VANITY FAIR

APRIL 2017 No. 681

VANITYFAIR.COM

FEATURES

104 PRINCE OF THE CITY By ALEC BALDWIN That Trump parody has sealed his status as a New York icon, but Alec Baldwin's metropolitan roots are deep. In an adaptation from his new memoir, the actor looks back on his Saturday Night Live baptism, his 30 Rock years, and the night of November 8. Photographs by Mark Seliger.

114 V.F.PORTRAIT: RENEE FLEMING By AMY FINE COLLINS As the celebrated soprano revisits one of her signature roles, at the Metropolitan Opera, she looks forward to the soaring high notes ahead. Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

116 ELON MUSK’S FUTURE SHOCK By MAUREEN DOWD Tech titan Elon Musk plunged into the existential debate about man versus machine, raising a billion dollars for artificial-intelligence research. But unlike most of Silicon Valley, including his Google chums, Musk sees A.I. as a looming threat, not just an opportunity. Photograph by Jonas Fredwall Karlsson.

120 ANGELS AND DEMONS Spotlight on the 25th-anniversary revival of a newly relevant Angels in America, to be broadcast live from the National Theatre in London. By Oskar Eustis. Photograph by Jason Bell.

122 THE MET’S POWER FAILURE By WILLIAM D. COHAN By the time the Metropolitan Museum of Art abruptly parted company with its director, Thomas Campbell, in February, the mighty institution was already demoralized, its deficit ballooning. Does the buck stop with Campbell, and his ambitious plans to modernize, or with the Met’s powerful board?

128 THE LADY AND THE SCAMP By EVGENIA PERETZ Nan Talese has handled many best-selling authors in her groundbreaking career as a book editor. Her toughest challenge was always the one at home: her husband, Gay Talese. And their six-decade relationship may face yet another test, in Gay’s plan to write about it. Photograph by Eric Boman.

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133 OSLO CONFIDENTIAL Spotlight on Oslo, opening on Broadway this month, about the high-wire negotiations behind the 1993 Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. By Marie Brenner. Photograph by Christian Witkin.

134 THE MCGINNIS LOOK By MICHAEL CALLAHAN One of the 20th century’s most popular commercial artists, Robert McGinnis sold glamour and excitement with his Bond movie posters, paperback covers, and magazine illustrations. At 91, he’s conjuring for a new generation. Photograph by Gasper Tringale.

142 ELLA’S A-POPPIN’ After playing younger versions of Angelina Jolie, Margot Robbie, and Keira Knightley, “It Girl” Ella Purnell is looking at grown-up stardom. By Derek Blasberg. Photograph by Julian Broad.

144 THE LONELY HEIR By SALLY BEDELL SMITH As a child, Prince Charles was a target for the scorn of his father, Prince Philip, as well as for brutal school bullies. An adaptation from a new biography of the heir to Britain’s throne chronicles his struggle to fit in, the scars he still carries, and his first taste of freedom.

152 LIFE AFTER ELOISE Spotlight on illustrator Hilary Knight—famed for Eloise—whose passion for the theater is on exhibit at Lincoln Center. By Laura Jacobs. Photographs by Jonathan Becker.

VANITIES

45 ON THE WATERHOUSE Timeless looks for the debonair man. My Place: hang loose on Kauai with Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez.

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FANFAIR & FAIRGROUND

51 30 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE A landmark exhibition of Irving Penn's photographs. Hot Type. Hot Tracks: playlists for protests. The return of Edwin John Coaster's correspondence.

61 AROUND THE WORLD, ONE PARTY AT A TIMEV.FAs 23rd annual Oscar party, at a custom-designed venue in Beverly Hills, welcomed a starry array of the night’s big winners and heavy hitters.

COLUMNS

72 A NIGHT THEY’LL REMEMRER By MARK SELIGER At VF. s Oscar party, its pop-up studio, created with Instagram, was the ultimate V.I.E room. A master portraitist captures all four acting winners, plus Scarlett Johansson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jennifer Aniston, and more.

85 THE KREMLIN CONNECTION By HOWARD BLUM Author of the infamous dossier on Trump’s Moscow entanglements, Christopher Steele is the respected former head of MI6’s Russia desk. After leaking the file, then being outed, Steele was forced into hiding. Here’s the story of his explosive investigation. Photo illustration by Sean McCabe.

94 THE IRSEN MYSTERY Spotlight on playwright Lucas Hnath, who has answered one of literature’s most intriguing questions with A Doll’s House, Part 2. By Jim Kelly. Photograph by Gasper Tringale.

96 IN TRUMP’S AMERIKA By MIKE MARIANI It’s terrifying to think that the Trump administration is simply winging it, in a swirl of lies, contradictions, and Twitter rants. A scarier possibility is that there is, in fact, a plan, taken straight from Putin’s playbook. Photo illustration by Cristiana Couceiro.

ET CETERA

36 CONTRIBUTORS

40 EDITOR'S LETTER

58 IN THE DETAILS HANK AZARIA

166 PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE DAVID HYDE PIERCE

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