I think that any platform has some gotchas especially a 1.x version, however in my experiences with it it was fast and less boilerplate than a normal Java project and we didn't have any of these issues rolling out locally and to Google AppEngine.
I'd still only choose it if I had to use Java though.
If you can roll with Django you can roll with Play. Although, I always prefer a python microframework such as flask nowadays.
I also see how Play is now part of typesafe, so that could get better or worse, but it is the right direction for Java web apps to go.
I've worked quite a lot with both Java and Python and with Play and Django, and before I tried Play I would've agreed with you.
The lightweight nature of Play combined with the speed of the jvm (compared to Python), static typing and IDE support, makes it a winner in my book. I like vim, but wherever I click in a Play project (including in routes, property files and templates), I always end up where I need to be.
I'd still only choose it if I had to use Java though.
If you can roll with Django you can roll with Play. Although, I always prefer a python microframework such as flask nowadays.
I also see how Play is now part of typesafe, so that could get better or worse, but it is the right direction for Java web apps to go.