All stories by David Cote on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Review: ‘In The Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot’ Tries to Think Outside the Box by David Cote

Set about 15 years from now, this future fable takes place in and around a shipping center in Wyoming as rising sea levels are swallowing American states east and west.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 05:00PM
Thursday, October 24, 2024

Review: Juliet Is Fire, Romeo Got Mad Rizz In This Shakespeare Glowup by David Cote

Characters vape, gender is fluid, desire bi, and death assured in director Sam Gold's hyperpop reimagining of 'Romeo + Juliet.'

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:00PM
Sunday, October 20, 2024

Review: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Sunset Boulevard’ Ready For Its UHD 4K Close-Up by David Cote

This revival of the 1994 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is full of modern eye-candy and a few surprises. Among them, how Nicole Scherzinger commands her scenes in her Broadway debut.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:00PM
Thursday, October 10, 2024

McNeal by David Cote

It’s hard to tell what’s real in Ayad Akhtar’s play starring Robert Downey Jr. as an alcoholic novelist who turns to AI. Robert Downey Jr. as Jacob McNeal (right) and cast of McNeal. …

SOURCE: 4columns at 08:00PM
Sunday, September 29, 2024

Review: Long, Bumpy Ride to Sisterly Reconciliation Over ‘The Hills of California’ by David Cote

An excellent cast and direction from Sam Mendes keep the action driving in this nearly three hour family drama from playwright Jez Butterworth.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:01PM
Friday, September 20, 2024

Review: Forbidden Broadway Mercilessly Mauls the Hits by David Cote

Now 42 years old, the Forbidden Broadway franchise remains Mad Magazine with jazz hands, and the latest edition, 'Merrily We Stole a Song,' features a cast of wildly talented mimics skewerin…

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 04:23PM
Monday, September 9, 2024

Review: Ex-Lovers Eat Their Hearts Out in Savory Romantic Comedy ‘Table 17’  by David Cote

A couple gropes toward honesty and clarity about how they drifted apart in this fast-moving comic showcase.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 05:28PM
Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Theater Fall Preview: Women Are Taking Charge, On Broadway And Off by David Cote

Women are center stage this fall in shows that highlight reproductive rights, consent and motherhood or showcase a powerful female lead. It can’t possibly have anything to do with a certai…

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:00AM
Thursday, August 1, 2024

Review: The Gaudy, Immersive ‘Life and Trust’ Is Part Theater, Part Stunt by David Cote

This Choose Your Own Adventure fable about American innovation and greed fills six floors and 100,000 square feet, with 24 characters and enough plot lines to drive an HBO season.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:00PM
Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Review: That Internet Can Drive a Person Crazy in the Gimmicky ‘Job’ by David Cote

It's Boomer versus Millennial in this one-act play that involves a gun, life online, and a therapist who's both hostage and hostage negotiator.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:31PM
Thursday, July 11, 2024

‘Oh, Mary!’ Is a Splendidly Nasty Farce You Will Not Want to Miss by David Cote

Cole Escola plays Mary Todd Lincoln in drag in this delightfully campy queer romp, which has moved uptown to goose a sleepy Broadway summer.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 07:31PM
Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Review: Women’s Work Is A Bloody Business In ‘The Welkin’ by David Cote

Sandra Oh leads a talented cast in this Lucy Kirkwood play—set in 18th century England—that's both a murder mystery and an exploration of the moral rot of misogyny.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:31PM
Thursday, June 6, 2024

Review: At the Roundabout, A Luminous Revival of Samm-Art Williams’ ‘Home’ by David Cote

This rollicking memory play treats one man's life as an epic journey, and this production—starring Tory Kittles, Brittany Inge and Stori Ayers—is epic indeed.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 03:11PM
Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Review: In ‘Breaking the Story,’ Maggie Siff’s TV War Reporter Lives With Scars by David Cote

A talented cast outshines the material in this examination of a war correspondent's trauma and the ethics of journalism.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 04:00PM
Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Review: ‘The Lonely Few’ Mixes Bona Fide Rock Concert With Angsty Love Story by David Cote

This rock musical begins in glorious dive-bar grunge mode, and Lauren Patten and Taylor Iman Jones radiate so much charisma you may not care if the story feels a little generic.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 05:00PM
Monday, May 20, 2024

