2010 / Video / Second City literary-parody sketch

Sassy Gay Friend: Romeo & Juliet

Juliet was about to drink poison until her new friend asked the necessary question: “What, what, what are you doing?”

The original is hosted off-site; this page provides context and a link to it.

What was this?

A fast-talking friend interrupts Juliet’s tragic plan and translates Shakespearean melodrama into impatient common sense.

Why it spread

Its What, what, what interruption became a reaction-friendly quote while the format expanded to other characters.

Watch on YouTube ↗

What happened

A fast-talking friend interrupts Juliet’s tragic plan and translates Shakespearean melodrama into impatient common sense.

Where it came from

The Second City released Brian Gallivan and Drew Droege’s Romeo & Juliet entry in the Sassy Gay Friend series in March 2010.

Why it mattered

It turned a familiar tragedy into a compassionate comic rescue: the joke is clear-eyed intervention, not suffering.

How it spread

Its What, what, what interruption became a reaction-friendly quote while the format expanded to other characters.