'Christmas in Vienna': Meet Sarah Drew, Brennan Elliott and the rest of the cast of Hallmark's holiday musical
We might be going through a tough time due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it shouldn’t be a reason to spoil our festive mood. The scale of celebrations might be toned down for our own good, but the joy and cheer of the holiday season should be the same. Christmas means a lot of things to different people. Some look forward to the elaborate meals and some can’t wait for their Christmas special movie marathon. For the latter, we might have something. To spread some Christmas cheer before the actual festival, Hallmark is premiering the film ‘Christmas in Vienna’ in November itself. It is part of the network’s annual ‘Countdown to Christmas’ programming event.
The story revolves around Jess Waters. She is an accomplished violinist who has lost her passion for music. Jess has been invited to perform at the Vienna Music Hall's prestigious Christmas Eve concert. On the other hand, Mark Olson is a diplomat in Vienna and a widowed father of three, whose job is constantly keeping them moving. Jess arrives in Vienna two weeks before her show, which gives her time to visit her friend Tori Voigt. Tori is Mark’s cousin and the children’s nanny. When Tori gets a chance to sell her crafts in a Christmas market, she asks for Jess’ help with the children. After some initial hesitance, Jess quickly bonds with the children and they also inspire her to rediscover for her love of music and here comes in our call back to 'The Sound of Music'. The mix of Christmas and romance is an interesting combination. But before you watch the movie, meet the talented cast.
Sarah Drew as Jess
The actress is best known for her role as Dr April Kepner on the ABC series hit show ‘Grey's Anatomy’. She has been a part of Lifetime movies like ‘Twinkle All the Way’ and ‘Christmas Pen Pals’. She recently starred in the film ‘Indivisble’. Drew was also part of The WB’s hit series, ‘Everwood’ as Hannah Rogers, which also starred Chris Pratt. She has also been part of TV shows such as ‘Glee’, ‘Castle’ and ‘Supernatural’.
Brennan Elliott as Mark
He is best known for his work in 2015's 'UnReal', 'Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb’ in 2014 and 'Curse of Chucky' in 2013. He has been a part of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries programs. He has starred in several of the networks’ original films such as ‘A Christmas Melody’, ‘Love You Like Christmas’ and ‘All of My Heart’. Elliot has appeared in TV shows like ‘Private Practice’, ‘NCIS’ and ‘Criminal Minds’.
The other cast members in the film include Alina Fritsch, an Austrian actress who appeared in the Netflix series Freud, which first aired in March 2020.She was seen alongside Georg Friedrich as Alfred Kiss as his daughter-in-law Fanny.
Other members of the cast include Stefan Gorski, Allegra Tinnefeld, Oscar Ricketts and Abigail Vollnhofer. The movie is produced by Vienna Christmas, Inc. David Wulf is the producer. It is directed by Maclain Nelson, and the script is written by Elizabeth Joie Botkin. Jake Van Wagoner serves as the executive producer.
The network’s website has posted a preview of the film. In the preview, we meet our protagonists and the supporting cast. The elaborate and exquisite Christmas decorations of the location where the film is shot, makes it even more interesting.
Hallmark’s Christmas In Vienna premieres on the Hallmark Channel on Saturday, November 14, at 8 pm, with encores airing on Sunday, November 15 at 4 pm, Friday, November 20, at 8 pm, Sunday, November 22, at 10 .01 pm, and Wednesday, November 25, at 6 pm, all times Eastern.