Football for Footlights

Dallas Cowboys player debuts on Broadway before heading to Texas

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 Musical Solomon 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 Musical Thomas in his Broadway dressing room.Photo by Andy Henderson

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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Piano competition news

Cliburn piano competition locks in 20-year commitment to Dallas and SMU

Shuan Hern Lee at 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival

Photo by Ralph Lauer

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The Fort Worth-based Cliburn is crossing county lines and making a long-term commitment to Dallas: The arts organization is entering a 20-year partnership with Southern Methodist University and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for the next five editions of its Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists.

The next one will be contested June 10-19, 2027, in Dallas.

Formerly the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival, the contest welcomes top pianists aged 13 to 17 from around the world for both fierce competition and educational enrichment. The Dallas partnership will include an in-residence fellowship program on the campus of SMU consisting of masterclasses, workshops, artist conversations, performance opportunities, and other scheduled activities, a release says.

“As the Cliburn continues to encourage the futures of the amazing young artists who participate in the Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists, we must also invest in the future of the communities that make events like this possible,” says Cliburn president and CEO Jacques Marquis in the release. “By cementing the partnership with SMU and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra - true pillars of the Dallas artistic community - for the next 20 years, we are telling the people of Dallas that the Cliburn is here, and that we are committed to the development of the next generation of great artists.”

'Cliburn Junior' history
The inaugural Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival was held in June 2015 at Texas Christian University, with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra accompanying the finalists. The top three finishers in 2015 were from Kazakhstan, Russia, and China.

Cliburn Junior Competition winners Cliburn Junior 2023 winner Seokyoung Hong (center) with second-place Yifan Wu (left), and third-place Jan Schulmeister. Photo by Ralph Lauer

The competition for teens moved to Dallas and partnered with SMU and the DSO for the 2019 edition, attracting a new audience of piano enthusiasts on the east side of the Metroplex. (The Cliburn-experts at CultureMap Fort Worth published a guide to getting the most out of the competition in Dallas.)

The move to Dallas marked the first time the organization, a crown jewel of Fort Worth culture, staged a major program outside namesake Van Cliburn’s adopted hometown since Cliburn competitions began in 1962.

At the time, Marquis explained that, "One key to continuing the Cliburn’s strategic advancement is to continuously reach a broader community, both around the world and in our own backyard."

The junior competition was held in Dallas again in 2023; Seokyoung Hong, a 15-year-old phenom from South Korea, took home the top prize.

A few "Cliburn Junior" laureates have gone on to compete in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition; notably, Tony Yike Yang, a Canadian pianist who competed in both the 2015 Cliburn junior and the 2017 Cliburn International, where he earned a spot in the semifinals. And Clayton Stephenson, who competed in the 2015 Cliburn Junior and returned for the 2022 Cliburn International, where he was a fan-favorite finalist (and brought the house down in Bass Hall with a performance of the Gershwin Piano Concerto.)

Clayton Stephenson, 23, of the United States Clayton Stephenson competed in the 2015 Cliburn Junior Competition and returned for the 2022 Cliburn International Competition, where he was a finalist. Photo courtesy of The Cliburn

The Cliburn also just announced its further stretch, to Houston, where the inaugural Cliburn International Competition for Conductors will take place in June 2028.

Looking ahead to 2027
For the 2027 young pianists' competition, per tradition, the Preliminary and Semifinal Rounds will be hosted on the campus of SMU, where participants will also reside throughout their time in Dallas.

The Final Round will move to the Meyerson Symphony Center, where six young pianists will perform one concerto movement with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maurice Cohn, music director of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and former assistant conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

The 2027 competition jury will be chaired by Sa Chen, the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition bronze medalist. Additional jurors will include:

Kenny Broberg, USA (2017 Cliburn silver medalist)
Lucille Chung, Canada/USA
Alessandro Deljavan, Italy (2009 & 2013 Cliburn jury prize winner who returns to DFW frequently for concerts)
Marie-Josèphe Jude, France
Alexander Korsantia, Georgia/USA
Alessandro Mazzamuto, Italy
Noriko Ogawa, Japan
Steven Osborne, Scotland

Italian pianist and Cliburn alum Alessandro Deljavan will serve on the jury. Photo courtesy of Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth

Pianists aged 13 to 17 are invited to apply by November 17, 2026. The Cliburn will invite 38 artists to participate as Piano Fellows; from this group, 24 pianists will be selected to compete for prizes. All applicants must have been born on or after June 7, 2010, and before June 19, 2014.

More information can be found at the competition's website.

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