Romeo & Juliet Keep Their Eyes on the Prize

"Richard Engling knows Chicago's famously chaotic and glorious storefront theater scene like the back of his hand. It's the perfect setting for absurd comic hi-jinx."
– Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

In this hilarious follow-up to Give My Regards to Nowhere, Chicago director Dwayne Finnegan has another crack at the big time if only his production of Romeo and Juliet can shine. However, Dwayne shares rehearsal space with a psychedelic drug cult that believes Dwayne's production is evil. The cult sabotages him. His actors rebel. His publicist gets entangled with a loan shark. Bones are broken, the production drops into chaos, Dwayne's marriage hangs by a thread, but despite it all, the show must go on.

Praise for Romeo and Juliet Keep Their Eyes on the Prize

"Fans of Evanston writer Richard Engling's 2023 comic novel about Chicago theater, Give My Regards to Nowhere, will be delighted to learn he has written a follow-up. The rollicking sequel, Romeo and Juliet Keep Their Eyes on the Prize, lovingly pokes fun at the backstage world of squabbling actors, amateur wannabes, dilapidated stages, financial crises, and chaotic rehearsals that may or may not lead to theatrical magic. Engling knows this landscape well. He has a long history of acting, writing and directing in Chicago and was artistic director of Polarity Ensemble Theater for more than a decade in the early 2000s, launching new plays as well as fresh versions of classic works. He finds comic gold in some unlikely places."

– Evanston RoundTable

Praise for the first Dwayne Finnegan novel

"As Carl Hiaasen does with his Florida-based satirical crime novels, Engling's gloriously silly narrative allows his readers to witness how the sausage gets made, which isn't always pretty but is often eye-opening. Engling's satire on storefront theatre is thoroughly entertaining from start to finish."
– ChicagoOnStage

"The chaotic shenanigans conceal a tightly constructed plot full of vivid dialogue that hones to comedy's fundamental principles: pleasure, surprise, folly, luck both good and bad, and a celebration of human ingenuity and resilience."
– Evanston RoundTable

"The rollicking ride through the underbelly of the acting world and the determination of a man who sees his world fall apart and come back together in a new way as the show goes on will attract anyone interested in drama, theater, Chicago backdrops, or a drive to succeed against all odds."
– Midwest Book Review