Review: Pandemic Meltdown Musical ‘Three Houses’ Finds Song in Solitude by David Cote

Dave Malloy juggles book, music, lyrics, and orchestrations in this musical triptych about Covid Times. The score is entertainingly eclectic, but the dramatic tension and character developme…

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:01PM
Monday, May 13, 2024

Review: ‘Here There Are Blueberries’ Studies Holiday Photos from Hell by David Cote

This interview-based docu-play revolves around a mysterious photo album donated to the Holocaust Museum that showed the lives of those running Auschwitz.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:01PM
Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Review: Flashy and Fake ‘Great Gatsby’ Caps a Weak Season by David Cote

The jazz-based score ventures into funk, Disney princess ballad, and a touch of Britpop. But none of the songs stick, and the staging is busy yet unfocused.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 04:53PM
Monday, April 29, 2024

Review: ‘Staff Meal’ Offers Seven Courses of Tasty Disorientation  by David Cote

It’s hard to describe exactly what happens in this show. Scenes zig and zag in dream logic. But the acting and staging are impeccable. Book a table now.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:00AM
Friday, April 26, 2024

Review: Steve Carell Is a Lovable Loser in a Fragmentary ‘Uncle Vanya ‘ by David Cote

Steve Carrell and a stand-out Alison Pill lead a strong cast in a modern-dress revival of Chekov's 'Uncle Vanya' that never quite gels.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 03:58PM
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Review: Volunteers In A Drug Trial Just Say Yes In ‘The Effect’ by David Cote

Is it love or a side effect? Lucy Prebble’s 2012 play interrogating the difference between spontaneous emotions and drug-induced moods is given a cool, minimalist makeover in a revival at …

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:01PM
Monday, March 11, 2024

Review: New Drama About the Murdoch Phone Hacking Scandal by David Cote

This ripped-from-the-headlines story has a strong cast and a worthy message. But it ought to be more thrilling than it is. 

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:01PM
Thursday, March 7, 2024

Review: A Priest and a Nun Walk into a War in Contemporary Classic ‘Doubt’ by David Cote

'Doubt,' one of the top ten American dramas of this century, is now back on Broadway in an impressive revival.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:01PM
Monday, March 4, 2024

Review: It All Comes Out in the Wash at John Patrick Shanley’s ‘Brooklyn Laundry ‘ by David Cote

The veteran playwright-director tosses together two soiled souls—played by Cecily Strong and David Zayas—adds softener, and gives ’em a whirl.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 06:09PM
Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Spring Theater Preview: Navigating a Flood of Shows on Broadway and Off by David Cote

Between now and the end of April a whopping 18 plays and musicals will open on the Great White Way. Here's the best of what's coming, both on and Off Broadway.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:00AM
Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Review: Unwinnable Wars Lead to Impossible Debates in ‘The Ally’ by David Cote

Page-filling blocks of strong words are unfurled in this campus drama, as playwright Itamar Moses articulates—passionately and eloquently—each side of weighty issues of the moment, from …

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:01PM
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Review: Second Stage Theatre’s ‘The Apiary’: Stinging or Sweet As Honey? by David Cote

Set 22 years from now — as climate change has doomed the bees and thus humanity — this high-concept play mixes sci-fi with black comedy.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:01PM
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Review: Fake News Makes Musical Headlines in ‘The Connector’ by David Cote

This musical about a fabulist at a magazine draws on the Stephen Glass scandal of the ‘90s, but it’s more than a bit of stretch itself.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 07:01PM
Thursday, February 1, 2024

Public Obscenities by David Cote

All in the family: a PhD student visits India to film a documentary about queer life in Shayok Misha Chowdhury’s vibrant and charming debut play. Abrar Haque as Choton, Debashis Roy Chowd…

SOURCE: 4columns at 07:00PM
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

‘The Animal Kingdom’ Review: This Family Therapy Weepie Is a Flat Zoo Story by David Cote

Set entirely at group therapy sessions, this 80-minute exploration of psychodynamics and healing may leave you wishing for characters with more interesting problems.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:01PM
Saturday, January 27, 2024

Review: Don’t Sleep on Splendiferous Sutton Foster in ‘Once Upon a Mattress’ by David Cote

Foster generates waves of zany ecstasy in this delightful concert version of this fractured fairytale for City Center Encores.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 06:25PM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 15, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic