Reece Weaver, a reality television star from Netflix's "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders," has been cast as Roxie Hart in the Broadway musical Chicago, continuing a proven casting strategy that has contributed to the show's position as the longest-running American musical. The production has successfully built a track record of featuring high-profile celebrities from outside traditional musical theatre, including pop stars, film actors and reality television personalities, with producer Barry Weissler pioneering this approach during the 1990s revival of Grease. The strategy brings audiences through the doors based on celebrity appeal, only for them to discover the surrounding Broadway talent.

Chicago has now featured seven reality television stars in lead roles, alongside established celebrities such as Brandy, Usher, Pamela Anderson and Sofia Vergara, creating an unofficial "wall of fame" on the theatre alley. Recent casting decisions have proved particularly successful, with Bravo stars and RuPaul's Drag Race alumnus Jinkx Monsoon joining the cast, whilst Whitney Leavitt's portrayal of Roxie resulted in the show's highest-ever grosses. The musical's satirical structure—centred on the cult of celebrity and fame in Jazz Age Chicago—makes it an ideal vehicle for such casting, and many reality stars have underlying performance training; Weaver herself holds a degree in dance from the University of Alabama and trained extensively in musical theatre.