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David Cote

@davidcote.bsky.social
789 followers 517 following 633 posts

Theater Critic. Playwright. Opera Librettist. Future Dog Daddy.

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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Thrilled to share that an opera I've been developing with Scott Davenport Richards and Robin Guarino will be part of next year's return of the great VOX opera lab! Our opera is called ROBESON/MOSCOW, it's big, and scarily relevant to [waves arms around] www.voxamericanopera.org/finalists
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Sorrowscopes @sorrowscopes.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Capricorn: One skill that will help this week is hibernation. Seriously. Try to figure out how to turn into a bear.
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Delighted to share my first piece for the Brooklyn Rail, a Q&A with the outstanding Jay Wegman, who has programmed a jaw-dropper of a season (his 10th at NYU Skirball Center): Angélica Liddell, Romeo Castellucci, Nature Theater of Oklahoma, Milo Rau and lots more. brooklynrail.org/2026/09/thea...
brooklynrail.org
JAY WEGMAN with David Cote | The Brooklyn Rail
This month, Jay Wegman celebrates his tenth year as artistic director at the New York University’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. The past decade also happens to be a period in which many Ne...
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
davidcote1.substack.com/p/i-loved-th...
davidcote1.substack.com
I Loved This Movie: Late Fame
Ars brevis; vita longa
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
davidcote1.substack.com/p/two-shows-...
davidcote1.substack.com
Two shows to ring (wring?) out the summer
In the final schweaty days of August, may I recommend two refreshing stage diversions Off-Off Broadway?
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
This week's #wordlesentence: Highfalutin Bully Edition! “Don’t snipe or feign privy knowledge, you wimpy dweeb, or I will toss you over the fence, whereupon you will noisily crash and clunk.” 8/13: CRASH 8/12: WIMPY 8/11: FENCE 8/10: SNIPE 8/9: CLUNK 8/8: PRIVY 8/7: FEIGN
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
davidcote1.substack.com/p/after-the-...
davidcote1.substack.com
After the end of the end of the party
A horseshoe path in media, surviving grief, and struggling up that hill
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
This week's #wordlesentence “It was more a valve than a plume from which grape jelly pumped with the consistency of putty, prompting the ex-sonar operator to murmur, ‘aloha,’ like a Hawaiian poser.” 7/30: FLUME 7/29: VALVE 7/28: SONAR 7/27: POSER 7/26: GRAPE 7/25: ALOHA 7/24: PUTTY
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slips slips @slipsslips.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
As a longtime theater critic and librettist, it's no surprise @davidcote.bsky.social is attracted to the messy tangibility of slips slips—as with the stage, you can expect to get your hands dirty if you want to engage. Check out his profile in our newsletter: slipsslips.substack.com/p/contributo...
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
This reboot of THEY LIVE looks 🔥
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
This week’s #wordlesentence! “His mind locked in orbit around surf churn and the scuba gear in his lorry, the diver slid from the booth as the Big Petrol shill rabbited on about legal technicalities.” 7/23: ORBIT 7/22: LORRY 7/21: SHILL 7/20: DIVER 7/19: CHURN 7/18: BOOTH 7/17: LEGAL
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
This week's #wordlesentence! “A stout, avian specimen perched high on a butte, tearing into a trout steak snatched from a canal with a clack of the beak and defiant screech which sounded like, ‘pshaw!’” 7/16: BUTTE 7/15: PSHAW 7/14: STEAK 7/13: STOUT 7/12: CLACK 7/11: AVIAN 7/10: CANAL
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American Theatre @americantheatre.org · 14/07/2026
At Arena Stage, Hana Sharif's departure raises questions about the often fraught relationship among executive leadership, staff, and boards at American theatres. In our reporting, we found that there were conflicts over what art belongs, working conditions, and sustainable paths forward financially.
americantheatre.org
Hana Sharif Leaves Arena, Leaving Questions for the Field
The artistic director’s departure, after just 3 years, from the helm of the D.C.’s flagship theatre has ignited a debate about the American theatre’s systemic challenges.
