←Recommendations of NELL DASH, The Gruesomely Merry Adventures Of An Irrepressibly Sensible Capitalist With A Vengeance

I had great expectations for this play and it did not disappoint. It’s a tasty minced pie of a penny dreadful made up of ingredients ground together from large chunks of Dickens, smaller bits of Austen and Brecht, leavening by Sondheim and Bart, and a mysterious seasoning only revealed at the very end, all of it wrapped up in DeVita’s erudite, wicked, shameless sense of humor. There are lines that literally and literarily had me gasping in delight. Reader and audiences alike are sure to Lovett.

How can I have not read this play before?! My admiration of Doug's work has grown with every piece I've read but this one is just fabulous! Taking classical characters and whisking them up with his own brilliant imagination and this is what is produced! I read the piece tucked on the sofa with a cup of tea but it needs to be experienced live to give it the atmosphere it will undoubtedly provide. As a British playwright, I think Nell needs to make her hop across the pond! Truly brilliant work.

In "Nell Dash," Doug DeVita mashes up "Sweeney Todd," "Oliver Twist," "Great Expectations," "The Beggar's Opera," and doubtless more to create a dazzlingly intricate, rapidly paced melodrama-cum-farce centered around the exploits of its irrepressible eponymous heroine. Do you need to know all these allusions to enjoy the work? Not really, since what matters most is the legerdemain of DeVita's plotting and comic timing, something all theatergoers will find a source of delight.

This utterly bonkers romp throws characters and plots from 19th Century BritLit into a meat grinder -- Sense and Sensibility, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and Sweeney Todd, to name but a few -- and manages to turn out something not only coherent but balls-out hilarious! The endless pile-on of plot twists, coincidences, complications, and revelations are made all the more delightful by how entirely aware DeVita is of what he's doing -- and lest it get all too literary, he's not above indulging in some of the cheapest gags and wordplay I've ever been ashamed to guffaw at. A hoot.

What a fast-paced, fun and wonderfully irreverent romp through 19th Century Brit Lit ... a mash up of characters from a divergence of classic Victorian tales, brilliantly interwoven to create one new story worth telling! DeVita has gifted us with a splendid spoof with impeccable plotting, delivering twists and turns and surprises enroute to a most satisfying resolution. Fabulous!

I have been kicking myself for not reading this epic farce sooner than now. But boy, am I glad I did. Like viewing a guided tour through British literature by someone who drank way more DayQuil than he should have, this is an inspired romp with plenty of laughs along with some pretty bloody acts of violence. As always though, it's peppered by Doug DeVita's spot-on dialogue and wonderful characters. An ensemble piece for sure, if gives a talented bunch of actors multiple roles to chew on as surely as a meat pie. A winner!

Nell Dash flies at a mile a minute, with plenty of twists and turns to keep things fresh and interesting. Dickensian wit and a familiar cast of characters make for a hilarious and joyous ride with familiarity, plenty of laughs, and a lovely conclusion. Wonderful!

How many characters from British Literature can you cram into one dizzyingly hilarious play? I don't know because I lost count. But it doesn't matter because this amazingly funny spoof keeps tearing along delivering laughs and surprises page after page. I'll never pick up Dickens, or Austen or John Gay without a chuckle or ten. So looking forward to seeing this play on stage!

A delightful romp bursting with theatricality and farcical fun. As an 18-19th century Brit Lit lover, this play had so many enjoyable Twists (get it?) and turns, covering and combining the worlds of Austen, Dickens, Sweeney Todd, and more. NELL DASH is a true circus of beloved characters and is such fun for the audience to follow. I'd love to see a production as it is so ripe for performance.

Nell Dash is a riotous and irreverent hoot from start to finish. Re-imagining some of the best known characters of 19th century and weaving them into an action packed and enormously witty romp, Doug De Vita has laid the ground work for skilled actors to make merry from the get go and leave the audience wracked with laughter. Improbable events, larger than life characters and a cracking pace will delight people from eight to eighty, and the 'pearls' of literary allusions along the way just add to the fun.