Cast to the Rescue
Salzburg’s latest crack at The Marriage of Figaro
Back to Basics
Sixty years on, Lincoln Chase and Shirley Ellis’s hit song “The Nitty Gritty” remains a lesson in style
Editor’s Picks
This week, don’t miss the story of a couple’s quest to visit every Costco, a retelling of Roman history through its Popes, and a look at life in East Germany
Pop Goes the Lichtenstein
The actor, writer, musician, director, and comedian (running out of space!) Steve Martin remembers his friend Roy Lichtenstein, the Pop-art master whose centenary is being honored with an exhibition curated by Irving Blum
Estates of Confusion
A new book celebrates the madcap magic of artist Hunt Slonem’s homes
The Value of Tolkien
Having spent the majority of his life as a struggling academic, J. R. R. Tolkien, who died 50 years ago, would never have dreamed of the influence of The Lord of the Rings
Assignment: Sinatra
Part II
While he waits for an opening into the singer’s inner circle, Gay Talese acquaints himself with “the unhappy ones”
The Oligarch, a Broken Heart, and a London Bank Scandal
On this week’s podcast, Joseph Bullmore takes us inside his report on Putin’s banker and a London socialite
Murder, They Wrote
Underdogs dominate this month’s best mystery books
A Bigger Splash
A new coffee-table book explores the design and history of the world’s most stunning seawater pools, ranging across South Africa, Australia, and Scotland
Jean-Pierre Villafañe
The Puerto Rican artist’s bacchanalian paintings of New Yorkers go on view at the Armory Show
Ticket to Telluride
America’s most highbrow—and low-key—film festival turns 50
The Enforcer and the Maestro
In an excerpt from his new book, Rich Cohen reveals the closer-than-blood relationship forged between Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley
The Golden Years
An homage to the expansive and hilarious world The Golden Girls offered during the buttoned-up Reagan era
Editor’s Picks
This week, don’t miss a delicate exploration of privilege, a dissection of Russian writers’ tendency to write about existential questions, and a gossipy account of the publishing world
Rumbled
I boxed a speed bag—and came in second place
The Man Who Captured Sinatra
On this week’s podcast, Gay Talese reveals the story behind “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” his masterpiece of magazine writing
