For years, the playwright David Adjmi was considered “polarizing and difficult.” But creating Stereophonic seems to have healed him. Stephen Dubner gets the story — and sorts out what Adjmi has in common with Richard Wagner.
- SOURCES:
- David Adjmi, author and playwright.
- RESOURCES:
- “The West End is enjoying a theatre revival. Can Broadway keep up?” by Daniel Thomas (Financial Times, 2025).
- Lot Six: A Memoir, by David Adjmi (2020).
- Stereophonic, (2023).
- EXTRAS:
- “How Is Live Theater Still Alive?” by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
- “How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway,” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

366. This Economist Predicted the Last Crisis. What’s the Next One?
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364. Inside the Sports-Industrial Complex
For most of us, the athletes are what make sports interesting. But if you own the team or run the league, your players are essentially very expensive migrant workers who eat into your profits. We…
Extra: Mark Teixeira Full Interview
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363. Think Like a Winner
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362. Why Is This Man Running for President?
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How to Be Happy (Rebroadcast)
The U.N.’s World Happiness Report — created to curtail our unhealthy obsession with G.D.P. — is dominated every year by the Nordic countries. We head to Denmark to learn the secrets of this happiness epidemic…