Walking into the Courtyard Theater for Rome Sweet Rome, you might find it’s impossible not to be taken aback by the design. College Pollard’s Scenic Design astounds – particularly with the large replica Michaelangelo’s sculpture the David at the center. The catch? The statue is featured from behind, giving the audience a prime view of the David’s backside for the entire performance. Especially when combined with Lighting Designer Jesse Klug’s bright, flashing lights and Jax and Composer Jeffrey JQ Qiayum’s invitation to get up and dance to the bumping mix blasting through the speakers, space sets the audience up for two things:
- This play clearly takes place in some version of Rome.
- Nothing can quite prepare the audience for the event that they are about to experience.
The Q Brothers Collective’s Rome Sweet Rome is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, but with quite a few twists – including a full 90s hip-hop soundtrack and fun, top-notch choreography from Tanji Harper. The production is a party from the moment the lights come up, and looking around at the audience surrounding me at this performance, it was clear everyone was ready to lean in.
Caesar (POS), the charismatic tyrant at the center, carries a strong hold over Rome. He continues to pass increasingly absurd laws out of fear of losing that control. When Caesar makes the decision to outlaw bread, a select group decides it’s time to take action. Cash (Jonathan Shaboo), Brutus (Victor Musoni), and Casca (Danielle Davis) decide to stage a coup and take him down. The question is, will they succeed? Can they bring bread back to Rome before it’s too late?
Janyce Caraballo (center) with the company of Rome Sweet Rome at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, a wild and satirical new “add-rap-tation” of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar from Q Brothers Collective (GQ, JQ, JAX, and POS). September 23-October 19, 2025, in the Courtyard Theater.
It’s not hard to miss the political undertones beneath. A power-hungry ruler at the center who continues to grasp at power in any way he can. This theme is present in the original source material and certainly makes its way into the adaptation. We continue to see history repeating itself. Greedy rulers leave voids for those just like them to take their place – often times more paranoid than the last and grasping even harder at whatever they can.
However, the Q Brothers do their work to carry the story further into today. In a key moment when Brutus turns to the audience and instead, makes it about us. The lights in the audience come up and he pointedly asks if this is what we want. Do we want to murder him? Do we see the trends and do we want to change them? Musoni certainly builds a chemistry with the audience in this moment, and you might find it’s easy to allow the fourth wall to come down and begin to engage in the dialogue. Though a little on the nose, the message acts as a helpful reminder that these stories are more timely than ever. Perhaps we can all do with a little “on the nose” as we continue to navigate what to do next in this political climate.
Full of a pizazz and a poignant message, Rome Sweet Rome has a little something for everyone. Whether you are a die-hard Shakespeare fan or this is your first time with the material, the Q Brothers make Julius Caesar accessible, and even invite us to take a little accountability along the way.
RECOMMENDED
Rome Sweet Rome runs through October 19, 2025 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. For tickets and information, see the Chicago Shakespeare Theater website.
*This review is also shared on https://www.theatreinchicago.com/!