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
live your life so "effortlessly posh" is in your obit headline
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
This week's #wordlesentence! “The swami could not amend his weakness for demon drink, and stroked his bamboo baton (or ‘danda’) wondering whether to enjoy the pizza with a Hot Toddy or Singapore Sling.” 7/9: AMEND 7/8: DEMON 7/7: SLING 7/6: TODDY 7/5: SWAMI 7/4: PIZZA 7/3: BATON
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
This week's #wordlesentence: Weimar Edition! “In a crude attempt at friendliness, the Emcee urged the cabaret maven to scoop up the puppy, but the latter, feeling acute unease, decided to demur.” 7/2: MAVEN 7/1: DEMUR 6/30: PUPPY 6/29: CRUDE 6/28: EMCEE 6/27: SCOOP 6/26: ACUTE
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I'm barking for joy after seeing Bailey Williams's THE FAMILY DOG, which is a tiny bit like if OUR TOWN had a sickly canine as the Stage Manager. Really it's a phenomenal piece of ensemble writing and acting that is zany, weird, bitterly funny and wrenchingly sad www.clubbedthumb.org/productions/...
clubbedthumb.org
Productions | clubbed thumb
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Heather Anne Campbell @heathercampbell.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
can’t believe a narcissist is being so publicly humiliated by a reflecting pool
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
This week’s #wordlesentence: Romeo & Juliet Carnival Attraction Edition! “Insert the token, gain entry, and it will amaze you how your presence will quell the broil, break the sepia haze of ancient grudge.” 6/18: ENTRY 6/17: TOKEN 6/16: AMAZE 6/15: BROIL 6/14: SEPIA 6/13: QUELL 6/12: BREAK
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
this week's #wordlesentence. On the Waterfront Edition! “As we saw his cheer morph into testy impatience, the mafia don jerked a thumb toward a schooner trying nobly to align with the wharf in a storm.” 6/11: TESTY 6/10: ALIGN 6/9: WHARF 6/8: MAFIA 6/7: THUMB 6/6: MORPH 6/5: NOBLY
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
This week's #wordlesentence “Steel alloy shone in his smile and a notch in his braces held a blob of chili as a Chopin étude formed the basis of a cafeteria soundtrack under the clang of silverware.” 6/4: ALLOY 6/3: NOTCH 6/2: BASIS 6/1: CHILI 5/31: ETUDE 5/30: SMILE 5/29: CLANG
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
new review up at 4 Columns www.4columns.org/cote-david/t...
4columns.org
The Maids
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
The first of what I hope are several pieces for a smart and stylish new online magazine for NYC theater www.readthehat.com/articles/clu...
readthehat.com
How Clubbed Thumb “Moves Fast and Builds Things” for Summer’s Strangest Party — The Hat
After three decades of producing must-see downtown plays, artistic director Maria Striar continues leaning into new work that defies categorization.
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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Thinges fall apart Data centers take holde
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
davidcote1.substack.com/p/pod-save-u...
davidcote1.substack.com
Pod Save Us From Another Man as President
An irreverent podcast dramatizes the women who ran for POTUS
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
activists outraged — and granted moral superiority — that millennia of atrocities persisted into their adolescence
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
holy crap. good Sunday morning...
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
davidcote1.substack.com/p/see-a-show...
davidcote1.substack.com
See a Show Now, Thank Me Later
I NOTICED…you’re looking for a bit o' theater to see?
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
new #wordlesentence: Mock Wodehouse Edition! “See here, chap—stuff the bloody golf game; the niece is recumbent on the couch getting vocal rest: why don’t you make a visit whilst I chuck this divot into the woods?” 5/28: DIVOT 5/27: STUFF 5/26: COUCH 5/25: VISIT 5/24: NIECE 5/23: CHUCK 5/22: VOCAL
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
davidcote1.substack.com/p/research-f...
davidcote1.substack.com
Research for Review: The Maids (2014)
So hard to find good help anymore
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
new #wordlesentence ! O thou dull, dusty Wreck of Time! Thy fatal Bylaw all do see Yet fain loath am I t’agree With th’unmoved Mover Creed: That ev’ry Death doth Nature feed, That Dying with Living should rhyme. 5/21: AGREE 5/20: WRECK 5/19: DUSTY 5/18: LOATH 5/17: BYLAW 5/16: MOVER 5/15: CREED
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Short-ish takes on recent-ish shows davidcote1.substack.com/p/thursday-c...
davidcote1.substack.com
Thursday Critic's Picks
I NOTICED... you're looking for something to see?
