(bright music) - This looks fantastic.

- (gasps) Thank you.

- This does feel a bit "Great Gatsby."

- Yes, I love it.

We're proper.

- Sounds perfect.

- Yes.

(bright 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."

Get ready to have a roaring good time.

'cause today we're at the Broadway Theatre, home of "The Great Gatsby."

(bright jazz music) (singers vocalizing) It's been called one of the great American novels.

The show brings F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic to life in a sparkling, glamorous production.

It's a party you don't wanna miss.

Today we're hanging out with my friend, Katie Webber.

Katie is an incredible performer with the resume to prove it.

She's been in nine Broadway shows, and she's been the it girl in every single one.

But Katie's not just an incredible performer, she's also an accomplished cook.

She's published three cookbooks.

Katie's built a big online fan base where audiences get an honest look at what it's like balancing Broadway, motherhood, and eatin' good.

I can't wait to see what we're cooking up today.

Katie Webber.

- [Katie] Yay.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- Great to see you.

- It's so good to see you.

- I see you just finished your matinee.

- Yes.

- Little bit of time before we gotta get you right back for your second show.

What's the plan for today?

- Well, I gotta run home- - Okay.

- Gotta make a good, healthy, delicious meal.

- I've been waiting for one of those special Katie Webber meals.

- Yeah, will you eat with me?

- I can't wait.

- Okay, perfect.

- All right let's get cooking.

- Let's get going.

- All right.

- All right.

(upbeat music) - So, nine shows.

- Yes.

- Can you name the nine shows?

- I believe so.

- Okay.

- "Wicked," "Memphis," "Rock of Ages," "Catch Me If You Can," "Jersey Boys," "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Tina - The Tina Turner Musical," and "The Great Gatsby."

- Wow!

- Yes!

- So that's some longevity, Katie Webber.

How do you explain that?

- Well, you know, I really do consider myself a true triple threat.

- Yeah, you sure are.

- I have very often covered in shows and you know, I feel like people like to work with me.

I feel like it's important to be a person that people wanna work with.

And you know, we spend a lot of time together.

- Totally, and so for our viewers at home, when you're in the ensemble, but you're covering, it means you're learning and performing a number of lead roles in the show, and you never know which one it's gonna be until the day.

- Yes, sometimes you have lots of notice.

Sometimes you have literally none, and sometimes you partied the night before and it's scary.

- And good luck, baby, you're on!

- And you're on!

- Shove with love.

- Exactly.

(upbeat music) (doors squeaking) - Come on.

- Yay!

- Let's cook.

- Yay.

- Well, let's get to work.

What can I do?

Am I the sous chef today?

- I'm putting you to work.

- Let's go.

- Are you ready?

- I'm ready, baby.

Let's do it.

- Okay, let's go.

(upbeat music) You know, growing up a dancer, it's very like body-focused- - [Garen] Tell me about it.

- and you're in the mirror all day, and there's a lot of judgment around that.

And so I kind of struggled growing up as a young girl, like with some disordered eating patterns.

When I decided to be vegan, I feel like it changed my life.

But then it also kind of brought back like, well what if I want ice cream and that's bad?

And then it kind of brought some shame around some things, so that's when I was like, you know what?

I'm gonna stick to my principles of eating vegetables that make me feel good, and when I want a burger, I'm gonna have a burger.

- [Garen] You do it.

- And I'm gonna enjoy it.

- Yeah.

(upbeat music) - [Katie] And there's your dice.

- Oh, Katie Webber, look at this.

I'm not crying.

- [Katie] I know, I'm not crying either.

- Which I usually cry a lot.

- In life or just with onions?

- In life too.

I'm pretty emotional, Katie.

(upbeat music) - We're gonna smash the garlic, and you must smash the garlic.

- And why do we must smash the garlic?

- Because there are old, spiritual tales that say that smashing the garlic releases the demons- - All right.

- and gets rid of any bad juju.

- Well, I got plenty of demons, so let's go.

- So, yep, you're just gonna hold it there, and it's satisfying.

- Oh, that sounds fantastic.

- Yeah, and then the skins just come right off.

- Nice.

- Oh, are you a garlic lover?

- [Garen] Almost a whole onion.

I love garlic.

- Okay.

- Could you give some advice for someone who might be a little overwhelmed at starting a healthy food journey and how to begin, first step?

- I think a lot of people assume that they have to start eliminating foods, and my advice is always start by adding something.

