Former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Reece Weaver has officially made her way from the football field to the Broadway stage in Chicago — but the road to playing Roxie Hart wasn’t easy.
“I think my biggest [challenge] right now is probably ‘Funny Honey,’ because you’re on this really tall ladder, and you’re eye level with the balcony,” Weaver, 24, exclusively told Us before making her debut as Roxie at the Ambassador Theatre in New York City on Sunday, September 7.
Weaver acknowledged that there’s one key to making the number a success. “[I’m] just reminding myself not to look down often,” she teased, “because it really kind of puts it in perspective how high you’re up there!”
With Chicago being her Broadway debut, Weaver was prepared for there to be “multiple” challenges — but they aren’t only physical. On the emotional side, Weaver is tasked with “locking in” on her character for all two and a half hours of the show.
“We all have such a fun time backstage, but it is so easy just to get sidetracked, and so I had to really just be focused and locked in the whole time,” she said.
As for what she’s most excited to perform, Weaver named the show’s “iconic” hit “Roxie,” as well as the more “dancey” song “Me and My Baby.”
News broke last month that Weaver would be making her Broadway debut in Chicago — which has featured celebs including Erika Jayne, Ariana Madix and Whitney Leavitt as Roxie Hart over the years — following her shocking exit from the DCC squad.
“A DREAM COME TRUE😭♥️,” Weaver gushed in the comments section of an Instagram post announcing her casting in August.
Fans met Weaver and her husband, Will Allman, when America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders debuted on Netflix in 2024. After three seasons with the team, Weaver confirmed her retirement, but her passion for dance has never wavered.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders fan favorite Reece Weaver shocked many with her seemingly abrupt retirement — but DCC director Kelli Finglass saw it coming. “I wasn’t shocked and I wasn’t surprised,” Finglass, 61, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, June 23. “I am happy for Reece. It’s a tough decision. I think it’s the right decision […]
“I went to a performing arts middle school and high school, and so I was definitely involved in [it],” she told Us of her connection to the theater world before Chicago. “I majored in dance at school, and the dance department and the theater department cross paths all the time. And so I had some very close friends who are actually currently on Broadway now and majored in musical theater, and so I did a few musicals with them. I did Wizard of Oz, Fame and Cats, and so I had a little bit of background in actually doing a musical at school and performing in it. But I always sang in the ensemble, nothing to this extent where I’m doing more of, like, a soloist-type role [as Roxie].”
Weaver noted that she grew more interested in singing over the past year.
“I wanted to do something that challenged me, pushed me … this was not even on my mind,” she confessed. “I just wanted to do something that I know I needed to work hard in, and so [I] started doing that right at the beginning of the year, and just kind of kept diligently with it. And then one thing led to another, and I was like, ‘Woo! I’m so glad that I started back singing because I needed I need some love!’”
Along with her family, Weaver has the support of her former DCC teammates — some of whom were spotted in NYC for her debut on Sunday. She’s also earned some sage advice from Leavitt, a fellow reality star turned Roxie.
“Whitney has reached out, [and] that was so sweet of her to do,” Weaver told Us. “She’s super excited. … I think we’re gonna try to meet up in person soon and talk a little bit about, like, tips and tricks and all the things that she learned throughout her run.”
Weaver added, “Honestly, the current Chicago cast has been so welcoming, and everyone has just been so supportive throughout my journey.”
Weaver’s limited engagement in Chicago runs for six weeks through October 18.
