Heartbreakers (Chicago Shakespeare Theater)

About This Event

A world premiere that drops Romeo and Juliet into a sweaty, neon-lit underground, reimagined entirely through Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo's own catalog — 'Love Is a Battlefield,' 'Heartbreaker,' songs written decades before this mashup existed, now built into a real jukebox-musical retelling. Genuinely new, not a revival of something already staged elsewhere.

The catalog runs deep here — 'We Belong,' 'Shadows of the Night,' 'Promises in the Dark,' 'Invincible,' and 'We Live for Love' are all in the mix alongside the two most famous tracks, plus new original songs Benatar and Giraldo wrote specifically for this production. The book comes from Bradley Bredeweg, the creator of the Television Academy Award-winning drama 'The Fosters,' who also directs — and the Upstairs Studio itself gets reworked into an immersive space that's part dance floor, part theatrical playground, not a traditional proscenium staging.

Worth knowing: this runs Tue May 4 – Sun June 6, 2027 at Chicago Shakespeare on Navy Pier. No single showtime to add to a calendar since performances vary; check chicagoshakes.com for the schedule and ticket prices.