- All right, lads!

I'll see you in the tubercular ward.

(crew shouting) 1910.

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.

This is "Broadway Sandwich."

Ahoy!

Today, we're at the Longacre Theatre for an adventure unlike anything you have ever seen on Broadway before.

Brace yourself, because we are about to get "Swept Away."

♪ Ain't no man ♪ Can save me ♪ Ain't No Man - "Swept Away" tells the harrowing tale of a shipwreck in the 1880s and the four men who survived.

It's a story of salvation, redemption, and brotherhood that forces the characters and the audience to confront difficult questions about what you'd do to survive.

"Swept Away" comes from a truly all-star creative team.

The book was written by Golden Globe-winning writer John Logan.

The show's Tony-winning director, Michael Mayer, has been at the helm of over 20 hit Broadway shows, including "Spring Awakening" and "American Idiot."

The music and lyrics come from the chart-topping folk rock band the Avett Brothers.

The show's limited run serves as an urgent reminder to support original work if we want new ideas to survive and thrive on Broadway.

Today, we're honored to be diving deep with Tony Award winner John Gallagher, Jr. "Swept Away" is John's sixth Broadway show, but he's also an accomplished film and television actor.

He's also a singer-songwriter who's released three of his own records.

I can't wait to dive into this one.

Anchors away.

John!

- Garen!

- Hey, good to see you.

- How are you?

Likewise.

- You were absolutely unbelievable in this show.

- Thank you very much.

- I'm such a fan.

It's so fun to get to spend time together.

- Yeah.

- Alright, so the show's only 90 minutes, so it seems to me we kinda have time for like a three-hour tour.

- Oh, at the very least.

- That was a boat joke.

- I love a boat joke.

- I'm really proud of it.

(John chuckles) So what's the plan for today?

- There's this spot, Urban Hawker, that I've been wanting to try, if you're up for it.

- Oh, that sounds great.

Yeah, let's get something to eat.

- All right.

- I'll follow you.

- [John] Alright, right this way!

(lively music) - So you've been in all the cool shows, you know?

"Spring Awakening," "American Idiot," now "Swept Away."

They're kind of the shows that, like, you take with a friend who doesn't like musical theater- - Right.

- Or doesn't know that they like musical theater.

- Exactly.

- Is that on purpose?

- Some of it is by design- - Yeah.

- I would say, and to some extent, others, it's just, I think, like, sort of playing to my strengths.

I remember in 2002 I got asked to, I've never said this publicly before, but I got asked to audition for Boq in "Wicked."

I was about 19 years old.

- Wow.

- And I listened to the demo, and I was like, "I can't sing like that, so I'm gonna pass."

(Garen laughs) - So no, thank you.

- My reps thought I was crazy, and I was like, "I'm not gonna get it, you guys."

And a year later, I got asked to come in for a workshop with "Spring Awakening."

- I think it was worth the wait.

- It was, it worked out.

- We love "Wicked," but- - That, I was like, "I can sing this," you know?

It sounded like rock music, and that was kind of more of my forte.

- [Garen] So "American Idiot" was Green Day.

"Swept Away" comes from folk rock legends, the Avett Brothers.

- Yeah.

- What's that about?

- It's an embarrassment of riches.

I seem to have manifested working with two of my all-time favorite bands.

- Yeah.

- I've loved Green Day forever.

And then when I was doing "American Idiot" on Broadway, I had an Avett Brothers poster on the wall in my dressing room.

- Really?

- In 2010.

And so now to be here 14 years later working with the Avett Brothers is just like, it's staggering.

(lively music) - So you're back on Broadway- - Yeah, mm-hmm.

- After eight years.

This is a really cool specific show that only comes around once in the blue moon- - Yeah, for sure.

- With the right people, the right creative team, and you're here.

- Absolutely.

- Yeah.

- I'm just, I'm really immensely proud of it.

It's one of the most interesting characters anybody has ever entrusted me with.

- So you signed on for the show before there was even a script.

- Mm-hmm.

- What made you make that choice?

- I think the fact that it was The Avett Brothers, a band that I have long admired, Michael Mayer, my friend who I had worked with twice before, and John Logan, who is writing the script, who's, I think, one of the finest dramatists of our time, that just made it a no-brainer.

When it was the three of them, I just thought, okay, well, that's a room I wanna be in very, very badly.

The funny thing is, is that my first thought when I opened the script to read it was, I've made a mistake, I don't think I can do this.

Why did I say yes- - Why did you say that?

- To something that I'd never read?

I just read that role and I thought I don't know if I have what it takes to deliver this, you know?

It really was my honest first thought.

- Huh, well, you do, and they saw it in you nice and early.

