Steppenwolf’s LookOut and Second City Theatricals have teamed up to re-create a staged reading of the smash hit musical The People vs. Friar Laurence, the Man Who Killed Romeo and Juliet. Originally produced by Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Second City Theatricals in the theater Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare, this musical is a hilarious spoof of Shakespeare’s most famous love story. This rowdy re-dux of the legendary tale lays the ultimate blame for Romeo and Juliet’s fated demise at the feet of Friar Laurence. Grilled, Court TV-style by an aggressive Prince Escalus, the clergyman is forced to recount the entire tale of the star-crossed lovers in an effort to prove his innocence.

The original musical score includes such songs as “Why Say Where-fore Instead of Why?” and “Thank You for Dying First.”

Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune writes, “Laughs come thick and fast in this Shakespeare parody...In short, it’s a blast.”