←Recommendations of Phillie's Trilogy

Phillie's Trilogy speaks to the cadence of life in family, friendships, and personal struggles. The messiness of growing up in the suburbs of the 1970s is featured here, along with relationships that we thought would last a lifetime, but then leave us cold. It's a beautiful rendering of characters who are forced to face themselves and their pain, regardless of whether it hurts themselves and others. Phillie's Trilogy is a beautiful piece of writing. I hope I can see it on stage someday!

What a triumph! Reminiscent of LOST IN YONKERS, PHILLIE'S TRILOGY follows Phillie McDougal and his family and neighbors from 1970s Long Island to the present day. The characters are so achingly real, the relationships so authentic, that you find yourself helpless at having lost some of them along the way. It is no wonder this play has already found some success--it more than deserves it. I hope very much to see this play in production, and to hear of the many productions to come that it is sure to have. Bravo, Mr. DeVita! BRAVO!

Authentic and aching, grounded and transportive, Phillie's Trilogy addresses a myriad of resonant topics with confident craftsmanship and highly effective dialogue. There is not one false note in this play and the characters' voices are consistent and empathetic - though, importantly, DeVita refrains from glibly excusing their flaws. Phillie's relationship with his mother is particularly well-realized. A joy to read - one of those works that excites possibilities for staging.

Anyone who was a Catholic teenager on Long Island in the 70s will feel as if they’ve been thrust back into their own complicated past in PHILLIE’S TRILOGY. Anyone who wasn’t will get a crash course in the way we were. DeVita’s beautifully-constructed play blends comedy and everyday tragedy and is reminiscent of such canonical plays as Wilson’s ‘Fifth of July’ and McNally’s ‘Lips Together, Teeth Apart”—yet delivered with the clarion surety of this playwright’s singular voice. So funny, so not funny, so honest.

Yes! After reading Doug DeVita’s shorter works, I longed to spend more time with his characters. “Phillie’s Trilogy” is so satisfying in bringing these characters to us. Smart, witty, devastating, honest. Thank you, Doug DeVita for the journey that is impossible to forget.

I've rarely read a play where I felt so familiar, immediately, with the characters. They are instantly knowable, recognizable, warm, difficult, human, funny, full of surprises. Phillie/Philip is the most lovable among them, and his journey is honest, open and revelatory. The play on the page created images for me constantly and evokes a world that I want to be a part of. DeVita's skill in capturing both poignancy, humor, and carrying us along at an exciting speed of dramatic turns and transformations is admirable. Phillie's Trilogy is so very playful and playable.

The world of this play is so rich and entrenched in history and dynamic characters. The complexity of Barbie and Phillie's relationship is so heartbreaking but incredibly supported by the environment they grew up in.

"So anyway, I leaned right into that smirking, sanctimonious puss of hers and said “But listen to me, Sister, and listen good”… with lines like this… De Vita has me at the start! The play captures so much of what growing up in the 70’s was about and at the same times grabs a hold of all the things that makes teen angst horrifying and worth living for at the same time. This is a neighborhood story that’s right up there with A BRONX TALE and LOST IN YONKERS with the disco and sex of the 1970’s!

When I read DeVita's work I wish the plays were longer just so I could spend more time with the characters. They're incredibly real and likable even with all of their flaws and complexities, and the characters in this one are particularly rich and engaging. Seeing the insecurities of kids manifest in the neuroses of adults is heartbreaking and played in a wonderfully subtle fashion. The two central characters bind the play together. We love them and their friendship, and the tensions between them build slowly and methodically into a simply breathtaking climactic confrontation. Another stunner from DeVita.

Doug DeVita has constructed a multi-layered experience in "Phillie's Trilogy" taking us on a journey of one boy's life, beginning in the 1970s. The 1970s seems an ideal starting place to revisit the real and difficult issues of the day (priest sexual abuse, abortion rights, rigid gender roles, sexual experimentation) and the effects on one suburban family. Much like the plays of the Irish canon, DeVita's play takes on multiple dense, humorous, and sad secrets -- secrets that knit together shared yet separate lives.