“Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.” BECOMINGMICHELLEOBAMA.COM | ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOBOOK CROWNTHE NEW YORKER Jeffrey Toobin Katie Ngvyen Anthony Lane ‘Adam Entous and Jon Lee Anderson Christoph Niemann Rebecca Mead Sam Lipsyte ‘Adam Kirsch Peter Schjeldah! Hua Hsu Vingon Cunningham Anthony Lene James Richardson Gabrielle Calvocoressi Borry Blt NOVEMBER 19, 2018 4 GOINGS ON ABOUT TOWN 17, THE TALK OF THE TOWN Amy Davidson Sorkin on the eletion aftermath; Michael Gera’ heroes truth from the feds; (pro-choice, all dresred ups portraits atthe poll THE POLITICAL SCENE 22. After Trump Deval Patrick’ platform of positivity. SHOUTS & MURMURS 29 Times You Didn't Tip Enough and Ruined Someone's Life ACRITIC AT LARGE 30 Technicolor Vincent Van Gogh imagined in fils. LETTER FROM CUBA 34 Havana Syndrome Why are American diplomats falling il? SRETCHBOOK, 43. “Waiting in Los Angeles" ONWARD AND UPWARD WITH THE ARTS 48 Binge Listening ‘The golden age of podcasts, FICTION 58 “Show Recent Some Love” THE CRITICS BOOKS 66. The rigors of Hermann Hesse. 71 Briefly Noted THE ART WORLD 72 Andy Warhol's revelations POP MUSIC 14 The barp transcends genre. THE THEATRE 16 "King Kong." American Son.” ‘THE CURRENT CINEMA 78 “Widows,” The Ballad of Buster Scruggs POEMS 52 “For the Children” 6 “Hammond B3 Organ Cistern” coven “Welcome to Congress” DRAWINGS David Sipress, Mick Stevens and Jenny Allen, Pia Guerra, Michael Maslin, Jeremy Nguyen, Roz. Chast, Seth Fleisbrman, Will McPhail, P C. Vey, Carolita Jobnson, Liana Finck, Emily Flake, Lonnie Millap SPOTS Philippe Petit-Roulet 2019 DESK DIARY Juggle work and play with a much needed dose of humor. wy NEW YORKER ‘Shop all eight colors online at newyorkerstore.com/diaries or call 877-843-6907 to order.FALL SHOWCASE MCLEAN HOSPITAL Top-ranked tres fo and delivred with compactior MCLEANHOSPITAL ORG (9005550358 GOLIGHTLY CASHMERE Enjoy (Glighty Cashes kates ‘00% made in USA. Since GOLIGHTLYCASHMERECOM 5757766287 CONTRIBUTORS Rebecca Mead (“Binge Listening, "p. 48) has been a staff writer since 1997. Her Jntest book is "My Life in Middlemazch.” Adam Entous (“Havana Syndrome,” (p- 34) joined the magazine as a staff ‘writer this year. Previously, he wasa re- porter for the Washington Past, where his team was awarded the 2018 Pulit- zer Prize for national reporting. Anthony Lane (“Technicolor Vincent,” (p-30; The Current Cinema, p. 78)ya film critie for the magazine, published his, [New Yorker writings in the collection “Nobody's Perfect.” Amy Davidson Sorkin (Comment, p17), a staff writer, is a regular contributor to Comment. She also writes a column for newyorker.com. James Richardson (Poem, p. $2) teaches, at Princeton, His latest collection of poetry and aphorisms is “During,” Katie Nguyen (Shouts & Murmurs, p-29)is a comedian and a teacher who lives in Portland, Oregon Jon Lee Anderson (‘Havana Syndrome,” (P-4),a staff writer, began contributing to the magazine in 1998. His books in- clude “The Fall of Baghdad.” Jeffrey Toobin (‘After Trump,” p. 22) is a staff writer and the author of “Amer- ican Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst.” Gabrielle Calvocoressi (Poem p. 63) is the author of the poetry collection “Rocket Fantastic,” and i5 at work on a nonfiction book, “The Year I Didn't Kill Myself. Sam Lipsyte (Fiction, p.58) teaches writ ing at Columbia. His new novel, "Hack,” will be out in January, Jeanie Riess (The Tall ofthe Towns, . 