Reece Weaver Trades the Cowboys Sideline for Broadway With a Dream Role in Chicago

Reece Weaver is heading from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders to one of Broadway’s most recognisable stages.

The 24-year-old dancer and former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader is set to make her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the long-running musical Chicago. Weaver will begin performances at New York City’s Ambassador Theatre on September 7, 2026, for a limited six-week engagement scheduled to run through October 18.

The announcement marks a major new chapter for Weaver, who became widely known after appearing on Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. After three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, she announced her departure from the squad during the third season of the Netflix series, which premiered in June.

Now, instead of performing on the football field in Dallas, Weaver will step into the world of musical theatre in New York.

The Broadway opportunity is especially meaningful because performing onstage was not a new ambition for Weaver. She began dancing at just 3 years old and attended performing arts schools before studying dance at the University of Alabama. During her school years, she trained in multiple dance styles and also participated in musical productions.

For Weaver, the move to Broadway represents a return to the performance roots she developed long before becoming a professional cheerleader.

In interviews earlier this year, she had already spoken openly about wanting to pursue Broadway after leaving the Cowboys organisation. At the time, she specifically mentioned Chicago as one of the productions she admired because of its distinctive Fosse-inspired choreography and jazz style.

That dream is now becoming reality.

Weaver will take over the role of Roxie Hart, one of the central characters in Chicago. Roxie is an ambitious woman who finds herself at the centre of a murder case and attempts to use publicity and show business to transform her notoriety into fame.

The role has a long history of famous performers. The musical originally debuted in 1975, with Gwen Verdon playing Roxie Hart and Chita Rivera portraying Velma Kelly. The celebrated 1996 revival later helped establish Chicago as one of Broadway’s most enduring productions. That revival won six Tony Awards in 1997, including Best Revival of a Musical.

Weaver will follow Krysta Rodriguez as Roxie and join a cast that currently includes Sophie Carmen-Jones as Velma Kelly, Mark Ballas as Billy Flynn, Jacqueline B. Arnold as Matron “Mama” Morton and Eddie Cooper as Amos Hart.

Chicago is particularly significant because of its longevity. The production is the longest-running American musical in Broadway history and is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026. Its story combines crime, celebrity and the pursuit of fame, while its score includes some of musical theatre’s best-known numbers.

For Weaver, getting the opportunity is also a personal milestone that connects several stages of her life.

Before she became familiar to Netflix viewers, Weaver had already built a serious dance background. She joined the University of Alabama dance team and graduated with a degree in dance before becoming part of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ 2023 rookie class.

Her three seasons with the Cowboys organisation brought her a much larger audience through America’s Sweethearts. The Netflix documentary follows the demanding process of becoming a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and offers viewers a look at the personal and professional lives of members of the squad.

Weaver quickly became one of the show’s recognisable personalities.

Her decision to leave the team therefore came as a surprise to some viewers. But Weaver has explained that leaving was ultimately her own decision and described it as a personal choice about what she wanted for the next stage of her life. She has also said she hopes to remain connected to the organization through possibilities such as mentoring or choreography.

Her Broadway casting gives that decision a significant new dimension.

Rather than stepping away from performing, Weaver is moving toward a different kind of performance career. Broadway will allow her to combine dance, acting and musical theater in a way that she has wanted to explore for years.

The timing also makes the announcement notable because Weaver had already identified Chicago as her dream Broadway production before being cast. In an interview earlier this summer, she said the show’s music and classic jazz musical-theater style particularly appealed to her.

She has also expressed interest in other entertainment opportunities, including Dancing With the Stars, although no casting announcement for that programme should be assumed from her previous comments.

Beyond performing, Weaver has said she is working on a book intended to encourage and inspire young women. She has described writing as another long-term ambition, meaning her post-DCC plans extend beyond Broadway alone.

Her Broadway debut will also place her alongside performers with substantial stage and entertainment experience. For Weaver, however, the opportunity appears to be less about simply adding another credit and more about finally reaching a goal she has carried since she was young.

The transition from Dallas Cowboys cheerleader to Broadway leading lady is certainly an unusual career path, but Weaver’s background makes the move easier to understand. Years of dance training, live performance experience and the physical demands of professional cheerleading have all prepared her for another highly demanding stage environment.

Chicago will give audiences a chance to see a different side of the performer who became familiar to millions of viewers in her Cowboys uniform.

When Weaver walks onto the Ambassador Theatre stage in September, she will not simply be beginning another entertainment job. She will be checking off one of the major ambitions she had envisioned for herself years earlier.

For a performer whose career has already moved from competitive dance to college athletics, professional cheerleading, reality television and now Broadway, Reece Weaver’s next chapter is shaping up to be very different from the one that made her famous.