Exclusive: Wesley Taylor on His First Time Touring, Getting Engaged and Entering His ‘Dad Era’

Though Wesley Taylor has starred in three Broadway shows, performed in plenty of regional theater and even appeared on television screens around the world, Oh, Mary! marks his first professional national tour, in which he plays Mary’s Teacher. 

“Leaving home is a tough choice,” he exclusively tells BroadwayWorld, noting how he is newly engaged to actor Jack Raymond and also had to bid farewell to his pet dog. “I live with both my loves. Leaving them is really tough for me, especially because my dog can’t travel with me. But it’s Oh, Mary!.” 

The acclaimed, award-winning comedy by Cole Escola was too good of a show to pass up. “It’s very rare that a play comes along that is sort of, I think, perfect,” says Taylor, who is joined by a cast that includes Alaska Thunderf*ck, John-Andrew Morrison and more. 

When Taylor first saw Oh, Mary! — which premiered Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in February 2024 — the Smash alum’s first thought was, “I need to be a part of that. It’s right up my alley. It’s my sensibility.” 

Plus, he figured, “If I’m going to go on the road for an extended period of time and leave home, it better be something really good.” Below, Taylor chats with BroadwayWorld about bringing queer joy across the United States and entering a new era in his 40s.  

What was your reaction when you first saw Oh, Mary!? The play is so funny!

Before getting the part, I had seen it a few times, and each time it got funnier to me. My experience was richer with each time coming back. I do think a secret weapon of the play is the casting sauce and how exciting [director] Sam Pinkleton generates buzz and relevance and excitement among the fans in the theater community with all of his shows, with Rocky Horror, with You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown — all of these properties. 

I was knocked over by the audacity, the sheer gall of the play. The joke ratio is so high, physical comedy is so high. It’s so smartly done. And who doesn’t love an 80-minute night in the theater? It packs such a punch, and it’s so fun and heightened. It’s a moving freight train. It had been so long since I had seen something where I was scream-laughing, just in pain from holding my belly.

You’ve done a lot of comedy. Do you think there’s a different vibe in the air with audiences seeing Oh, Mary!? The laughter is infectious at the theater. 

Infectious is the right word. It is sort of contagious. The unhinged stupidity and silliness is just like… you want more. I think audiences really want to escape. They want to laugh, and they’re hungry for it. They’re desperate for it. They just go nuts for this show. People are so happy and excited after they see this play. It is a joy bomb.

What brings you joy being able to do such cool, queer theater, especially in our current climate? 

Oh my God. It’s so deliciously unapologetically queer. Just from the moment Cole Escola does the pre-recorded intro. The announcement sets the tone. Immediately, you’re transported into the right place. It is so unabashedly queer from start to finish. It’s a celebration of niche queer art. I mean, Cole Escola is just an entity themself. Everyone was waiting for something like Oh, Mary! to come along to make Cole a household name. I’ve known Cole for 20 years now, and I’ve always known they were genius. They just needed the right vehicle, and they created one that was, in my opinion, perfect.

I want to talk about tour life. Tell me about being engaged — and congrats! What are the challenges that come with being on the road? 

A lot of times, regionally, it’s two months or three months out of town, and my little family will come with me. My fiancé and my dog will be able to do that with me, but for this nine-month stretch, that’s not an option, and it is really tough. We’re going on almost four years, me and my partner. I had wanted to get engaged for about a year now, but I definitely decided on that decision after booking this. I wanted a sense of security. Jack will be coming to as many cities as we can make work, and my dog will be with us on the East Coast stops of the tour, but it is really tough to wake up constantly in hotel beds by yourself. It is challenging, and you really have to love the work. You really have to love this and crave this. And you make sacrifices as a family for life, for money, for jobs, and you just make it work. Also, absence makes the heart grow fonder. It’s good to have time to yourself in isolation — to be doing work and traveling and getting an excuse to see a lot of cities you would never see or never spend time in. And I think it’s an enriching and challenging experience that I won’t regret.

You recently won a Jeff Award for your performance in Holiday at The Goodman Theatre. In your acceptance speech, you were saying that you just turned 40, you got engaged, you won this award. We’re entering into a new chapter! How does it feel?

I’m pumped to enter into my 40s. This is going to be my decade. You heard it here first! This is my era — my “Dad Era.” Look, I’m not scared of it. I’m embracing 40 and this new decade. I’m excited for the new roles that are coming my way. I feel like this is my time. I’ve been waiting for this. Put me in, Coach! I just feel creatively in a really great spot, and I’m excited for more. August was the month that I turned 40. This job was announced. I got engaged. I won that award. It was a great start to the decade! [Laughs.] I feel very validated and grateful for the hard work I’ve put in for decades.

What has the response been like so far at all of your Oh, Mary! tour stops?

Wild. In New York, sometimes it feels like this is such a hot ticket, such a cultural... We have to be there, we have to go! Whereas, across the country, a lot of people — especially of a certain age — don’t know what they’re walking into. My favorite thing about the audience response is not necessarily the uproarious scream laughter, but it’s the gasping. It’s the surprise twists and turns. We really protect the secrets well, I think. And I think their reactions — being so invested and on the ride — is the most satisfying thing.

While you’re on the road, is there anything that you are working on writing-wise? Or do you have any other theatrical projects you might want to do next? 

There are a few projects between me and a longtime writing partner, Alex Wyse, that have been in the works and waiting in the wings to get produced. Unfortunately, our acting careers dictate a lot of when those things can get picked back up and put energy into. But yeah, there’s a handful of things in the works. Also, I have been writing a project for a couple years now on my own. It’s something that I work on on the side quite a bit.

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This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.