(upbeat music) - Okay, facing camera.

- Eight, yes.

(people cheering) - You add a little cha-cha into it.

(people cheering) (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."

Oh, sorry, I was distracted by this strange and interesting plant right here in New York City.

Today we're at the Westside Theatre.

We might as well be ♪ Down on Skid Row 'Cause we're at Little Shop, Little Shop of Horrors.

♪ Little shop ♪ Little Shop of Horrors ♪ Little Shop - This version of the beloved musical about a man-eating plant has been running off-Broadway for over five years.

It won the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League Awards for best musical.

Everyone wants to be in this show.

It's had a rotating cast of some of Broadway's heaviest hitters like Joy Woods, Sherie Rene Scott, Skylar Astin, Jonathan Groff, and friend of our show, Rob McClure.

Today, in another "Broadway Sandwich" first, we're making this one a triple decker.

We're hanging with the urchins, Tiffany Reneé Thompson, Morgan Ashley Bryant, and Camryn Hampton.

They're the Greek chorus of Skid Row.

They narrate the story and give us some of the most beautiful harmonies in Broadway history.

Look, if you don't love this episode, I don't know what to tell you.

I'm giving you not one, but three guests in one of the most iconic musicals of all time.

I mean, ♪ What do you want from me blood ♪ Hey urchins.

- Hey.

- How are you?

How was your first show?

- It was great.

- Thank you.

- Yeah?

So, we only have a little time before we gotta get you right back here for your second show.

What's the plan for today?

- Right, so we have to get food.

- Yes.

- So, we can head over to a place that we love around the corner called Westway Diner.

- Sounds great.

- Yeah.

- Anything else?

- And then after that we're gonna go to Flower School and learn how to do some arrangements.

- Ooh, really cute.

- Perfect.

So on brand for this show too.

- Very.

- Well gee, it sure would be swell to get outta here, shall we?

(group laughing) - After you.

- All right.

(upbeat music) This looks really good.

- Yeah.

- It does.

- So, each of you cover multiple roles in the show.

What are your responsibilities in the show, each of you?

- So, I cover all three urchins.

So, that's Crystal, Ronnette, Chiffon.

I also cover Audrey and the voice of Audrey II.

And I'm the dance captain and I do offstage vocals.

- Oh my God.

She's at the PTA meeting.

She's at the Riverboat Casino.

She's everywhere.

- Literally.

- And what about you?

- I am Ronnette and I cover Crystal, Chiffon, the voice of Audrey II, and Audrey II manipulation.

- That's just have so many like vocal lines in your head at all times.

- Yes.

- So, when I learned Audrey, I had just learned my urchin track.

I got a new script and I was like, "Okay, we're starting back at the top of the show.

Like, it's a completely different show as a completely different person."

And that kind of helped me to like, I think learn it quickly 'cause I learned it super fast.

- Yeah.

(upbeat music) - Could we get a little sample of your Audrey accent?

- Of course.

The plant's name is Audrey II.

- Audrey II.

- This is your cranberry juice and that's your sandwich.

- And that's my, it's triple decker sandwich too.

- It's a triple decker sandwich.

- 'Cause it's a triple decker Broadway sandwich.

- Yes.

- Look at us.

- See, Garen, I love you.

- Thank you.

- Can we get your Audrey II?

- I'm actually kind of embarrassed about the Audrey II voice.

- Why?

- Just 'cause it's like very seductive and it's something that I like.

I dunno, I get like bashful and it's something I feel more comfortable doing in the booth when no one can see me.

Like when Corbin first went on with me, he literally said, "Am I about to F plant?"

And I was like, "Uh, maybe, I don't know."

(group laughing) You don't have nothing till you met me.

Come on, kid, what'll it be?

Money, girls?

One particular girl, how about that, Audrey?

All right, that's it.

- Yay.

That's so good.

- And can we get your Audrey?

- Does this look inanimate to you, punk!

(group laughing) - We're about to clear out Westway Diner.

(upbeat music) And Camryn, you're the dance captain.

- Yes, I am.

- So, explain what that means.

- I teach new people the show, like incoming company members the show, maintaining the show during rehearsals also.

So, sometimes I'll sit out during rehearsals and I'll watch like the understudy rehearsals and just making sure like the integrity of the show is kept intact.

- That's great.

Well, that was delish.

- Yes.

- Loved my triple decker sandwich especially.

This has been so fun.

And we're gonna go to flower school now, right?

- Yeah, let's do it.

- Shall we?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Shall we flower?

Okay.

(upbeat music) So, the urchins, what's the difference between your three characters?