- Thank God it was Michael.

I don't know that anybody else would've had that sort of trust in me.

- When you come into a space with a new show and a new character, do you have a plan?

Or do you sort of create the character in the room, you know, to a certain degree?

- I have, you know, I have, like, inspiration.

The character will tell you what it wants to be, I'm a firm believer in that, like it'll start to kinda come through you.

And the more I said the dialogue, the more I thought, oh, I think his voice is starting to talk to me, like I know how he wants to sound.

- [Garen] So this is your third show with Michael Mayer.

- Yeah.

- "Spring Awakening," where you play a suicidal teenager, "American Idiot," dealing with drugs and depression, and now in "Swept Away," dealing with some really complicated choices that people must face in certain situations.

How do you sort of deal with that trauma?

- You have to just start to kinda like really tell your nervous system in a way, like, don't worry, we've done this before.

- This isn't real.

- It isn't real, it's not happening.

- You're gonna be fine.

- In a few hours, you'll be on the couch and everything will be okay.

(Garen laughs) You're not really lost at sea.

- Sure.

- Well, I always joke with Michael Mayer that I call the three shows that we've done together, I refer to it as the Trilogy of Torture.

- Oh.

(laughs) - Because the characters are so tortured- - Right.

- And then there's also something about the way that the show is built where they're really physically demanding and emotionally demanding and vocally demanding at the same time.

So like, it takes your all to kind of be ready to do the show eight times a week.

(playful music) - So "Rent" was really formative for you, as it was me and so many other, you know, musical theater kids.

And I remember you saying somewhere that you were concerned that you would never be part of something that was that important.

- I think I have, yeah, a journal entry where I said- - Was that what it was?

- Something when I was like 13 or 14, where I was like, "I can't go on (chuckles) because I know I'll never be part of something as special and vital and important."

- But then you were, 'cause "Spring Awakening."

- Yes, yeah.

- That was that show for so many people, me included.

- For that generation.

Right, yeah.

- Oh my God.

I mean, I saw that show and thought to myself, like I remember seeing a downpour of light on you, one of the songs that you sang, and thinking like, the world didn't matter, but I was so channeled by your story and what you were experiencing, 'cause I felt myself in your shoes.

I also thought to myself, I wanna do that one day.

- Oh, wow.

- Because of the way that I felt and what I thought it might feel like to be you in that moment.

- Whoa.

- And so you were that person for me, for example, but I know for many, many other people.

So you totally proved yourself wrong, by the way.

(John laughs) Your 13-year-old journal entry journaling self, little John.

- Yeah.

- So looking back on it now, what does that feel like to you?

- Oh, it's an absurd honor, and one that I didn't see coming, and one that I still feel like I, you know, reckoned with all these years later.

I can't believe my good fortune to be part of something that years from now will be finding its way into different people's ears.

- Well, that was great.

- Yeah.

- But before we get you back to the theater, while we were walking around, I noticed some pretty unusual offerings.

- Mm-hmm.

- And i thought it might be fun to try a few.

What do you think?

- Oh yeah, I'm down.

- All right, let's go get 'em.

- Yeah, let's do it.

- Okay.

All right, so since your show is such an adventure, I thought we could try some adventurous, unusual foods.

- I love it.

- We've got stingray.

- Excellent.

- Moving on to the cakes, blackberry ube, black sesame passion fruit.

And I thought we could do like a sandwich rating system, so how many sandwiches out of five sandwiches.

- Oh, great.

- "Broadway Sandwiches," of course.

- Of course, yeah, easy.

- Of course.

Be a little bit naughty- - See what we got.

- [Garen] Try some stingray.

- Bottoms up.

(lighthearted music) Mm.

- I think I got mostly bone?

(John laughs) How would you rate the bones?

- But four, four sandwiches out of five.

- For the bones?

Wow.

- Yeah, flavor's good.

- I would give that, like, three and a half to four.

- Three and a half to four.

- That's a tasty piece of fish.

(lighthearted music) - Yeah.

- Hmm.

Whoa.

- That's amazing.

That's for me five sandwiches out of five.

- I'm gonna do four, yeah.

- Really good.

- Just right behind you.

The consistencies are incredible.

- I think two sandwiches out of five.

What about you?

- I'll go up to three with that.

Maybe the tiniest bit overpowering?

- Forward?

Sesame forward?

- Yes, it's quite sesame forward.

(Garen laughs) (lighthearted music) - That was fun, cheers.

- Sure was, cheers to you.

- We gotta get you back to the second show.

- Yes.

- Out to sea.

- Yes, duty calls.

- Shall we?

Let's do it.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- Alright, John Gallagher, Jr.

This is our 60-Second Sandwich.

