# Rewriting Romeo & Juliet. What two conflicting groups do the star crossed lovers come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 4, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996 "2019-11-04T17:26:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/1 "2019-11-04T17:26:04Z")
Yes, I know it’s been done. West Side Story in the early 1960’s. But the story is timeless. S\op what two groups yield the star crossed lovers? I’d love to redo it the story with a fundamentalist Christian and a Homosexual Activist in the leads. Both Men. They meet outside a gay bar where there’s a protest going on and–wham! Instant chemistry, and unhappy ending. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/2 "2019-11-04T17:32:06Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Yes, I know it’s been done. West Side Story in the early 1960’s. > > But the story is timeless. > > S\op what two groups yield the star crossed lovers? > > I’d love to redo it the story with a fundamentalist Christian and a Homosexual Activist in the leads. Both Men. They meet outside a gay bar where there’s a protest going on and–wham! Instant chemistry, and unhappy ending. You mean “instant apothecary”, right? No? I’ll get my coat. j ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/3 "2019-11-04T17:40:38Z")
Trump supporter and sane person. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/4 "2019-11-04T17:52:18Z")
PC and Mac users (or Android/iOS) ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/5 "2019-11-04T17:58:29Z")
Storm Trooper and Rebel Spy Alabama Fan and Auburn Fan Stuffy Assistant U.S. Attorney and Hippie Chick…like Dharma and Greg, but with bloodshed and death at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/6 "2019-11-04T18:07:50Z")
Neo-Nazi and Jew for Jesus would be interesting. Also Neo-Nazi and Black Panther ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/7 "2019-11-04T18:08:40Z")
Red garden gnomes versus blue garden gnomes. > **[Gnomeo & Juliet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnomeo_%26_Juliet)** > > Gnomeo & Juliet is a 2011 computer-animated romantic comedy film directed by Kelly Asbury from a screenplay by Rob Sprackling and John Smith. It is loosely based on the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and features the voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Maggie Smith, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant, Matt Lucas, Jim Cummings, Julie Walters, Richard Wilson, Patrick Stewart, and Ozzy Osbourne. The story follows Gnomeo and Juliet, a pair of garden gnomes... ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/8 "2019-11-04T18:12:20Z")
A Hunter and siamese twin furries. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/9 "2019-11-04T18:24:01Z")
A Yazidi and a Wahabbist. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/10 "2019-11-04T18:35:40Z")
In Michigan it would be GM and Ford customers. General US would be Democratic and Republican families. Maybe more applicable worldwide would be a Greenpeace activist and an heir to an oil conglomerate. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/11 "2019-11-04T18:38:36Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Yes, I know it’s been done. West Side Story in the early 1960’s. > > But the story is timeless. > > S\op what two groups yield the star crossed lovers? > > I’d love to redo it the story with a fundamentalist Christian and a Homosexual Activist in the leads. Both Men. They meet outside a gay bar where there’s a protest going on and–wham! Instant chemistry, and unhappy ending. Have you seen [Latter Days](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0345551/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)? You’d probably enjoy it – it’s one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/12 "2019-11-04T19:12:44Z")
OK, I’m going to stick with tradition here - let’s set it in Verona; and in present day Italy there are football - ahem- rivalries aplenty. According to [this,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_derbies_in_Italy#Veneto) [Hellas **Verona** F.C.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellas_Verona_F.C.) and [L.R. **Vicenza** Virtus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L.R._Vicenza_Virtus) (just down the road) get a little frisky when they meet up: > [@](#): > > The derby between the two sides is fierce to the point of being extremely violent. It is a derby whose origins date back to a strong rivalry between the two cities as far back as the Middle Ages. Excellent. Sounds like a proper clash of _Ultras_. But it gets better: Hellas Verona has a women’s team, [A.S.D. AGSM Verona Calcio Femminile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.S.D._AGSM_Verona_Calcio_Femminile) (as they chant in the stands). You know what? I think we have our play. j ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/13 "2019-11-04T20:04:18Z")
A punk rocker and a [Valley Girl](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086525/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/14 "2019-11-04T20:23:41Z")
There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don’t. From What About Bob? ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/15 "2019-11-04T21:03:19Z")
A white gang and a Puerto Rican gang. Oh wait… ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/16 "2019-11-04T21:05:24Z")
A coyote and a roadrunner. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/17 "2019-11-04T21:44:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Trump supporter and sane person. _I like it here in hysteria_… ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/18 "2019-11-04T21:50:59Z")
Skeptics and conspiracy theorists There could be several versions of this. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/19 "2019-11-04T22:04:29Z")
Rival Texas high schools during a football game. Or Indiana high schools during a basketball game. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996/20 "2019-11-04T22:15:04Z")
Rugby match. New Zealand vs Wales. In the opening scene, the New Zealanders perform the Haka, while the Welsh sing “Men of Harlech.” (Basically, the dueling anthems scene from _Zulu_, but in a modern setting.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewriting-romeo-juliet-what-two-conflicting-groups-do-the-star-crossed-lovers-come-from/842996.md?page=2)