- Each of them have their own personalities.

- Yeah.

- And although they're a cohesive unit, they are still like individuals.

- Right.

- Yeah.

- [Garen] Those three personalities come together to sing those beautiful harmonies.

- Oh my God.

- Like some of the best in Broadway history.

So, the show is kind of a revolving door of stars.

What's it like?

Does that change the dynamic when you get a new star coming into the show?

- Yeah, it can, but I think that the theater is so small that it is all such close knit group.

- Yeah.

Off-Broadway theater, not too big of a house.

So, it's like not that much space back there.

- Yeah, it's tight.

- I mean you guys are really like just hanging out with superstars.

- It's very tight.

- I think the most interesting so far has been like when we had our youngest Seymour and Audrey, which was Sarah Hyland and Andrew Barth Feldman, it almost was like a sense of like a youthful, smaller world because all those are like pretty like close in age.

But in general, like it's nice when we get new people in because I feel like they allow us to see a show or the characters in ways that we wouldn't necessarily expect.

- Yeah, kind of all in a new light.

- Yeah.

- Maybe that's what's kept it open so long.

You know, it's always getting infused with new energy.

- For sure.

- Yeah.

(upbeat music) - All right, who's ready for flower school?

- I'm so excited.

- I am.

- This is gonna be great.

- So, I feel like I have kind of a medium green thumb.

Do you have green thumbs?

You actually do.

What about you guys?

- I can't save a plant for my life.

I cannot take care of a plant.

I never have been, I'm so sorry.

I hope to do better today though.

- [Garen] Hey, maybe this will be your new career.

- Ooh.

- Side job.

Speaking of side jobs, have any of you had any other, you know, survival jobs of waiting for your next opportunity?

- [Tiffany] I've done merch.

I did that for a couple years, like for different Broadway shows.

- Okay.

- I was a stage door person and then I did like box office for a couple theater festivals.

Honestly, I did those jobs as a way to like be around the theater.

Especially like when I wasn't working.

And honestly, like the jobs gave me a huge gratitude for people who work on and off the stage.

- Theater is just a big family and you'll continue to see those people throughout your career.

High-five the porter on the way in, and see the box office people.

And it doesn't happen without the spectrum of all those people running the theater.

It's amazing.

- Doing flowers is not really a craft, it's not really an art.

It's somewhere in the middle.

I always say if you're gonna do it right, it's a little bit more like a meditation because the flowers are alive and they're speaking to you and you are going to be putting them in the vase in a way where they feel most comfortable.

- [Garen] You're saying that the plants are speaking to us?

Wow how interesting.

(light music) - This is chicken wire, okay.

This is a very popular tool that florists use.

You've gotta sort of twist it around a little bit.

Just make a ball.

- Oh.

- That is perfect.

Perfect.

- It's giving Museum of Modern Art.

- And you're gonna kind of put it in the vase very gently and once it's in, then you can expand it so that it kind of fits.

Perfect, perfect.

So, the best way to keep your flowers lasting a long time is to change the water regularly.

You wanna fill the outside edge of your vase before you put anything in the center.

So, if I take this rose and I turn it upside down and I spin it in my hands like so.

- Oh.

- And you do it very gently, but quickly, okay?

You can also blow on it.

(Calvin blowing) And also, you can peel it backwards like this.

Once we have all of our greens in and we're really happy with the way things look, then it's time to get a little bit more creative.

(light music) - All right, how are we feeling about our final products, everybody?

- I love it.

- Well Cal, thank you so much for this lesson.

This has just been amazing.

- Thanks for coming to Flower School.

- But you have a second show so we gotta get you to theater.

It's ♪ Gotta get outta here time, shall we?

(group laughing) See you, Cal.

- Bye guys.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Alright urchins, this is our 60 Second Sandwich.

I'm gonna put 60 seconds on the clock.

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

Sound good?

- Yes.

- Yeah.

- Ready to go?

- [All] Yes.

- Alright, time starts now.

David Brosky wants to know how you prepare for an audition.

- Steaming hot showers.

- Star warm up.

- I listen to Lion from "The Wiz."

- That is good advice.

What performance inspired you to get into the theater?

- "Wicked."

- Jenna Dewan in "Step Up."

- "Ragtime."

- Good answers.

C. Willette wants to know what's your favorite spot to go downtown?

- Ooh.

Home.

- Nice!

(group laughing) - Backstage snacks?

- Salt and vinegar chips.

- Yes.

- Favorite.

Good answer.

Matthew Watts wants to know what's the biggest surprise you've discovered about "Little Shop" while working on the show?