20) is amember of the magazine’ editorial staff. Previously, she worked as a re- porter in Mississippi and Louisiana. ‘Adam Kirsch (Boots, p. 66), poet and a ctitic, is an editor of the Wall Street Journal's weekend Review section. JOHN CHRISTIAN Numeros i apy rere com ‘tin word for number wth the G oh aE spect Drderby 12/1 fe oliays! JOHN-CHRISTIANCOM 888.646.6466 ‘THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 1, 2088 THIS WEEK ON NEWYORKER.COM @ VIDEO. In the latest film in our “Obsessions” series, doomsday preppers explain why they're getting ready for NEW YORKER RADIO HOUR AA special episode examines how the financial continues to affect politics and the climate, ten years on. Download the New Yorker Today app for the latest news, commentary, criticism, and humor, plus this weeks magazine and all issues back to 2008,THE MAIL UNDERSTANDING THE FIRES Irs telling that the word “ecolo nowhere to be found in Tan Frazier’s heart-wrenching account of the exten- sive prairie fires last year (“The Day the Great Plains Bumed,” November sth). Journalists tend to see wildfires as ev- idence of the harm caused to humans by climate change. How, given this ‘widespread blindness, are people to learn about and work with nature’s logic? The article hints at ecological realities, but doesr‘t conneet the dots. Fire plays 2 role in any healthy ecosys- tem. On the prairie, wildfires convert the previous year’s dead grass into fer~ tilizer, which explains why, as Frazier writes, "the grass came back better than before.” Native Americans “used fire as an environmental tool” because the nourishing regrowth attracted game. The native prairie grasses funded by the Conservation Reserve Program prevent erosion and sequester carbon in their deep roots. Like earbon dioxide, prairie fre isa friend until it's turned into an enemy. Ionly the community- building generosity and eodperation shown in a disaster’s wake could be ‘channelled into understanding and pro- actively working with nature to avoid furure calamities. Stephen K. Hiltner Princeton, NJ. Before reading Frazier’s article, I was apprehensive about how the people who lived on the plains would be por- trayed. Thankfully, Frazier describes them without resorting to cliché, He picked up on two related attributes that characterize the people of the region: akind of fatalism and a stubborn streak ‘of communitarianism. (Oklahoma once had the largest Socialist Party in the nation, and Kansas was not far behind.) The people here have a realistic un- derstanding of the scale of humans in relation to the universe, and they know that they have to work together to sur- vive. This humility contributes to their skepticism regarding climate change— they question how mere humans could change the entire climate—and also to their historically low levels of voter participation. But, when they are moved to unite as a community and work to- ward a higher purpose, ike rebuilding after a wildfire, they can accomplish great feats, Colin Newman Oklahoma City, Ola. THE REAL NEWSOM Tad Friend’ excellent profile of Gavin Newsom treats his legalization of gay marriage in San Francisco,in 2004, when. he was mayor, as abit of a rookie blun- der (“Golden Boy 20,” Novernber sth). On the contrary, Newsom's decision was the greatest single act of any Amer- ican politician in my lifetime. The reality of 4,036 married gay couples completely changed the national con- ion about gay rights. What was ‘unimaginable in 2003 gained widespread acceptance and became law in 2013. 1 don't know what Newsom thought ‘would happen when he sent his order to the city clerk, but he changed the world that day—or, at least, he gave it a big shove in the right direction. Poter Hallingscoorth Oakland, Calif. THE NEVER-ENDING STORY L very much enjoyed Claire Fried- man's “How to Read ‘Infinite Jest’” (Shouts & Murmurs, November sth). My daughter has been reading the book for what seems like several years. Every so often, I will ask her how she’s doing with it and she laughs in the way people do when asked about how their back-yard vegetable-garden. plan is coming along. Martha Denney Haverford, Pa. Letters shoud be sen eth the writer's nam, uke, and daytime pe name via ¢- mail ‘hemail@newyorbercom. Letters may be edied {or lengih and lary, and may be published in fy mem, He reget that ong 9 te wolume af eorespordence se cat reply to every leer. AND PARSON