[1] The play, Odets' first attempt at comedy,[6] tells the story of Steve Takis, a young film studio employee who is sent to New York City to collect two trained monkeys and bring them back to Hollywood.
In her 1990 book on the Group Theatre, Real Life Drama, author Wendy Smith called the plot premise "absurd" and described it as a serious flaw, along with the portrayal of Takis as hostile and arrogant.
[6] Harold Clurman cast Group members Elia Kazan as Steve Takis and Morris Carnovsky as Detective Rosenberger.
Other roles were played by Group Theater regulars, including Roman Bohnen, Sanford Meisner, Philip Loeb and Art Smith.
"[9] New York Times drama critic Brooks Atkinson wrote "Now that Odets writes like Saroyan, Doomsday is near."