Theatre News Wire

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces the cast and creative team for Rome Sweet Rome, a wild and satirical new "add-rap-tation" of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar from Q Brothers Collective (GQ, JQ, JAX and POS). The production was developed in collaboration with Chicago Shakespeare's Artistic Director Edward Hall and Literary Manager Ericka Ratcliff, as part of CST's new work development program. The production runs September 23-October 19 in the Jentes Family Courtyard Theater, featuring performances by JQ, JAX, POS, Janyce Caraballo, Danielle Davis, Victor Musoni, Cage Sebastian Pierre, Maya Vinice Prentiss, Jonathan Shaboo, and Bri Sudia.

Rome Sweet Rome at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Rome wasn't built in a day, but it only takes a moment for the balance of power-and the breadbasket-to crumble. The charismatic tyrant Caesar rules over his realm with an iron fist and a string of increasingly ludicrous executive orders. When delicious carbs are officially kiboshed, Brutus, Cassius, and the Senator crew decide the madness must end. Set to the electrifying beats of '90s hip hop and New Jack Swing, razor-sharp wit collides with revolutionary rhythm, proving that political power struggles never go out of style. This is Shakespeare that bumps, breathes, and breaks boundaries... Can we get a "Hail Caesar"?

Internationally acclaimed theater artists, Q Brothers Collective (GQ, JQ, JAX and POS) generates original work fusing hip hop and theater, adapting classic stories to a wholly original, entertaining, and fast-paced style of comedic performance that has been energizing audiences for over two decades. The world premiere of Rome Sweet Rome marks the long-awaited return of the Collective to Chicago Shakespeare Theater after hugely successful collaborations including Othello: The Remix, Funk It Up About Nothin', and Q Brothers' Christmas Carol.

Q Brothers Collective shared, "We're excited to be back home at Chicago Shakes. Rome Sweet Rome is just us doing what we love-celebrating and satirizing Shakespeare, and the world at large."

"It's a real joy to be collaborating with Q Brothers Collective, who bring such a unique and joyful perspective to Shakespeare," shared Chicago Shakespeare's artistic director Edward Hall. "Julius Caesar has been a story of our times for centuries and now it gets the Q treatment, which guarantees to put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. Hail Caesar..."

The production features an ensemble cast, including JQ as DJ/Cicero/Meta World War Three (original score for FX's The Bear; Othello: The Remix, Q Brothers Christmas Carol, and Funk It Up About Nothin' at Chicago Shakespeare); JAX as Tre Bone/Billy/DJ (Othello: The Remix, Q Brothers Christmas Carol, and Funk It Up About Nothin' at Chicago Shakespeare); POS as Caesar/Octavius (A Free Man of Color on Broadway, Othello: The Remix, Q Brothers Christmas Carol, and Funk It Up About Nothin' at Chicago Shakespeare); Janyce Caraballo as Lucy/Anne Marellus (The Hero Within at Chicago Shakespeare, Little Women at Northlight Theatre); Danielle Davis as Casca/TV Reporter (Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, and more at Chicago Shakespeare); Victor Musoni as Brutus/Chuck D (Fat Ham at the Goodman Theatre, The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington at Steppenwolf Theatre); Cage Sebastian Pierre as Tony (Romeo and Juliet, Short Shakespeare! Macbeth, Q Brothers Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and more at Chicago Shakespeare); Maya Vinice Prentiss as Flavius Flav/C-Pimp (The Comedy of Errors, Romeo and Juliet, and more at Chicago Shakespeare); Jonathan Shaboo as Cash/Soothy Sue (The Band's Visit at Writers Theatre, Layalina at Goodman Theatre); and Bri Sudia as Purney (Emma, Red Velvet, and more at Chicago Shakespeare, A Beautiful Noise on Broadway). Understudies include Madeline Baird, Theo Gyra, and Elexis Selmon.

The creative team for Rome Sweet Rome includes Tanji Harper (Choreographer), Collette Pollard (Scenic Designer), Jos N. Banks (Costume Designer), Jesse Klug (Lighting Designer), Stephen Ptacek (Sound Designer), Bob Mason (Casting), Joe Disbrow (Associate Sound Designer), Rita Vreeland (Production Stage Manager), and Danny Fender (Assistant Stage Manager).