Hannah Elless' "Biggest Dream" Comes True…Thanks to Steve Martin and Bright Star

"We're so ready to open," Hannah Elless says. "We had four weeks of previews, and that's such a long time when you've come from out of town." Elless is among the leading players in Bright Star, the bluegrass tuner at the Cort Theatre that serves as the musical-writing debuts of entertainment industry icon Steve Martin and his longtime partner-in-song, Edie Brickell.

Elless, who made her Broadway debut as a replacement in Godspell and regularly appears with Charlie Rosen's Broadway Big Band, has been with Bright Star for more than a year. She originated her role, Margo Crawford, when it saw its world premiere at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre in 2014.

As it did then, the plot of Bright Star has been kept under wraps. Without going into specifics, Elless describes it as the story of a "woman's journey and how she connects with the love and loss in her life." But it's wholly original, not based on any source material, though using some hits from the Martin-Brickell catalogue. The air of secrecy is what Elless considers to be the exciting part. "People come to the Cort Theatre and sit down and don't know what they're getting into," she says. "There's something magical about that."

Who is Margo Crawford and how does she factor into the plot of Bright Star?
Margo Crawford lives in the 1940s and works at a bookshop. She really knows who she is and what she wants. Sometimes she has trouble expressing those feelings in the moment [and] needs to find courage to say what's on her mind and in her heart. She is [A.J. Shively's character] Billy's love interest; or at least, he is her love interest, and she is just the most hopeful person you'll ever meet. She really believes in people, and that is an admirable quality that I wish I had more of. I think that's something that's really lacking in 2016, too, the idea that people are still good.

The reviews thus far have pointed to your big song, "Asheville," as one of the show's highlights.
I love "Asheville" so much. Margo is beckoning Billy to come back home, but what home is, to her, is her heart. I love that imagery. Ever since the first time hearing it, I've sort of felt like [the song] is my destiny, to be quite honest with you. There was something that just hit home so deeply and I just care about it so much. I can remember the first time singing it for Edie Brickell and Steve Martin, and [music supervisor] Peter Asher. Paul Simon [Brickell's husband] was there, too. I particularly remember feeling nervous about singing in front of Paul Simon…I was shaking in my boots.

It's a version of their hit song "When You Get to Asheville" from their album "Love Has Come For You," right?
Yeah, that's it, their single off of their Grammy Award-winning album. They have changed it a little bit for the stage, to tell the story. There are several songs in the show that are off of albums that they have out currently. They've adapted them to tell the story. It's not a [situation] where all of a sudden you get a pop song or even a bluegrass tune in the middle of the story. They really changed these songs to tell the story, which is a reflection of who they are, not just as artists, but as consummate collaborators. Steve and Edie are not afraid to change their work to better the over all product.

Have you had the "Pinch me, I'm working with Steve Martin" moment yet?
How about when he's writing new jokes, when he comes up to you and says, "I wrote something new for you today"? Inside, Hannah is sort of giddy and jumping up and down, and the outside is trying to play it cool and hold it together. People say what's it like originating your first lead role in a brand-new musical, and I say, "Imagine your biggest dream that you could ever dream, now add Steve Martin to it." You work with these famous people and they're not always so generous or down to earth, and he really is all of those things. Is there anything better than Steve Martin prat-falling into your rehearsal room? No.

What is your background with the style of bluegrass music that Martin and Brickell have created for the score?
I grew up in a big family and they all played bluegrass music. My dad played banjo, my mama played bass, and then myself and all my brothers and sisters had instruments. We would actually play picnics and church functions. We had merch! I have a long-sleeve jean button-up shirt that I'm sure I could still fit into. Maybe my parents will bring it on opening night and embarrass me. Maybe I'll wear it over my opening-night dress.

You recently wrapped up recording the show, which is a big deal for you since it's your very first cast album.
I know. I would ride my bike to our public library and would borrow cast albums. I have this memory of picking out Sweeney Todd for the very first time as a middle-school girl…I have such a strong memory of that visceral reaction [to the recording] and my mom saying, "What's going on? Are you OK?" And I'm like, "It's nothing mom, I'm just listening to musical theater!" The idea that a girl in middle school can listen to this and be inspired is so cool. That is full circle.

— Hannah Elless (@HannahElless) March 14, 2016