Broadway stalwart Paul Nolan takes on the jukebox musical in Escape to Margaritaville

Paul Alexander Nolan spent his childhood in Rouleau, Sask., the same town where the TV show Corner Gas was filmed. He grew up around dusty gravel roads, his dad was a farmer and he played a lot of hockey. Nolan never really expected to one day end up on stage, but that all changed when he discovered theatre.

Nolan threw himself into musical theatre, playing Billy Flynn in Chicago and Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ Superstar. Steve Martin even tapped him to be in his Broadway musical, Bright Star. Now, Nolan stars in Jimmy Buffett's Broadway musical Escape to Margaritaville, about a bar singer named Tully Mars. 

Buffett fans, who usually call themselves "Parrotheads," are very loyal, so Nolan is under a lot of pressure in this new production. Speaking with guest host Ali Hassan, Nolan says that to succeed in this musical, he had to put aside everything he knew about hockey and farming and embrace the laid-back island life. Escape to Margaritaville is on Broadway now. 

— Produced by Vanessa Greco