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    Theater Review

    Adrenaline-packed Grounded soars at Dallas' Second Thought Theatre

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jan 23, 2017 | 3:45 pm

    A solid reason why there haven't been more plays written about fighter pilots is the earthbound nature of theater. How could you adequately mimic the speed of high-flying jets for any length of time, or convey the adrenaline rush of a cat-and-mouse chase thousands of feet in the air? George Brandt found a way: simply put your pilot in a chair.

    His play Grounded follows a cocky female pilot as she's plucked from "the blue" and stuck in an air-conditioned trailer in the Las Vegas desert, controlling drones halfway around the world with a joystick and monitor. As performed by Jenny Ledel at Second Thought Theatre, it's also a surprisingly taut and tense one-woman show.

    Drone warfare is the future of fighting, Brandt's unnamed pilot learns, and at first she's mad as hell about the reassignment. She was an ace in the air, much more at home in her beloved blue than down on leave in Wyoming, where she kills time playing pool and knocking back beers with the boys. It's there that she meets a man who's not intimidated by her line of work — he's turned on by it, even — and suddenly leave becomes a little more fun.

    That's when the (metaphorical) bomb drops for our pilot: she's pregnant. After one final flight on her trusty jet, Tiger, she dejectedly informs her superior officer of her delicate condition and is planted behind a desk. But soon her baby arrives and the man takes on the title of husband, and the pilot is content for a while.

    She's soon itching to get back up in the air though, to feel the freedom of flight again. But instead of flying in the Middle East, she's assigned to what's derisively called the "chair force," essentially playing a live-action video game for 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Except with this video game, you press a button and one second later a bomb drops halfway around the world (Brian McDonald's set and sound design are transportive, while Aaron Johansen's lighting brings a heart-pounding urgency).

    Under the direction of STT artistic director Alex Organ, Ledel is mesmerizing. With swagger and a masculine edge, she transitions from Top Gun's Maverick into a fully formed person. She's a new mother who's pleased that she'll get to watch her daughter grow up and kiss her husband each night but who also misses the danger and excitement of deployment and live-action combat. To leave the flight suit on when she returns home, or not? It's a struggle that makes sense to anyone who's ever become a little too immersed in his or her job.

    Quickly we all come to understand that even though this war might seem faraway, the effects are very real. Day after day the pilot struggles to come down off her combat high and readjust to the civilian world, but adrenaline and paranoia keep creeping in. On a day trip to the mall with her daughter, she's fixated on the "eye in the sky" security cameras in each store. They're chillingly similar to the all-seeing power of her deadly drone, and suddenly a dressing room feels like a war zone.

    Brandt cleverly lulls us into the monotony of the pilot's routine, traveling back and forth across the desert from staid civilian day-to-day to life-or-death choices in front of the monitor. Ledel also pulls us along as she's discovers her newfound power, especially when she's tasked with locating and eliminating the war's No. 2 enemy. The intimacy that grows between Ledel's pilot and the audience makes the shocker of an ending even more powerful. It haunts long after we've been hurled back down to earth.

    ---

    Second Thought Theatre's Grounded runs at Bryant Hall through February 4.

    Jenny Ledel as the pilot in Grounded.

    Grounded at Second Thought Theatre
      
    Photo by Karen Almond
    Jenny Ledel as the pilot in Grounded.
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    Football for Footlights

    Dallas Cowboys player debuts on Broadway before heading to Texas

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jun 16, 2025 | 1:57 pm
    Solomon Thomas MJ The Musical
    Photo by Andy Henderson
    Solomon Thomas onstage at the Neil Simon Theatre in New York City.

    Before he hits the field for the Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 season, NFL veteran Solomon Thomas took a final bow in New York City — not at MetLife Stadium, but on Broadway.

    Earlier this year, Thomas signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Cowboys after three seasons with the New York Jets. But before heading to Oxnard, California, for training camp with the 'Boys in July, he gave the Big Apple a dramatic farewell befitting a true Broadway fan.

    On June 13, Thomas made his Broadway debut in MJ the Musical, appearing for one night only in a special cameo role. The hit show, which celebrates the life and career of Michael Jackson, has long been a favorite of Thomas', who’s seen it six times.

    “I cannot think of a better way to celebrate my time in New York than by making my Broadway debut!” Thomas shared in a statement ahead of the performance. “I am so grateful to MJ for making this dream come true and for the support over the past few years. It’s truly an honor to be able to witness the greatness of these performers. I hope to see everyone at the Neil Simon Theatre on June 13!”

    Solomon Thomas outside MJ The MusicalSolomon Thomas outside "MJ The Musical" at the Neil Simon Theatre.Photo by Andy Henderson

    Thomas famously brought nearly a dozen teammates to see MJ, a moment featured in an episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks. He has also served as a CBS theater correspondent and presented at the 2024 Tony Awards.

    Thomas' special cameo is reminiscent of when Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made her Broadway debut in late 2024 with a walk-on role in the hit jukebox musical & Juliet at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

    “Solly has been such a great supporter and friend of Broadway and our show,” said MJ producer Lia Vollack in the statement. “We couldn’t think of a better way to thank him for his time in New York: giving him his Broadway debut!”

    MJ the Musical opened in 2021 and focuses on the creative process behind Michael Jackson’s 1992 Dangerous World Tour. With a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon, the show blends dazzling spectacle with emotional depth. It earned four 2022 Tony Awards, including Best Choreography, Lighting Design, and Sound Design in a Musical.

    The current Broadway cast stars Elijah Rhea Johnson, who made his Broadway debut in the show in April 2023. Johnson was involved in the development of the role as “Middle Michael” and succeeded original star Myles Frost, who made history in 2022 as the youngest performer ever to win the Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.

    The national tour of MJ recently stopped at Fort Worth’s Bass Hall in May as part of the 2024–25 Broadway at the Bass season. Other productions are currently running in London, Hamburg, and Sydney.

    Solomon Thomas MJ The MusicalThomas in his Broadway dressing room.Photo by Andy Henderson

    Solomon Thomas MJ The Musical
      

    Photo by Andy Henderson

    Solomon Thomas onstage at the Neil Simon Theatre in New York City.

    While Thomas is known now for both football and footlights, his off-the-field work continues to make a difference. He co-founded the nonprofit The Defensive Line with his parents in honor of his sister Ella, who died by suicide in 2018. Now in his ninth NFL season, the three-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee works to end the epidemic of youth suicide, especially among young people of color, by promoting open, honest conversations around mental health.

    As Thomas trades curtain calls for play calls, there’s no doubt he’ll bring the same heart and presence to the Cowboys locker room that he brought to the Broadway stage. And here's hoping the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders don't mind sharing the spotlight with Broadway's newest star.

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