Reece Weaver Lifts Chicago to Sellout in Broadway Debut Week
Chicago filled the Ambassador Theatre in Reece Weaver's first week as Roxie Hart.
The musical grossed $997,133 for the week ending September 13, up $184,882 from the week before, according to figures reported by Deadline. Attendance reached 100% of capacity, the share of seats sold, up from 88% the previous week. The gross is the total money collected from tickets sold.
Weaver made her Broadway debut in the role. She is a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. She is a breakout star of the Netflix series America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Her limited engagement began September 7 and continues through October 18. A limited engagement is a run with a set closing date announced from the start. Playbill first reported on August 11 that Weaver would join Chicago in September.
She did not arrive alone. Natasha Yvette Williams joined the cast as Mama Morton on September 7. Red Concepción joined as Amos Hart on the same date.
Broadway as a whole counted 26 productions that week. Together they grossed $25,019,859 for the week ending September 13. Total attendance across those shows was 223,921.
Two other shows sold out their houses that week. Just in Time grossed $693,931. Paranormal Activity grossed $816,648.
School Girls; Or The African Mean Girls Play earned $270,461 over seven previews at 98% capacity. Previews are ticketed performances held before opening night, when the creative team can still make changes. Capacity measures how much of the house was filled.
The prior week offers context for the lift. For the week ending September 6, 25 shows grossed a combined $26,258,361, according to the Broadway League. Chicago took in $812,251 that week over eight performances with no previews.
What makes this stand out is the speed of the change at one box office. For fans, this means eight performances a week with Weaver in the lineup through mid-October. The advance, tickets already sold for future performances, will tell how long the bump holds.
