Try To Remember HD

Paul Alexander Nolan is a young Canadian actor who has been a fixture on Broadway since his debut there in the Stratford Festival production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2012. Recently he recorded a beautiful rendition of “Try to Remember,” the classic song of love and loss from the 1960 musical The Fantasticks. "Try to remember the kind of September / When life was slow and oh so mellow / When grass was green and grain so yellow,” so go the song’s lyrics. "Try to remember when life was so tender / That love was an ember about to billow / Without a hurt, the heart is hollow.” Paul recorded the song to honour the life of Brent Carver, who passed away on August 4. Paul explains: "I dedicated the performance to Brent because he has influenced so many of my own performances, been constantly on my mind since August 4th, and I wanted to thank him for the shift he affected in my artistry. "Watching him over and over do what he did best -- which was to expose his humanity in such personal, mysterious, and irrationally emotional ways -- always hit me straight in the heart, and made me want to aim for the same target when I dare to perform. I don’t know how Brent did what he did and no one ever will, but his courage made me set my sights so much higher on what was possible, nay, essential for me to aim toward. When I then came to be acting with him in Stratford, once I got over my fear of inadequacy, I saw that courage and vulnerability up close. Not everyone wants to or can live in that state as Brent did, especially for so long a career as he had, and for that reason I think he is a superhero. He stopped time and made everyone on stage with him better. "I chose the song because we are going into Fall, and eventually onto December, and the metaphor in the lyrics discuss loss and acceptance and pursuing despite knowing hurt may follow. Our relationships, especially to ourselves, are being challenged through the total isolation we are all facing, especially as theatre artists. I wanted to remind myself and others that our hearts will be full again.” Brent is but one of the luminaries we have lost in the last six months. There is a great tradition in the theatre of honouring those who have passed by dimming the marquee lights. Metaphorically, this action says we have lost yet another star. Since the theatre shut down due to the pandemic, the lights of the Royal Alexandra and Princess of Wales Theatre have been dimmed for (clink on each person’s name for an obituary):: Actor Shirley Douglas https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-strong-willed-actor-shirley-douglas-fought-for-social-justice/ — April 5 Actor/Singer Victor A. Young https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/article-performer-had-a-fine-voice-and-beguiling-stage-presence/ — April 8 Producer Roger Horchow https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/business/roger-horchow-dead.html?searchResultPosition=1 — May 21 Actor/Singer Brent Carver https://www.theglobeand