FIRESTONE It’s Raining Cats and Dogs Featuring George Booth’s jirascible cats and dogs, the coll New Yorker ‘umbrella is the perfect ‘companion for a rainy day. $49.95 “To order please visit ‘THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 19, 2018 3ee NOVEMBER 4 ~ 20, 2018, GOINGS ON ABOUT TOWN ‘The composer Du Yun’s relentless originality and unflinching social consci distilled in her opera “An gel’s Bone,” won her a Pulitzer Prize last year. On Nov. 15, at Miller Theatre, Du joins the International Contemporary Ensemble—she works from the past two decad 18a founding member—to present “LEGO,” a selection of instrumental now reconfigured as an interlocking whole. An exploration of Du's evolving style, it’s full of electronic squalls and subterranean industry, with glimpses of melody beyondDANCE Bill Shannon New York Live Arts Yearsago, Shannon madea name for himself by veloping «supple, inventive way of dancing with erutches—bke a b-boy with extra limbs. Part of the idea behind his new “Touch Up. date’ is toadapt that movement vocabulary to dancers without crutches. But the piece is also about technology and the differences between ‘online interactions and these which aeeur in the flesh. The agile performers sometimes wear video screens as masks. On Nov. 17, Shannon also gives a lecture on his technique and his philosophy.—Brian Seibert (Now. 12) ‘Twyla Tharp Dance Joyce Theatre hap is going back o the wey beginning, «very good place to go. Those early years, between {eS and 197, wereber incubator pesed, during ‘which she performed in lofts and developed that inimierle Tharpan ste folky sar, Tooselimbed, funny. complicated. Before she cbraced Broadway and the ballet word twas just Tharp and a fe dancers developing phrzs, then turing them upeide down and ide out ina million diferent ways, Some works, like the eatly “Tank Dive” in which Tharp played ‘witha yoyo and invoked da Vinci -Viruvian Man? te more like etches, But “Eight Jl Rolls'a dance for eight women, moving wi laid backeate to fell Rol Morton recordings, is something like 4 masterpiece Marna ‘Hass (Nov. 1418 and Now. 20. Through Dec. 2.) Jesper Just BAM Fisher ‘There are no seats for performances of this Danish artists "Interpassivities.” Audience members mingle with dancers, but what the dancers do is less important than how the space changes. After a while, workers take apart the floor, piece by piece. Later, the walls are flooded by films—of fabric, or ma- chines, or Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, dressed ina vutu and boots, turning a fence on the U.S-Mexico border into an instrument. Ie's all to dicect attention to the artificiality of political borders, the fourth wall, and other barriers B.S. (Now. 5-22) ‘Marrugeku Alexander Kasser Theatre With “Cut the Sky” presented a Peak Pesfor ‘ances, in Montes New ete. ths Auta lia troupe looks at climate chugs and env ronmental devastation from the perspectie of inden ene The sensei tonow ih shel nr have bon sare ‘The vrting vocalist Nga Pigram sings Nick Care laments a vdeo images show creme sretchorand sue, Te nalitearsrtcare and Sine ofthe blown-hy.the-wind choreography feat slack But Dalia Pigram. te companys compact co-artstic recto, force, ah she brings onthe rain BS. (New 15-18) IRISH TAP Asa title fora show starring James Devine, “Velocity” is truth in adver~ tising, The Irish step dancer is still best known as the Guinness-certified fastest dancer in the world. Yet, as many beats as he ean pack in per second, just as important is what he leaves out: the bloated spectacle of “Riverdance” and of Michael Flatley’s arena productions. Devine is a'T-shirt-and-jeans virtuoso. In “Velocity” (at the New Victory, Nov. 16-18 and Noy, 23-25), Devine i joined by three other dancers, including David Geaney,a champ who's lot younger and a ltele stiffer up top but equally unaffected, dancing as he does in his family’s pub in Dingle. Both men broaden