←Recommendations of The Fierce Urgency Of Now

Despite the advertising world setting, I forgot about “Mad Men” in the first couple of pages as this piece is driven by a delirious wit and verve that are distinctly DeVita’s. The dialogue is sharp, the characters glorious in their backstabbing, and the pace snappy. Kyle, Kate, and Dodo are all unique and unforgettable characters. The ad world details all ring true, and we are so immersed in the milieu that the stakes always feel heightened, yet throughout the corporate warfare the play maintains perspective and revels in the dream of flying high above it all. Masterful work.

This play succeeds for me where other fictional takes on advertising - i.e. "Mad Men" - fall short. It critiques without simultaneously glamorizing, all the while maintaining an understated, even tone that keeps your eye trained on the masterfully subtle characterization that is the play's lifeblood. Any audience/reader is the richer for experiencing this piece!

Beyond the high level of craft and form, this play has heart. The playwright has constructed a piece that allows you into the world of the characters, both professionally and personally, and lets you see their wants and needs without showing the writer's hand. This play is a masterful achievement and I hope has a long life in the theatre. It deserves at least that much.

DeVita has assembled a compelling and distinct collection of colorful characters. While Kyle's journey is at the center of the piece, DeVita ensures that the entire supporting cast receives satisfying story arcs themselves. The advertising world also comes alive in these briskly moving scenes in a skillful example of theatrical "showing vs. telling." The fast-moving plot kept me engaged enough to read it through in one sitting, and I loved the way that the scene transitions toyed with the flexible boundary between the cinematic and the theatrical. Hope to see a production of this some day soon...

I loved this play. Mr. DeVita clearly knows the advertising world and both the story and the characters absolutely pop with authenticity. The plot twists are surprising and moving, and each character has a clear voice. I also liked the "Auntie Mame" references, as it is my favorite movie. Dodo is a great character and to find out that she really existed was a lovely coda to the experience of reading this lovely play.

DeVita is really good at getting audiences to care about his characters right outta the gate, and that feeling makes his work hard to resist! Even if his protagonist is someone you might ignore IRL, he becomes an Everyman you want to root for. It's an impossibly awful office environment DeVita fills with biting humor, but the core of the play is so relatable!

Don't be fooled by the amount of comedy DeVita employs in this piece. "The Fierce Urgency of Now" has valuable, well-thought out characters, with a very interesting dynamic between Kyle and Dodo, along with displaying the harsh realities of a totalitarian workplace. Well-researched and well-written, this piece is a surefire attention grabber! Keep up the fantastic work, Doug!

I saw a reading of this play and it is memorable. Smart, relevant, real, wild, and hysterically funny!

If you have worked in an office or any workplace where good intentions were absent, where the verbal attacks piled on high with the assignments, where trust and character were tested -- then DeVita's comedy is for you.
Some of the snappiest and fiercest dialog I've come across in a long time.

Fierce is right. DeVita really delivers some cutting dialogue with some real zip and pepper behind it. For how hard hitting it is, I was wonderfully surprised by the ending.

Definitely the play to read if you want dynamic characters and a breath of fresh air.