This is not the play you know! Far from it. It's an LGBTQIA+ story set in modern times, and it's less of a tragedy and more of a realistic romance.
While this story has its roots in William Shakespeare's 1597 script, THE TRAGEDIE OF ROMEO and IVLIET it has been extensively rewritten for a modern audience and the story has been changed considerably so that it's an original work. The entire story has been rewritten from scratch after the ball where Romeo meets Juliet. Prior to that it follows Shakespeare in a very rough outline while being completely rewritten for modern day Chicago.
Juliet became Romiet and Romeo became Julio because those names better fitted the story I wanted to tell, with the female character having precedence for once. Some other names have been changed or augmented, too.
There never were any lords or ladies in the original, so no Lady Capulet or Lord Montague. Those words were used in the old fashioned respectful sense, but never as titles. Count Paris has become Perry, a tech billionaire.
Since Shakespeare ripped off this story from earlier works, I went back to names that were more in line with Italian names rather than use the idiotic English ones that Shakespeare made up.
So this is a new story with a new ending. Enjoy!