thei vocabularies with compressed borrow- ings from American tap, and the show's hard-driving Celtic band adds a scratching dij for contemporary edge. But the central appeal jam session in which risky demands of spe classics are met with precision, feats ‘of footwork sometimes doubled in side-by-side unison. —Brian Seibert “Blak Whyte Gray” Gerald W. Lynch Theatre Like ballet and modern dance before it, hip: hop dance has become a lingua franca, spoken in different accents, plumbed for its endless expressive range. Boy Blue hails from East London, where it was founded, in 2001, by the choreographer Kenrick Sandy an the oducer Michael Asante. The ensem- ble’ latest evening, "Blak Whyte Gray” part. of the White Light Festival, deals with big, ‘metaphysical questions: Whe aze we? Why ate Wwe the way we are? Each section develops a theme: the fist is meditative and restricted: the second is explosive, antic: and the third progresses from brokenness to power—M.H (Nox: 16-17) John Heginbotham /“Fantasque” N.Y.U, Skirball This gently surrealist fantasia, the product of collaboration between the quizky dance ‘maker John Heginbotham and the puppeteer Amy Trompetter, premitred two years ago, at Bard, Set in motion by a suite of piano pieces by Rossini and Respighi, Heginbath- fm’s daneers and Trompetter's homemade looking puppets enact a kind of dance fable about the clash between good and evil, dask- ress and light. The puppets, sometimes weat- able, sometimes lange enough to be carried in sections, are the real stars of the show ‘The sensitive pianist George Shevisov plays onstage —MLHE (Nov. 16-12.) “Robbins the Dancer” Bruno Walter Auditorium 1a conjunction with the Jerome Robbins ex Ibe “Robbins: Voie of My City” the New York Public Library fo the Performing Arte is holding a series of tals, including ehis anes hated by New ork Ct Bale’ Adan as he is refined dancer ell show Blms of Robbins dancing one of the three sllors in hie 1944 classic" Faney Free as ell as Mercutio in“Romeo and Juice which Antony Tudor created for American Ballet Theatre fo 1943 (hasnt heen performed in decades, and is Considered lost) Even more interesting will, be footage of Robbins working with dane cfs in the studio, Amanda Vail, who weote the excellent biography “Somewhere: The of Jerome Robbins” will discuss Reb bine's performance career; Wendy Whelan will alle about her own experiences working ‘wth him in his inal years-—-MLHL. (Now. 2) ‘THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 9 20185.ART “Charles White: A Retrospective” Museum of Modern Art Since his death, in 1973, che once renowned Airican-American artist has been eclipsed in reputation by to of his former students: David Hammons and Kerry James Marshall ‘This revelatory exhibition will change that, and not just hecause White is one of che finest draftsmen our country has ever produced. (Hammons made this point at the museum fast year, when he paired White and Leonardo dda Vinci in a two-person show.) Marshall pails the impact of Whites Figurative ceuwre in the catalogue’s preface: "His most accom= plished drawings achieve true perfection. The ‘effect is dazzling, eficient, and never extray- gant.’ The restraint of the portraits White ‘made in the course of three deeades—whether his subject was Harry Belafonte, Harriet Tub ‘man, ora street preacher in avistor shades— reminds us that dignity elevates politics. ‘The urgency of his message—our shared hu. ‘manity—could not arrive at a more critical time.Andrea K. Score (Through Jan. 13.) “Everything Is Connected: Art and Conspirs Met Breuer This far-reaching exhibition of works by thirty artists appears ata moment when journal iste report daly on eal nefarious plots, from topes copes te norton tniatereney and outlandish theories provide fodder for ferright violence, The show’ fist half deals wth face based materia including a 1969 video by the Videoeex collective ofthe Black Panther Fred