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

Sound good?

- Sounds good.

- Ready to roll?

- I'm ready, yeah.

- Time starts now!

- Okay.

- Alright, what's the weirdest thing you've been asked to sign at the stage door?

- I signed a fella's neck once.

- Oh, wow, interesting.

That must've hurt.

- During "Spring Awakening."

Yeah.

- Where do you keep your Tony?

- It's on a bookshelf in my home office.

- Okay, Asbury Irwin wants to know what's your favorite Broadway song not from your show?

- Anything from "West Side Story."

- Good answer.

Can you cook?

- Not well, but I do okay.

- What can you make?

- Breakfast is all right.

- Like cereal or- - Eggs of different varieties.

- Eggs.

Sounds delicious.

Most embarrassing on-stage mishap.

- I went up at two different performances of a play called "Port Authority" by Conor McPherson at the Atlantic Theater Company in 2008 and had to call for line.

That was very scary.

- It happens, it's live theater.

- It's true.

- Any tips for vocal health?

- Hydrate and find a good vocal warmup.

- Nice.

Early mornings or late nights?

- Late nights.

(car honking) - Favorite sound?

- That honk that just happened right there.

New York City, there's nothing like it.

- Good answer.

Worst habit?

- Staying up too late.

- Have you ever taken a prop from a show?

- Yes, I took a notepad from "The Newsroom" that has my character's name on it.

- Ooh, have you ever witnessed Lea Michele read?

- Yes, all the time.

(buzzer buzzing) - Final answer, time's up!

- We text regularly.

- Okay, final answer, she can read, that was amazing.

- Yeah, I'll text her right now and she'll read it.

- Perfect, let's do that.

(John laughing) (lively music) - I can teach you a really simple little step.

- I would love to learn this simple step.

- It's really easy.

- All right.

- You just start with your right foot.

- Okay, let's jig.

♪ If I ever get ♪ If I ever get ♪ Some money put away - Some money put away.

- Now do the other one.

♪ I'm gonna take it all out to celebrate ♪ - In tempo.

- Okay, here we go.

- Five, six, seven, eight.

♪ If I ever get some money put away ♪ ♪ I'm going to take it all out to celebrate ♪ - Very nice!

- Yeah, thank you!

- I'm impressed!

(lively music) - So you're in costume, you're ready to go, a couple more finishing touches- - Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

- Because you actually need to be ready, like, way before the show.

- [John] My 30-minute call is 30 minutes before everybody else's call- - Right.

- Because a half hour, I get placed on stage, I'm in a bed.

My character is seen at the start of the show in a tuberculosis ward, in the early 1900s is where we meet my character.

So for the 30 minutes as audience members are coming in and finding their seats, I'm on stage asleep for the whole time.

- And so what's that like?

You're hearing everything from the ticket takers to people rolling in, like what does that feel like?

- Oh, yeah, it's really great.

At first, I was really nervous that I was gonna have, like, a panic attack just lying still for 30 minutes knowing that everybody was coming in.

But now it's actually a great way to kind of meditate, get in the zone for the show.

Usually, actors, you're always getting, like, you know, pulled on for something, someone's always coming into your dressing room in the last minute.

"There's one more thing I forgot.

Hey, John, can we tell you this, can we tell you that?"

And what I love about that is that it means that for 30 minutes, I'm like, well, no one can get to me here.

I know that I can just lie here and think about the show, try to get in the right headspace for it.

- You got a show to do.

- I do.

Actually, there's one last finishing touch, which is they're gonna put some fake tattoos on my knuckles and my arm.

Do you wanna come see how it's done?

- Heck yeah, I do.

- Well, let's go.

- This way?

- Let's make some magic.

- Okay, magic time.

- I'm very excited about this one because it actually is based on an original art designed by Seth Avett of the Avett Brothers.

- Wow.

- And he designed this skull that sort of has like musical notes for teeth.

And the knuckles are basically just dates.

This is gonna say 1793, and then the left hand is 1805.

And often whalers would get dates or years of famous shipwrecks tattooed as sort of a, you know, commemoration for the loss, and so that was why we thought it would be interesting.

(lively music) - You actually have a show to do.

- It's true.

- Second show of the day.

- Yep.

- Thank you for letting me spend time with you, - Has been my pleasure.

- A three-hour tour.

It's been so nice getting to know you.

Have a good show.

- Thank you.

- I should say, "Safe travels"?

- That works for this one.

- Sail away?

- Yeah, absolutely.

- All right.

- Sail away.

- Have fun.

- Thank you so much.

- See you next time!

- Thanks a lot.

- Bye, John.

- Take care.

- See ya.

(door clicks) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues)