Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders star overcomes stunt casting criticism

Former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Reece Weaver has shelved her cowboy boots and swapped the football pitch for the stage as she steps into one of the most famous roles in the world.

Weaver was a breakout star of the Netflix docuseries America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, with her exit from the squad a major storyline of the third season.

Making her Broadway debut in the musical Chicago, she faced criticism that it was her profile, more than her talent, which landed her the role.

After much fan speculation, she officially stepped into the role of murderess Roxie Hart this week at New York's Ambassador Theatre.

"The audience loved her," says Sealy Sikes, who attended the opening night with her mum Tammy Pack.

Her mum's a big fan of the Netflix series, which follows the cheerleaders through gruelling auditions and training regimes as they compete for their spot dancing in one of the world's best known squads.

Sikes says she was less familiar with fan favourite Weaver before the curtain went up and was impressed with how she commanded the stage.

"She did a great job, she's a very big, charismatic actor.

"It was a little bit shaky at the beginning, but if I wasn't hyper aware that it was her first time, I wouldn't have even thought anything about it."

Clips shared on social media showed the audience erupting in applause for a grinning Weaver as she took her first bow.

But the decision to cast a celebrity - known as stunt casting - meant Sikes was "nervous" for Weaver and whether she could translate her skills from the football field to the stage.

"Her strong suit is the acting and dancing," says the 28-year-old.

"She's a great singer but of the three talents that's probably not her strong suit, relatively speaking.

"But even then, she was great."

And while stunt casting is criticised for taking roles from actors, Sikes says it might actually be a positive thing for long running shows like Chicago, which is the longest running show on Broadway.

"If that's something that gets people back in the seats and re-interested in a classic that has to just continuously fill out that auditorium, then I would say that's a good thing."

When her casting was confirmed, Weaver said it was one of her "biggest dreams as a performer" to be on Broadway.

"I cannot believe this dream has come to fruition," she said in a TikTok post, which has since been viewed more than six million times.

Mickey-Jo Boucher is a theatre critic and content creator and tells Newsbeat that stunt casting is needed to "interest ticket buyers", especially for shows that might be "slowing down at the box office".

But at the same time, he recognises why it's not always popular.

"We don't want it to become so widespread that established theatre actors and the real talents of the theatre world are missing out on opportunities or that it's to the detriment of the calibre of these shows," he says.

"Because at the end of the day the most important thing is that the quality of the show is the highest that it can be."

Chicago's choice of Weaver isn't the first time a production has picked a celebrity star.

Earlier this year, rapper Megan Thee Stallion was cast as Zidler in Moulin Rouge!, becoming the first woman to play the role of the nightclub boss.

Although she quit the show early, her performance received strong reviews and boosted interest in the show, with fans reportedly travelling from across the US to see her.

Six The Musical also booked Grammy-winning singer Abigail Barlow and content creator Dylan Mulvaney for a run of shows back in January.

"When a show starts to struggle a little bit more, they tend to use celebrity casting," says Boucher.

"By being there, they're actually keeping a lot of other people employed at the same time."

Reece's role has already attracted her fans to Broadway, with some like Samantha Milo waiting to meet her at the theatre's stage door on her debut night.

"I do think there is some stunt casting involved, however she is a great addition regardless," the 19-year-old tells Newsbeat.

"She earned her spot there, she has been dancing and performing her whole life, this was a big goal for her."

"Having Reece step into the role helps new fans who may never have thought to go and see Chicago, find a way to enjoy the show."

The production runs for six weeks until 18 October.

Additional reporting by Miya Chahal.

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