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Honor as always to help with these awards! news.ssbcrack.com/2026-theatre...
news.ssbcrack.com
2026 Theatre World Awards Honorees Announced - SSBCrack News
Recipients of the 80th Annual Theatre World Awards were announced recently, highlighting exceptional debut performances in both Broadway and Off-Broadway
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
This week’s #wordlesentence: Arctic Fashion Edition! “I didn’t waver in the store, but now the newly purchased satin parka seems dowdy; just clock the lumpy umbra I cast on the snow.” 5/14: WAVER 5/13: DOWDY 5/12: CLOCK 5/11: NEWLY 5/10: PARKA 5/9: SATIN 5/8: UMBRA
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Spreading the word about a handful of wonderful opera companies that make New Yorkers want to sing! www.tdf.org/on-stage/tdf...
tdf.org
5 Companies You Need to Know: Indie Opera in NYC | TDF
Where to see new works and reinvented classics, often in English!
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
The Banality of Evil…Can Be Banal open.substack.com/pub/davidcot...
open.substack.com
The Banality of Evil…Can Be Banal
An Off Broadway revival of The Receptionist exposes the void—not in a good way
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
This week's #wordlesentence: Oversleeper Edition “She tried to bring coffee to the tardy riser, but the latch wouldn’t budge; a steamy plume rose from the mug which one might liken to a puffy, lazing cloud.” 5/7: BUDGE 5/6: LIKEN 5/5: LATCH 5/4: RISER 5/3: PUFFY 5/2: BRING 5/1: PLUME
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
This week's #wordlesentence “Drunk, with a syrupy gloss thickening his tongue, he said ‘quack’ when he meant ‘crock,’ seeing eerie women surrounding the rural cottage, each holding a bottle of maple rum.” 4/30: CROCK 4/29: RURAL 4/28: QUACK 4/27: EERIE 4/26: GLOSS 4/25: WOMEN 4/24: DRUNK
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
open.substack.com/pub/davidcot...
open.substack.com
Wag the Doggerel: Late
Nonce verse from a poetaster
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Qualified praise for a musical that could have been much worse...and considerably better. How The Lost Boys Breaks the Vampire Musical Curse open.substack.com/pub/davidcot...
open.substack.com
How The Lost Boys Breaks the Vampire Musical Curse
Surprisingly, these children of the night don’t suck
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
TONIGHT @ 7:30 open.substack.com/pub/davidcot...
open.substack.com
Help Us Celebrate “I’ve Got the Shakes: Performing Richard Foreman”
Hear from actors who spent time in Richard Foreman's head
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
New #wordlesentence “I can’t stand it anymore, the belle thought, scowling at his dozing clump: the pathetic weave on his scalp, his toady status at work, how his snore whistled like the tweet of a dying budgie.” 4/23: TWEET 4/22: SNORE 4/21: CLUMP 4/20: WEAVE 4/19: STAND 4/18: TOADY 4/17: BELLE
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
open.substack.com/pub/davidcot...
open.substack.com
The Rocky Horror Show: Our Lust Is So Sincere
Richard O’Brien’s pansexual sci-fi freakout is the party we desperately needed
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
I pray to god they didn't get to Tracy Gill www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
rollingstone.com
Red-Pilled Morning-Show Host Stars in First Clip From The Onion's InfoWars Takeover
In exclusive first look at The Onion's InfoWars takeover, Jim Haggerty has rid himself of "corporate shackles" to helm "The Jim Haggerty Show."
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Oops I did it again substack.com/@davidcote1/...
substack.com
Down Another Rabbit Hole at Manhattan Theatre Club’s The Balusters
My flamethrower is all out of kerosene
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Democracy Dies in Darkness, then Gets Back Up to Eat Your Braaaaaaaaains
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
davidcote1.substack.com/p/fallen-ang...
davidcote1.substack.com
Fallen Angels: Real Housewives of London Get Lit, Spill Tea
Noël Coward's wafer-thin marital comedy returns to Broadway after 70 years
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Thoughts on Broadway's Exoneration Drama The Fear of 13 open.substack.com/pub/davidcot...
open.substack.com
Thoughts on Broadway's Exoneration Drama The Fear of 13
Adrien Brody suffers (and endures) movingly
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
About the time I work a big padded but and a poop-shaped hat davidcote1.substack.com/p/help-us-ce...
davidcote1.substack.com
Help Us Celebrate “I’ve Got the Shakes: Performing Richard Foreman”
Hear from actors who spent time in Richard Foreman's head
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David Cote @davidcote.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
davidcote1.substack.com/p/all-the-st...
davidcote1.substack.com
All the Stupid Names for This Place
Sticks and stones will break my bones…so don’t throw sticks and stones
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