Chicago’s Reece Weaver Has a Little Roxie Hart in Her

You might know Reece Weaver in cowboy boots, but these days she’s stepping into Roxie Hart’s dancing shoes. The former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader first set her sights on Broadway as a performing arts student before shifting her focus to getting “Thunderstruck” with the iconic cheer squad. Now, after becoming a fan favorite as part of the DCC and Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Weaver is making her Broadway debut in Chicago. She spoke with Broadway.com Managing Editor Beth Stevens about finding her voice, bringing her DCC team spirit to Broadway and making the leap from the sidelines to center stage.

Weaver started dancing at three, motivated in part by a deal with her mother: if she wanted to wear tights and a leotard to dance class, she had to be potty trained. Mission accomplished. She soon graduated to musicals, including Fame, The Wizard of Oz and Cats. “I was Mr. Mistoffelees,” she says. “That was my favorite role, too. Such a fun show to build chemistry with your castmates, but also be a cat.”

Her Broadway ambitions took root in high school, when she discovered that she loved not only performing, but creating something as part of a group. “I just fell in love with the team bonding of creating something with your best friends and being vulnerable and real and growing in that way,” she says. That path eventually took her to the University of Alabama dance team and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Yet she found herself drawn back to where she started. “I wanted to go back to my roots, which is this.”

That return has meant stretching herself in a new way, especially vocally. After a lifetime of dancing, Weaver is discovering another way to tell a story. “It’s very vulnerable, very real. It’s definitely a challenge that I’m loving right now,” she says. And finding her voice has taken on a meaning beyond singing. “We’ve been given our voices for a reason and they’re blessings,” she says. “I think that’s been one of the coolest, challenging, most vulnerable things.”

Her DCC experience has proved useful in Chicago, particularly when it comes to trusting the people around her. “I trusted my teammates. And they trusted me,” Weaver says. “The same goes for theater and for putting on a show. I trust my castmates, and they trust me. At least, I hope they do. That’s been so special, knowing that everyone has the same goal. How we achieve that goal might be different, because it’s a very personal thing. But when you’re all on the same page, I think it’s really special to be able to make something.”

And what does Weaver have in common with Roxie Hart? Plenty, within reason. “I think Roxie, she is a go-getter and a dreamer,” says Weaver. “I think all of us have a little bit of Roxie in us with dreaming big and going after something that we want.” There is, of course, one fairly significant distinction. “For Roxie, obviously, she takes steps that I don’t necessarily want to take.” Weaver is also happy to leave Roxie at the theater. “I want to play Roxie and let other people know that I’m not becoming Roxie. I’m still Reece at the end of the day.”

With her Chicago run extended, Weaver is taking in every moment. “I could not be more honored,” she says. “Chicago is so iconic. The fact that it has been on Broadway for 30 years just speaks volumes for everyone who has come through this show and who are going to come after the show. I think it’s such a blessing."

As for what’s next? Weaver would love to explore voice work and has a book on the way. She may know how to hit her mark, whether on the 50-yard line or a Broadway stage, but she’s leaving her next move open. “I’m just soaking up this moment right now,” she says. “I’m excited for anything that comes.”

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