Can we get a “Hail Caesar”?! Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it only takes a moment for the balance of power—and the bread basket—to crumble. In this wild and satirical “add-rap-tation” of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar from Chicago’s own Q Brothers Collective, 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.

Internationally acclaimed theater artists, the Q Brothers Collective 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.