Hannah Elless Talks Playing the Mandolin in Broadway's A Christmas Carol

We all know the story of A Christmas Carol well—the miserly Ebenezeer Scrooge embarks on a ghost-led Christmas journey to become a kinder man and more generous friend to Tiny Tim. Adapted by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’s Jack Thorne and directed by Tony-winning director Matthew Warchus, Broadway’s first ever—yes, first—A Christmas Carol arrives as a fully realized play, inflecting an immersive, theatrical depth to the holiday classic. In a #LiveAtFive interview with Broadway.com's Beth Stevens, Hannah Elless, who plays Jess in the new production, spoke about the process of adapting A Christmas Carol to Broadway and bringing audiences closer to a story they know well.

“I think one of the biggest things that Matthew Warchus, our director, really wanted was this feeling that everybody was welcome, that everyone’s a part of the story,” she said. “Everything in this story feels immersive,” she added, thanks to designer Rob Howell, whose scenic design featuring 700 lanterns has transported the Lyceum Theatre back in time to old England. Plus the audiences get snacks.

While Broadway’s A Christmas Carol is a play, the production weaves in 12 traditional Christmas songs, arranged by Chris Nightingale, enriching the story with “a spirit of Christmas through music,” as Elless said in the interview. 

Importantly, the show also uses Elless’ talents as a musician. While the Broadway community first met Elless in the 2011 revival of Godspell, where she joined the ensemble in 2012, her first leading role came in Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s 2016 musical Bright Star, where she originated the role of Margo Crawford. While Elless never picked up an instrument in Martin’s bluegrass musical, A Christmas Carol has her performing the mandolin nightly. She can also play the guitar, piano, mandolin, tambourine and kick drum.

The actor has one tip for those coming to see A Christmas Carol: Come early. As audiences take their seats, Elless and three other cast members perform from the stage; they call themselves the “Ebesneezers.” “We have a pre-show band of actor musicians—it’s sort of like this pub feel," she said. “You’re just lifted up by these Christmas carols.” To Elless, that community spirit is what makes A Christmas Carol so long-lasting. “You can change your future,” she said, “and you can change other people’s futures with your choices. It’s just good, great stuff.”

A Christmas Carol is running on Broadway until December 30.

Watch Elless' #LiveAtFive interview below.