly up here on days off.

- Sure, well while you had a gig too, that was perfect.

- Yeah, exactly.

- Nice.

(upbeat music) It seems to me you really carved your own path.

You followed your heart with each of these decisions that you made along the way.

- I honestly do feel like if God gave you a talent, God gave you a gift, you need to follow that path, because nothing is going to satisfy you more than what it is that you feel like you're called to do.

- Yeah, all right, well now that we've carbo loaded, let's go work out?

- Might as well.

- Okay, let's go.

- Let's do it.

(Garen laughing) Okay, oh my God.

(upbeat music) - So Gavin, you have the unique distinction of having been in the original "Color Purple" on Broadway and having done the recent revival.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- So what's that like to have been a part of both production?

- Oh my God, man, first of all, the original got me here to New York in 2006.

And so I understudied the role of Harpo.

I was on every night though with my track.

But oh man, it was unbelievable, and then- - The music in that show.

- It was crazy.

It was crazy.

- Yeah.

- And then working with LaShon.

- Oh right, I've heard of her.

- You've heard of her.

- Yeah, I'm familiar with her work.

- She's amazing.

(laughs) - Yeah.

- And but then to do the revival tour, a completely different way of telling a story, because we told it with chairs, everything was stripped down and I got to play the role of, I was old enough to play the role of Mister.

(laughs) - Mister, right, right, right, right.

- So it was fun going from Harpo to Mister.

- What are the big differences for you between touring and doing the show here in New York?

- Oh my God, well first of all, when you're on tour, you're going from city to city, which can be- - Grueling.

- Grueling and beautiful at the same time.

- Yeah, both.

- Because you're learning about different cities that you go to.

But when you're just in New York on Broadway, it's like- - Home.

- It's home.

You're in a routine.

- Your routine, settled, comfy, pets.

- Yeah!

(bright music) - So what do you like about working out before the show?

- It starts with your body, 'cause you gotta use the body to get out there and do what we do.

- The vessel.

- You know, it's physical for me, this show, running up and down the stairs, so this is great.

- So this is your first principal role on Broadway.

You're playing King Joe Oliver.

Tell me what that means to you and how you found the character.

- Playing the role of someone that actually was a real person, like you want to definitely pay homage to them.

- Honor the legacy.

- You have to.

You have to.

And his perspective on the world, especially at that time, it really informed Louis on how he needed to be, because he was Louis Armstrong's mentor, taught him everything that he knew up to a point, and then Louis took it even further.

(upbeat music) - So who do you relate more to in the show?

Are you more of a King Joe, or are you more of a Louis or somewhere in between?

- I'm a little bit of both, I feel, my personality.

- Yeah?

- Yeah, you know.

Because King Joe was about business, and King Joe, you know, he knew what he was doing.

Louis, Louis had a heart about him that was just, you just want to hug it.

You can feel it in the song, "A Wonderful World."

You know what I mean?

(laughs) - [Garen] You can feel it through a photograph of Louis Armstrong.

- Yes.

(upbeat music continues) - Are we done yet, cause I think I'm tired, and I'm worried the lasagna is coming back.

But you're an animal for being able to do this every day.

So we gotta get you to theater.

- Yeah.

- Shall we?

- Let's go.

Let's do it.

- All right.

(Garen vocalizing) (Gavin chuckling) All right, Gavin Gregory, this is our "60 Second Sandwich."

I'm gonna put 60 seconds on the clock, answer as many questions as we can in the time given.

Okay?

- Okay, sounds good.

- Ready to go?

- Let's do it.

- And can you hold my phone for me, 'cause I got a lot going on.

- Sure, I got you.

- Time starts now.

- Okay.

- All right, what's your favorite song?

- "Make Them Hear You," by Brian Stokes Mitchell.

- Oh, good one!

Marcus Martin wants to know what the first day of rehearsal is like.

- Oh my God, intense, fun, and just intense.

(laughs) - And nerve wracking, I would think.

- Yeah.

- Okay.

Once and for all, is it Louis Armstrong or Louis Armstrong?

- My character says Louis, because he's up north.

- We're going Louis.

Have you ever forgotten your lines on stage?

- Absolutely.

- Me too, all the time.

(indistinct) wants to know what your top tips for auditions are.

- Go in confident, stay confident no matter what.

- Good, all right, healthy eater?

- Absolutely.

- Nice.

Roxanne from Paris wants to know if you have any pre-show rituals?

- Actually, no, but me and my roommate, we sing a bit.

- Oh, lovely.

Post-show rituals?

- Nothing, nothing really.

Get on the D train and go home.

- Nothing.

Worst job you've ever had?

- Waiting tables.

(laughing) - I get that.

Dream dinner guest?

- Dream dinner guest, oh my God.

Ah, it would definitely be Beyoncé.

Sorry, Jay-Z.

- Oh, Beyoncé, come to the show.

- Yeah, come on.

(buzzer buzzing) - Time's up.

(Gavin laughing) See you at the theater, Beyoncé.

And we also have to get to the theater.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- Good job.

- Let's go.

- Let's go.

- So Gavin, before we head into the theater, I thought we could maybe get into the New Orleans spirit a little bit, what do you think?

- Yeah, sure, let's do it.

- Do you happen to have your trumpet on you?

- I do.

- Oh, and I have some Mardi Gras beads.

So one and one makes two.

Let's do it.

- Let's do it.

- Let's party.

(trumpet music) (Garen grunts) - Oh, sublime!

(Gavin laughing) I love it.

Let's go.

- Let's go, let's do it.

- So we are in Studio 54.

- Yes.

- The iconic nightclub turned theater.

Do you feel the history of this place?

- [Gavin] Absolutely, every time I come in here.

- Oh, I was gonna ask about how you got involved in the show in the first place.

- Oh, well my agent hit me up.

It was like in October of 2019.

And she was like, "You know what, "there's a show that they're working on "about Louis Armstrong," and I was like, "Louis Armstrong?"

And she goes, "Yeah, and they just want to know, "you said that you could play trumpet, "they just need to know, can you play trumpet?"

I was like, "Well, yeah, I can play trumpet, but what?"

She was like, "Okay, I'm gonna set up a Skype meeting."

I was like, "A Skype meeting?

I thought I had to audition."

"No, the director just wants to talk to you."

So I had a conversation with the director.

I didn't sing, I didn't do anything, even though I know that they probably pulled up videos somewhere or whatever for sure.

- They definitely did their research.

- Yeah, but it was so cool.

- And that's how you got the job?

- Yeah, yeah, Chris Renshaw, yes.

- Pretty cool.

Five years ago?

- Yep, five years ago.

Yeah, 2019.

- Look at that and look at this.

- I'm the only principal though that has been with the show- - All the way.

- in every iteration.

From Miami, New Orleans, Chicago to Broadway.

- So, because you're a trumpet player, does that help with this role?

- Knowing how to play the trumpet definitely helped in this process, because I know how to put my mouth on the horn the right way with my mouth piece- - And breathe and the notes.

- Right, exactly, and to follow them and make it look real.

- Do you ever accidentally just kind of join in?

- Absolutely.

- Really?

- But it's not a lot.

So what happens is, and it's not something that you plan to do, so know that I'm not doing it- - Right, it's not on purpose.

- But yeah, it definitely isn't on purpose.

But sometimes when I'm actually sometimes blowing into the horn and then I'm like, "Oh my God, I'm making a sound.

There's that A flat.

"Don't do it," you know what I mean?

So I'm blowing, and I'm like, "Back off," you know?

So, yeah, sometimes, sometimes you can't help it, you know?

- We gotta get you on.

You gotta go on stage now.

Let's go, let's get you up there.

(upbeat music) Trumpet player parking only.

- (laughs) Yeah.

(upbeat music continues) - Oh, this is lovely.

- Yes, yes, this is home.

- You know, honestly, for Broadway standards, this is pretty spacious.

You could lay down all the way if you wanted to.

- And we have our equity cot over here, so it's great.

- Oh great.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- For nap time.

What's on your pre-show list?

Do you have anything specific you need to do with your look?

- I can actually show you something that I have to do.

Let me kind of comb this back first.

Here we go.

And it washes out like really easy, and I need it to wash that easy too, because I have to wash my hair three times a show, yes.

- That's right, because your character goes through a lot of changes- - Absolutely.

- over a period of time.

And so you're responsible for that.

You don't have a makeup or hair person helping you along the way.

- Nope, I'm doing it all with all the ugly teeth enamel here- - Oh really?

(Gavin chuckles) and the dirt that I have to put on my face.

(laughs) And this is the gray hair, of course, the silver that I put in there.

- So breaks aren't really breaks for you.

They're like transform your look moments.

- And this right here is the final look.

- Looking good, Gavin.

- For act one.

- Now, is there anything else you need to do before you go on stage?

- All I do is I sing a little bit with my castmate Jimmy Smagula, who's on the other side of me.

I take a look at Louis right here.

- Oh nice.

- And I keep it pushin'.

- I don't know!

This is kind of jazz, right?

So maybe I could improvise my way into the show tonight.

What do you think?

I could- - I don't think so.

Not tonight, yeah.

And I really gotta get ready.

- I get it.

Well thank you for spending time with us.

- Thank you for having me, man.

- It's been such a joy.

- Yes.

- Have a great second show.

- Thank you.

- So nice to get to know you.

- All right.

- Have fun.

- Good.

- See you soon.

- Absolutely, bye.

- Bye, Gavin.

(door clatters) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues)