VIDEO: Hannah Elless of Broadway-Bound BRIGHT STAR Takes Us On A Backstage Tour

Hannah Elless made her Broadway bow as a replacement member of the GODSPELL cast, singing "Bless The Lord" in that joyful revival. Now she's at Kennedy Center wrapping up the D.C. engagement of the Broadway-bound BRIGHT STAR, set to start previewing at the Cort on February 25th.

The new musical from Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, directed by Walter Bobbie, is sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and 40s. When successful literary editor Alice Murphy meets an ambitious young soldier just home from World War II, their connection inspires Alice to confront a shocking incident from her past. Together they discover a long-buried secret with the power to transform their lives.

In a fun new video, Elless takes us on a backstage tour of the dressing area as she preps for a performance, noting the large chart that breaks down every scene by the year when it's set. With dressing roommate Emily Padgett she offers a peak of the period costumes and wigs and a look at the designs they follow to get their makeup right.

Violin player Martha McDonnell talks about having the musicians on stage in the middle of the action helps them feed off of the emotions from the actors.

Carmen Cusack will make her Broadway debut as Alice, a role she originated in Bright Star's world premiere production, and will be joined by co-stars Paul Alexander Nolan, Tony Award nominee Michael Mulheren, A.J. Shively, Hannah Elless, Tony Award nominee Stephen Bogardus, three-time Tony Award nominee Dee Hoty, Stephen Lee Anderson, Emily Padgett, Tony Award nominee Jeff Blumenkrantz, along with Maddie Shea Baldwin, Allison Briner-Dardenne, Max Chernin, Patrick Cummings, Sandra DeNise, Richard Gatta, Lizzie Klemperer, Michael X. Martin, William Michals,Tony Roach, Sarah Jane Shanks, and William Youmans.

Choreography is by Josh Rhodes, with scenic design b yEugene Lee, costume design by Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Tom Watson, musical supervision by Peter Asher, musical direction and vocal arrangements by Rob Berman, orchestrations by August Eriksmoen, and casting by Howie Cherpakov. Bright Star was developed and had its world premiere at The Old Globe in San Diego (Barry Edelstein, Artistic Director;Michael G. Murphy, Managing Director).