Start by adding vegetables, add greens.

Your body's gonna thank you, and you're gonna intuitively and naturally just reach for them more and more.

- That's so great.

(playful music) - Gorge.

- Thank you, I can't wait.

Let's go.

- Yeah, let's go.

- All right.

You're really doing it all.

You're on Broadway in your ninth show.

You're a mom.

You have a business.

How do you handle it all?

- I feel like you can have it all, but not everything is gonna be equal slices of the pie.

You know what I mean?

Like my efforts as a mom and as a performer and as a cookbook author, I'm not able to give 100% of my energy to every single thing at all times.

And so, you have to have grace for yourself.

And luckily, I have people around me, my husband and my friends have a lot of grace for me.

And it's a group effort.

You take help where you can get it too.

- You're not gonna be perfect every day.

No one is gonna be able to, you know?

- Yeah, you know my daughter's proud of me.

I know she is.

And she is inspired by what we do in this house.

My husband and I are both in Broadway shows, and she was in a Broadway show at one point when she was five-years-old.

- Which she now thinks is normal, kind of like, sign me up.

- She literally said, "Mama, can you sign me up "for another Broadway show?"

I was like, "Honey, no, I can't."

- That's not how it works.

- That's not how it goes.

(Garen laughs) (upbeat music) - So performing on Broadway is such a physically taxing practice.

It's different in your forties than in your twenties.

- Absolutely, I'm working 10 times harder on stage than anybody else is, just so I can look exactly the same as the young person next to me.

- I don't know about that, Katie Webber, because you've got such a reputation for just being dynamite on stage.

- Lemme tell you something, I'm still auditioning.

- (laughing) Yeah.

- I feel like I'm a better dancer than ever, because I'm a smart dancer, I'm a thoughtful dancer, and I'm a nuanced dancer.

- Yeah.

- And as soon as I really just owned myself and my authenticity of where I'm at in my life, that's when everything kind of opened up even more for me, and I find that my age and my wisdom is my superpower.

- It's different now.

- It is.

- You have a different lived experience that you cannot have when you're 20.

- I thought I was old when I booked "Wicked."

I was 24-years-old.

I couldn't believe there were people in the dressing room who were 30.

- Right.

- And now, here I am, and I feel like I'm better than ever.

- That was delicious.

- Okay.

- We gotta get you back to the theater for your second show.

- Yup, gotta do it.

- Shall we?

- Yeah.

- All right.

(upbeat music) Tell me about the Legacy Robe.

- Ah, the Legacy Robe is one of Broadway's most special traditions.

On opening night, there's a Legacy Robe ceremony.

The Robe is decorated with patches from previous shows.

It's awarded to the ensemble member with the most ensemble chorus credits.

- Okay, so you must have gotten that a couple times.

- I've received the robe four times.

- [Garen] Four times!

- Which is very special.

- It's an honor.

It's so good.

- Yeah, very much an honor.

Especially as an ensemble member, you can kind of, sometimes you feel like you're not seen.

Sometimes you feel like you're the first person to get there, the last person to leave at night.

And it's just something that makes you feel like you're really ingrained in the thread of the legacy of Broadway and these incredible people that have paved the way before us, you know?

- Katie Webber, this is our "60 Second Sandwich."

I'll put 60 seconds on the clock.

Answer as many questions as you can in the time given.

Are you ready?

- I think so.

- Let's do it.

- Okay.

- Clock starts now.

Okay, do you keep playbills from every show you see?

- Absolutely not.

- Ah-huh.

Joe J. Simon wants to know what's your favorite restaurant in the Theater District?

- Oh, B Side.

- Oh.

What's your favorite TV show?

- "The Real Housewives."

- Same.

Which one?

- Beverly Hills or New York.

- New York City, same, yeah.

Theo asked, what's the most awkward scene you've ever done?

- Oh, I don't know if I can say.

(laughing) I can't say it.

- Okay, pass.

We'll get back to it if we have time.

We won't.

Have you ever had to sneeze during a show?

Why doesn't that ever happen?

- Absolutely.

- Oh, it does?

- Yes.

- Okay, just pick up where you left off kind of thing.

- Yeah, carry on.

- All right.

Jenny Houthsagle wants to know what surprised you most about lifestyle as a working actor?

- Oh, just how little free time you have, even though you only work at night.

- It's really tough.

- Yeah.

- Have you ever been in a show you didn't really like?

You don't have to say which one.

- Yes.

- Same.

Favorite smell?

- Smell?

- Favorite smell.

- Gardenia.

- Oh, least favorite smell?

- Oh, poop.

(laughing) - Good answer, Katie Webber, and that's all the time we have.

(buzzer buzzes) Wonderful, there we go.

Time to go.

Shall we this way?

- Yeah, let's go.

Come on.

(upbeat music) - Okay, before we go in, could you teach me some moves from the show?

- Absolutely.

- All right, great.

- I'll do a little piece of "New Money."

Which is very cute.

- Sounds good.

- Okay, so we're gonna go to the left, single, single, double, double.

- Double.

- Yeah.

- So single, double, double, like we're shooting a basket.

One, we're gonna hit left, right, knee... - Knee.

- And then we rock it out, rock, rock.

- Cute.

- Yeah.

- All right.

- So it's (vocalizing), up, (vocalizing) boom, boom, boom.

- I think I got it!

- You got it.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, one more time maybe in tempo.

(upbeat music) - So there were a lot of Gatsby's floating around for the past couple years.

Why do you think this one stuck around and has been so successful?

- Our show is a wonderful balance and mix of glitzy, glam, escapism in the show.

- Well, the music.

- [Katie] Yeah.

The music and the voices.

It's like a massage for your ears.

- You weren't sure you wanted to do this at first, right?

- Yeah, well I turned down the audition, because I just wasn't sure that I wanted to do another show, because I kind of was feeling like maybe I wanted to transition into something else and in my life.

And then they said, "No, please come in.

"Come to the final callback."

Dominique Kelley, who's the choreographer, I go way back with him.

We were both in the ensemble of "Wicked" together.

He's incredible.

So I went in, and I just had the best time at the audition.

I met my dance partner who I will be doing lift call with pretty soon.

- Okay, perfect.

- Curtis, I met him at the audition.

We just hit it off immediately, and it's really kind of reignited and reawakened my passion for doing this.

- That's so awesome.

- Yeah.

- Usually when they beg you to come to the final, it is a good sign that you might get the part.

- It is.

It is.

- So that's really good.

- I still had to work my tail off in that audition, got flipped upside down, tap danced, tap, jazz, ballet, singing, all of it, you know?

(Garen vocalizing) - Pulled out all the tricks.

- Love it.

- Yeah.

This is the gondola, we call it.

- These costumes are my stunning.

- My spot.

They're so pretty.

- Beautiful.

- It's my "New Money," when we do our choreo.

Here's my little leotard, my little tap dancing leotard.

- Cute.

It could fit me.

I'm generally a zero, I think, last time I checked.

- [Katie] Yeah, great.

- And roughly, how many costume changes do you have in the show?

- Ooh, maybe 16.

- Woo!

(upbeat music) We're on stage.

Check it out.

(upbeat music continues) - Here's where the magic happens for me.

- The magic happens, so the Katie Webber base of operations.

- Yup, I sit down, I make up, I pin curl.

I do a little stretchy-stretchy right here on the floor, a little (laughing).

(Garen laughing) Throw my lashes on and head down to lift call.

(feet pattering) (people speaking indistinctly) (dancers clap a high-five) (Garen clapping and laughing) - Wait, you're next to Tanairi?

- I am next to Tanairi.

- I haven't seen Tanairi... No way!

- Look, she's here!

- How about that, Tanairi Vazquez from season one of "Broadway Sandwich."

Hey, doll!

- Oh my God.

- Good to see you.

- Good to see you too.

- The time we were together, we were doing... - I was in "Hamilton."

- That's right!

- How has it been doing this show together?

- It's been great.

- Yeah?

- [Tanairi] We've been working together for this whole year.

- Yeah, doing a few jobs together, so, yeah.

- So fun.

So how many Broadway shows is this for you?

- My sixth.

- Six, only six?

Wow, you're on the second hand already.

- I mean, this.

- I know.

- Okay, I gotta be like her.

- She never stops.

She's done everything, you know.

- Well, this has just been a blast.

- Absolutely.

- Thank you for letting us spend time with you between shows.

- Thank you.

- And have a great performance.

- Thank you.

Come back anytime.

- And I'm so happy that I know how to cut a onion properly now.

- I know.

You nailed it.

(Garen chuckles) Absolutely.

- All right, I'll see you soon, Katie Webber.

- Thank you so much.

- You're the best.

- You're the best.

- Bye, honey.

- Bye.

(door clatters) (upbeat music)