- That it actually is a little, little shop.

- It's little.

- Teeny tiny little.

- Way smaller than you think.

- Funniest onstage mishap.

- Ooh, one time James like dropped a line during "Meek" and all of us broke.

- Oh no.

- All of us broke.

- I'm sure the audience loved it.

Biggest self-care tip.

- Take care of yourself.

- Don't forget to floss.

- I get my nails done.

- Such good ones.

Alright, five seconds left, last question.

Do you have to do your makeup a specific way for the show or whatever you want?

- A specific way.

- Specific way.

- Specific way.

- Yeah.

(buzzer buzzing) - Alright, well, I'm gonna learn about when we get to the theater.

That's it, time's up.

- Hey.

- Let's get outta here.

- Alright.

- Okay.

- Okay, so before we go back stage, I have to make a confession.

I've always wanted to be an urchin.

- Love that.

- I feel like today is my best chance.

Could you teach me a few steps from the show?

Maybe some of the vocals?

- Absolutely.

So, we're gonna do the prologue, the opening "Little Shop."

- Okay, sounds good.

- Ready?

- Yep.

- So, the first thing you're gonna do is push out with your right hip and your arm.

Your arms are gonna go like this.

- Okay cool.

- Yeah, ready?

- Yep.

- We're gonna go.

Little shop, from here, shoulders up, down, both shoulders.

Ha ha.

- Ha, uh-huh.

♪ Little shop ha ha - Uh-huh.

- Cool.

(upbeat music) - That's the end.

- That's the end.

- Okay, I'm feeling good, I'm feeling good.

- Yeah?

Five, six, seven, eight.

♪ Little Shop ♪ Little Shops of Horrors ♪ Little Shop ♪ Little Shop of Terror ♪ Call a cop ♪ Little Shop of Horrors ♪ No oh oh oh no - I'm an urchin!

(group cheering) That was so fun.

(upbeat music) - How familiar were each of you with "Little Shop" before you came into this production?

- The movie was kind of a big thing within like the Black community I think.

And my aunt used to always like do a little, like "Feed me, Seymour, feed me" like voice when we were complaining that we wanted food.

(group laughing) That's like my main like connection to the show.

- Yeah.

- My first encounter with like "Little Shop," the first time I ever saw the movie was in middle school.

I was watching, I was sitting there like, "Whoa, people really sound like this?

Like this is what people do for a living?"

He was like, "Yeah, that could be you."

- Whoa.

- Now I'm here.

I know, it's amazing.

- I love it, what about you Tiffany?

- I actually did "Little Shop" before this in 2017.

I told my friend, I was like, "If there's a show I could do forever, it's 'Little Shop.'"

(upbeat music) - [Garen] This is so cute.

- Our humble abode.

- [Garen] It really is so cozy.

It's like a little like bear cave.

- Yes, very much that.

When it's all hands on deck with like the women in the building, it's seven of us in here.

So, we have one.

- That's our Audrey wall.

Everyone's looking up.

These are past.

- And some present.

- And current urchins who have come and gone within the show.

- Aw.

- Yeah.

Oh this is from Darren Criss when he almost knocked off my wig on stage.

- Oh great.

- One day.

So, he apologized.

- Got it in writing.

- I got it in writing.

- Can you each share your favorite little vocal warmup?

Like just a little whatever.

(vocal warmups) ♪ May oh may oh may oh may oh may ooh may ♪ I mainly like it because the crew, when they hear it, they're usually like, "What do you want on a sandwich?"

And then I.

(group laughing) - I lip trill with my tongue on my mouth, which looks kind of silly, but it's like (lip trilling) (actress humming) - Yay.

- It helps to like get the tongue tension out.

- Yeah.

- Like your extra tongues is out of your mouth.

- Mm, so like if I'm going on for Crystal, I'll do like a very heady high pitch warm-up.

(lips trilling) ♪ All I wanted was you - Woo.

Power.

Power in this little bear cave.

So, you have another show to do?

- We do.

- Yeah.

- Um, it's just really fun hanging out.

So, maybe I have to stay with you guys.

You know, just like hang out.

- [All] You can't.

- Oh.

- So sorry.

- Okay.

- Sorry.

- Well, I understand and thank you so much for, you know, taking me around today.

Spending time in between the show.

- Of course, thanks having us.

- This was really fun.

And I'll see you next time.

- Yes.

- All right.

- Bye urchins, have a great show.

- Bye, thank you.

- Bye.

- Bye.

- See ya.

- See you later.

- You ain't gotta go home, but you gotta get outta here.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues)