All stories by David Cote on BroadwayStars

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Review: Robert Icke’s Production of ‘Hamlet’ Misguidedly Embraces the Prince’s Incel-Nature by David Cote

Robert Icke's production of 'Hamlet' at Park Avenue Armory is nearly four hours and it's mostly Hamlet throwing a weird little fit.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:39AM
Monday, June 27, 2022

Review: ‘Epiphany’ Is a Clouded Insight With Pops of Clarity That Some Audiences Might Like by David Cote

An excellent cast with a so-so story, 'Epiphany' has great moments that don’t quite come together, but could appeal to some.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 12:39PM
Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Review: Sarah Silverman’s ‘The Bedwetter’ More Than Deserves a Spot on Broadway by David Cote

The combined genius of Sarah Silverman, Joshua Harmon, and the late Adam Schlesinger brings you back to childhood at Atlantic Theater..

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 02:58PM
Thursday, May 26, 2022

Review: ‘Fat Ham’ Is a Well Done Pulitzer Winning BBQ-Infused Interpretation of ‘Hamlet’ by David Cote

Playwright James Ijames adapts Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' to modern North Carolina following the drama of a family-owned BBQ restaurant.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:00PM
Thursday, May 19, 2022

Review: ‘Golden Shield’ Is a Courtroom Drama That Aims For Layered Nuance, Lands on Confusing Audiences by David Cote

An ambitious play, 'Golden Shield' attempts to weave Chinese censorship law, political dissidence, and family drama, to varying success.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:25AM
Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Review: ‘A Case for the Existence of God’ Finds What Connects Us All and Holiness in Humanity by David Cote

At Pershing Square Signature Theatre, 'A Case for the Existence of God' takes a direct look at the lives of seemingly very different men.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:42AM
Friday, April 29, 2022

Review: Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga’s ‘Macbeth’ Is Chic but Incomprehensible by David Cote

At Longacre Theatre featuring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga, director Sam Gold takes on Shakespeare's Macbeth. Incoherent yet star-studded.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 04:00PM
Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Review: ‘A Strange Loop’ Gracefully Explores Issues of Queer, Black Identity by David Cote

At Lyceum Theatre, a production of 'A Strange Loop' pulls audiences in as it tackles coming into your own as a Black gay man.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:31AM
Monday, April 25, 2022

Review: Director Lileana Blain-Cruz Brings ‘The Skin of Our Teeth’ to a Modern Audience by David Cote

The 1942 allegory returns to the stage with Director Lileana Blain-Cruz and star Gabby Beans at Lincoln Center Theater.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:00PM
Sunday, April 24, 2022

Beanie Feldstein Grabs the Spotlight, Unsteadily, in Funny Girl by David Cote

Beanie Feldstein turns the story of Funny Girl from the rising up and wising up of a great, if troubled, trouper into the wish-fulfillment fable of a moderately gifted young lady.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:46PM
Thursday, April 21, 2022

Review: Martin McDonagh’s Satirical ‘Hangmen’: Thin Thread, Bottom-Heavy by David Cote

Martin McDonagh's 'Hangmen' features Alfie Allen and David Threlfall in a story that explores the abolishment of hanging in 1965 England.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:00PM
Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Review: ‘How I Learned to Drive’ Is a Must Watch but Not for Faint of Heart by David Cote

The relevancy of the material is still stark, even 25 years after it was initially staged.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:00PM
Thursday, April 14, 2022

Review: ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ Stages the Power of Love and Language at BAM by David Cote

Running at BAM with James McAvoy playing the titular role 'Cyrano de Bergerac' is a beloved tale of yearning, beauty, and desire.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:00PM
Monday, April 4, 2022

A Twenty-Year Old Play About Coming Out in Baseball is the Story We Need Now by David Cote

The current revival at the Hayes, produced by Second Stage Theatre and ably directed by Scott Ellis, is quite good — well-acted, smart in tone and pace, handsomely designed, with some rese…

SOURCE: Medium at 09:08PM
Monday, March 28, 2022

Review: Is It Worth Checking into ‘Plaza Suite’ on Broadway? by David Cote

An average ticket price of $212.67 will make a person believe anything. It can turn a Best Western into the Four Seasons. 

