With Comedy, 'Kimberly Akimbo's' Pierce Wheeler Learns 'Less Is More'

After his first year of college, Pierce Wheeler put school on hold. He was a freshman at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he was studying musical theater and upon seeing audition notice for the national tour of "Dear Evan Hansen," tried out it. The musical, which he had seen years before off-Broadway, had such an effect on him that it was one of the reasons why he decided to become an actor.

Then on the final day of his first year, he received an email telling him he was hired, which led him to take a gap year from studying musical theater to be part of a Tony-winning musical. On the tour, he understudied the roles on Evan Hansen and Jared Kleinman, and went on as Evan a number of times (including once in Los Angeles) and Jared (twice in LA). "When you're called to go on it's a real adrenaline rush," he told the Washington Blade in 2022. "Learning more than one role isn't always easy. But I'm glad it's been a challenge. This sets me up to take on harder things in the future."

Pierce grew up a self-professed community-theater kid outside of New York City in the Long Island town of Amityville, famous as the setting for "The Amityville Horror." His homelife was unique: he was the youngest of four – all queer. "We were a little community who enjoyed a silent acceptance of breaking hetero normative standards," he told the Blade. "I'm so thankful to have them in my life. They shaped me."

He chose to leave college a second time when he scored the role of Aaron Puckett in the national company of "Kimberly Akimbo," which is currently at Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre through May 18. (For more on the Boston engagement, follow this link.)

Watch this trailer of scenes from "Kimberly Akimbo.

Like "Evan Hansen," this musical offers a sensitive and perceptive look at teens navigating their road to adulthood; but in this Tony-winning musical, time is an enemy for Kimberly since she lives with a rare genetic condition (resembling progeria), causing her to age approximately 4.5 times faster than normal. Both Kimberly and Aaron are members of the school choir who, along with Delia, Martin, and Teresa, are a group of self-described nerds desperate to make money to buy some flashy costumes. The opportunity comes when Kimberly's aunt Debra ropes the teens into check fraud scheme.

"Kimberly Akimbo" was first a play by David Lindsay-Abaire that had much critical success off-Broadway in 2003. In 2021 he collaborated with composer Jeanine Tesori ("Fun Home") on a musical version that was well received during its off-Broadway run at the Atlantic Theater Company in late 2021. The following fall it transferred to Broadway where it ran for 621 performances, winning five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book (Lindsay-Abaire), Best Score (Tesori), and Best Leading Actress in a Musical for Victoria Clark in the titular role. In the tour that role is played by three-time Tony nominee Carolee Carmello.

EDGE spoke to the 25-year old about his role as the socially awkward Aaron, being a queer actor playing a straight teen, and where he got his first-rate smoothie making skills.

EDGE: Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Pierce Wheeler. I am 21 years old, and I play Aaron Puckett on the national tour of "Kimberly Akimbo." I would be a senior at NYU Tisch for drama, but I've decided to pursue this role and put school on the back burner.

EDGE: What initially drew you to the role of Aaron?

Pierce Walker: When I first saw the show on Broadway, I loved it. The scenes in between songs were just so funny. It reminded me of movies from the early 2000s that had you rolling with laughter. Aaron is one of four teens in the teen quartet, also known as the show choir, and they all have a crush on each other. There's a love square, as we call it. Aaron's pursuing Delia. I thought that he was such a sweet character, and that is what I love about him. I'm a young-looking guy for a 21-year-old, and playing teenagers is my wheelhouse. There's something so fantastic about playing a teenager like Aaron because it's such an awkward time in his life, and everything is so dramatic, and the stakes always seem so high. I was drawn to him because he's a lovable, quirky, and kind boy.

EDGE: How did you prepare to embody him?

Pierce Walker: The show takes place in 1999. I'm gay and I play a straight character. There are two boys and two girls: gay, straight, gay, straight. I watched some movies from that time to see how teenagers walked because there has to be some difference in their physicality, mannerisms, and how they spoke. I watched Drew Barrymore's "Never Been Kissed" and "Cruel Intentions. I watched a lot of movies that took place in high school, and I studied how people had crushes on each other.

EDGE: Aaron is a unique character with his own quirks and vulnerabilities. What aspects of his personality do you most relate to?

Pierce Walker: I have to admit, he's awkward, and I can be awkward in situations, especially looking back at how I was if I had a crush on someone in high school. Also, I could be physically awkward too, and sometimes I do not know what to do with my hands or body in situations. I take those past moments with me on stage, such as when Aaron is nervous or trying to impress his crush.

EDGE: As a queer person, playing a straight character, are you crushing in the same way?

Pierce Walker: Do I crush in the same way as Aaron does? That's a good question. In all honesty, I didn't have many crushes in high school because I was still figuring out my sexuality. It's interesting to tackle a high school hetero boy to see how they would crush. That's why I think I've looked to movies and TV for inspiration, instead of doing my own way of crushing on someone. I know how I would do it, but it helps to get a viewpoint of how a straight boy would do it.

EDGE: Does a particular scene or song in the show resonate with you? Why?

Pierce Walker: My favorite scene to perform is the one I just mentioned, which goes right into a song called "Our Disease." Throughout the show, the teens talk about their bio presentation coming up in a week and which disease they will pick. In act II, we get to the scene where Aaron and Martin present scurvy, which is so funny, and the audience loves it, and the girls present a parasitic flatworm disease. There is so much joy in that scene that it takes me back to when I was in high school, and someone would be messing up on their presentation in front of the classroom. Then Kimberly starts talking about the disease that she has, and it falls off the rails as she realizes she doesn't have much time left. Right before the lights go out, there's a quick moment when the teens on stage understand that what they were doing the entire show was wrong. There's a moment of love for Kimberly, and it's a quick moment because she then runs out of the classroom.

EDGE: Has playing Aaron taught you anything new about yourself, either as a performer or personally?

Pierce Walker: With help from director Jessica Stone and the wonderful stage management team, I've realized how much I've grown, especially in my comedy acting. This is my first big comedic role, and I am realizing that less is more. Sometimes, moving or standing still awkwardly does more than you think, especially in a role like this. I am learning that less is more.

EDGE: Your acting resume lists "Smoothie Making" as a special skill. What's your favorite smoothie to make, and how did it become a special skill?

Pierce Walker: I worked at a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in high school for two years. As you can imagine, there was a lot of downtime between customers, so I would whip up the craziest smoothies. I wish I had a blender on the road to make them. Whenever I get to an Airbnb and if there's a blender under the sink, I get pretty excited. My personal favorite smoothie is a mix of frozen acai and peanut butter, but not too much peanut butter, just enough to give you the peanut butter taste. It is so delicious, and I love to make it.

"Kimberly Akimbo" plays through May 18 at the Emerson-Colonial Theatre, 106 Bolyston Street, Boston, MA. For information about the Boston engagement, follow this link. For more on the national tour, click here.