Get ready to be completely charmed by Hannah Elless as the determined, smart, and lovelorn Margo Crawford in the new musical Bright Star. She's in love with her childhood friend Billy Cane (played by A.J. Shively) and he doesn't know it—but the audience does, and boy are we rooting for her.
Below, BroadwayBox gets to know more about Elless as we talk Bright Star, her hard-knock beginnings, and killer guitar skill.
1. Lyric or line from Bright Star my mind returns to most outside the theatre:
My favorite Margo line, “Anything’s possible with people.” :)
2. Quality of Margo’s I admire:
Margo is very clear-minded about who she is and want she wants. She never stops believing in herself or others. Also her wonderfully awkward hugs.
3. Off-stage, A. J. Shively and I laugh over:
EVERYTHING! Seriously, he is a physical comedy genius. I mostly give him ideas and he flawlessly interprets them while we're waiting in the wings.
4. Book that totally rocked my world the first time I read it:
To Kill A Mockingbird. I wanted to be Scout. Especially after I found out that we shared the same middle name—Louise. :)
5. The process of choosing a stage name was:
Pretty funny! Haha! I am the girl of many names. I thought using my last two initials would be really cool —Hannah L.S. Thankfully, I came to my senses and ended up with the phonetic pronunciation of that instead. Hence, Ell-ess. Hannah Elless!
6. First song I learned on the guitar:
“Shalom My Friend” You can play the whole song with one chord—E minor. I can teach you!
7. Album I completely wore out in high school:
Nora Jones Come Away With Me. I worked as a barista in high school, and during the summers I would get to work at 5:15am! I would turn on that album and by the time it had fully played through we would be ready to open.
8. Musical that changed my life the first time I saw it:
Annie. It was my first musical to see and my first major role to play. I auditioned with a broken foot and I still booked the job! Miracles do happen!
9. On my day off, I am most likely:
Hiking Central Park with my little Pomeranian pup, Elsie! I tried to name her Elsa because she LOVES winter/snow/ice and I got her the weekend that the movie Frozen came out. We ended up with Elsie which works because she is indeed a "tiny" Elsa.
10. Before friends and family come see Bright Star, I tell them:
To come with their hearts open! I don’t tell them anything beyond that because to sit down in a theatre and watch a story that you don’t have any preconceived notions about is magical.
See Hannah Elless as Margo Crawford in Bright Star at Broadway's Cort Theatre.