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:00PM
Thursday, March 10, 2022

‘Coal Country’ Digs Deep Into Workers Rights and Justice by David Cote

The documentary play 'Coal Country' examines the aftermath of such a cataclysm, the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster of 2010, in which 29 out of 31 miners were killed in a coal dust explosion.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:00PM

Theater in Spring Hopes for a Dramatic Return to Normal by David Cote

Fifteen new productions will open on Broadway in the month of April, that’s one every other day.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 01:41PM
Wednesday, March 9, 2022

‘The Chinese Lady’ Grapples With Chinese-American History by David Cote

The 90-minute drama charts Moy’s journey in America from hopeful teen to jaded adult, a progression shadowed by American attitudes toward Chinese immigrants—ranging from Orientalist cond…

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:15AM
Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Losing in Translation: Iranian Students Struggle with Feelings in ‘English’ by David Cote

Cross-cultural tension looms over Sanaz Toossi’s English, an understated classroom dramedy about the things we lose in crossing linguistic borders. 

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:00PM
Tuesday, January 11, 2022

A Star Among the Stars, Cecily Strong Searches for Intelligent Life by David Cote

Wagner’s message is a simple but deeply humanistic one: We’re all specks in the universe, random, unknowable bio-containers, and who knows where my atoms end and yours begin?

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:00PM
Thursday, December 9, 2021

Rise! Rise! Rise! This Gender Swapped ‘Company’ Wins Our Hearts by David Cote

One thing I am certain of: 'Company' is the most sophisticated fun I’ve had in a theater in ages.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:00PM

Sweet Sixteen Has a Bitter Edge in New Musical ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ by David Cote

It’s a downbeat fable about escaping the toxic narcissists who created your body.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:39AM
Monday, December 6, 2021

Aiming for Big Tent Family Fare, ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ Is Just a Drag by David Cote

It’s a patriarchal pangender fantasy that simultaneously de-centers and re-centers cishetero masculinity. Fancy lingo for: kinda outdated and icky.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:49AM
Sunday, November 28, 2021

Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021): Master of the Modern Musical by David Cote

He will continue to shape the future of musical theater because he trained our ears, set the bar high, and new composers and lyricists will study his work. For a hundred who try, misguidedly…

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:33AM
Thursday, November 18, 2021

‘Trouble in Mind’ Makes a Triumphant Broadway Debut by David Cote

You absolutely must see it if you care about Black work on Broadway, American theater, and the evolving state of our “canon.”

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 07:00PM
Wednesday, November 17, 2021

‘Diana: The Musical’: Tacky Tribute to a Great Woman by David Cote

Who knows if musical fiascos such as 'Diana' exist solely for the bitter amusement of theater critics?

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 07:00PM
Monday, November 15, 2021

American Psychos: ‘Assassins’ Takes Wobbly Aim Off Broadway by David Cote

I can’t be the only Sondheim nerd sick of respectful, minimalist approaches.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:46AM
Thursday, November 11, 2021

‘While You Were Partying’: Sick Theater for Queasy Times by David Cote

Embracing absurd and cringe humor while bringing it to theater, 'While You Were Partying' is for theater lovers who grew up online.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 03:04PM
Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Time to Properly Value the Great Wealth of ‘Caroline, or Change’ by David Cote

I’m not actually 100% sure we are worthy of this show, but we need its complexity and density.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 07:00PM
Monday, October 18, 2021

Deirdre O’Connell Holds Us Utterly Captive in ‘Dana H.’ by David Cote

Here’s the thing about this harrowing fugue state of a play, written by Lucas Hnath and directed by Les Waters: O’Connell never speaks.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:44AM
Tuesday, October 12, 2021

‘Is This A Room’ Brings Downtown Weird to Broadway by David Cote

The world is getting weirder by the day. I think the audience is ready for it now.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:28AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards