Paul Nolan on How Farm Life and Les Miserables Led Him to Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway

Age & Hometown: 33; Rouleau, Saskatchewan, Canada

Current role: Starring in the greatest story ever told in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Wide Open Spaces: Paul Nolan grew up in a farming town of 500 people (four of whom were his older sisters), playing hockey and volleyball “like any trustworthy Saskatchewan kid.” Nolan remembers doing chores on his family’s farm, like cleaning out the graineries that “smelled like a dead carcass” in the spring, and his personal favorite, running heavy machinery. He also participated in his hometown’s “not particularly popular” annual shows, took singing lessons in Regina and did community theater.  A touring production of Les Miserables at age 14 was “the thing that made me an actor,” Nolan recalls. “It opened my eyes that people did that for a living," he says. “From then on I knew what I was going to do with my life.”

Lucky Break: Nolan left to study voice at the University of Toronto, but dropped out of the theory-heavy program quickly. “I knew I would spend the whole year catching up and I didn’t want to do that,” Nolan says. “I’m a pretty practical person.” Instead, this practical person got an agent and a job at Starbucks. A fluke encounter got him into a musical theater school. His sister, a professional fundraiser, had broken her ankle, and had to hold a business meeting in the house she shared with her brother. The colleague happened to be on the board of musical theater school Randolph Academy. “He heard me singing in the shower, and suggested I audition,” Nolan explains. He did and got a full scholarship. That training landed him early gigs like entertaining on a Disney Cruise and a year with Mamma Mia! in Toronto, but a role in Oklahoma at Stratford Shakespeare Festival led him to the place that would become his artistic home.

Broadway Superstar: Jesus Christ Superstar at Stratford “was one of the first times in my career that I didn’t have to audition, so that was great,” says Nolan, who was handpicked by "genius director" Des McAnuff to play the part.  “At the heart of it I think Jesus’ teachings were extraordinary,” says Nolan, who wasn't raised religious at all. “But this isn’t a history play. They're turning up the volume on Jesus’ humanity.” Creators Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice approved of Nolan’s take. “Andrew Lloyd Webber gave me a hug, but he looked kind of shocked,” Nolan remembers of their meeting in Stratford. “I didn’t know whether that was good or bad. But obviously it was good!” Lloyd Webber's approval was pivotal to the show’s Broadway transfer. While thrilled to be in New York, Nolan's top priority now is sleep. “It’s a very tiring show,” he explains. “It’s tiring for the heart. I find myself pretty exhausted.” Once he’s settled in, Nolan plans to find energy for one thing in particular: playing baseball in the Broadway league. “It will not be a successful year unless I’m doing that,” he laughed.