Hampton; baring prints by AIDS activists ndicting the government for itsioactions nnd nrange of cling pieces by Alfredo Jaar, Jenny Holzer, Trevor Paglen, and others about US, covert operations The second half becomes hallucinatory. In Jim Shaw's “UFO Photos: Zapruder Film? ftom 1978.2, doctored stills place sions at the scene of [Fi $ asasination; John Millers AT THE GALLERIES Diane Arbus said, A photograph is a s Maier, the photographer was a secret, too. From the nineteen of Vi set about a secret.”In the case fifties until a few years before she died, destitute, in 2009, at the age of cighty-three, Maier took atleast a hundred and fifty thousand pictures and kept the results to herself (I's telling, perhaps, that she loved to shoot her own shadow.) For decades, Maier supported herself as a Chicago nanny. But her real work was roaming the streets, capturing images of sul e spontaneity, wit, empathy, and compositional savvy. ‘A question has dogged the photographer since a trove of her contact sheets, prints, and unprocessed film came to light at an au mn of forfeited property: How did a nanny make such high art? Let’ call that sexism, Does anyone ask how another great Chicago artist, Henry Danger (also discovered posthumously), could have produced his magnum opus, 2 fifteen-thousand-page drawing, while holding down a job as a janitor? ‘The first exhibition devoted to Maier's color work opens at Howard Greenberg Gallery on Nov. 14.—Andrea K. Scott ©THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 2018 painting “ZOG," from 1998, presents the ac ronym for an anti-Semitic catchphrase as the answer on the game show *Wheel of For- tune.” In such works, pop culture emerges 2s ‘paranoia stoking meta-conspiracy of abfus cation.—Johanna Fateman (Through Jan. 6.) Jocelyn Hobbie Fredericks & Freiser cneisea This figurative painters dreamy syle might be described au Photoshop rel ism, Burnished cheekbones and glossy povts Accessorize models young, mostly white women ~whove moods angefam mlanchaly to detache. Their bright outs and patterned backdrops usta the fuhion dak of ing prints Oil paint applied with nesble brats Stokes exapgernc the oucked-up perfection of dewy complexions and lxury textiles, A tsated vere of wer on paper owl Selon syle inthe back roomy, sees polis but ont sedctve: But do the distant ex prestionson these lovey faces signal actu Of the Madison Avenut ideale they embody, or ae they-as sess more ikely simply part of the look?—.F. (Through Der. 2.) Hildur Asgeirsdottir Jonsson De Nagy cownrown Had Anni Albers, the Bauhaus fentile great, and Louisa Matthiasdottn, the Teelandic-American poet of painted landscape, joined force they might have produced something like Jentoat quietly Tnsjestc new serienFonai/Waterals® The Gyedsll"Svatifons is a posteardeworthy wista-a turquoise column of water bisects & {raeby pink ci, raced by askin rsiabow— ifaposteard were fifteen feet high Jonson, who divides her time between Reykjavik and Cleveland, gives her abstracted landscapes radiant Left with her hybrid process: the ind paints the compositions on loose warp theade before they are wound ont the loom er ahaps ail a he weve, bu the eathered edges Felsina diaphanous appear ance—cloth masquerading as water J (Through Nov. 25.) Mark Tobey Pace urrown Why is Tobey, the pioneer of post- Second World War allover sbtraction, who died in 1974 so litte regarded now? Think Shout it at this well-sleeted show of thir Eyre panting, dating from I944 0 190, which differ, narrowly but strikingly, in style. Is the smallnes of his pictures handicap? “Tobey s concentrations of clse-kaited daub, dot ipso ealligeaphis mark, luminouhy ‘white and gry with corasiona Sin infu Tlons of spectrum acs can suggest Abstract Espen pings vowel hugh he vwrong end of a telescope, But come within tose length of them and youl be engulfed Didhis home base in Sete, or his commopol- itan nomad, absorption ia Asan cultares tid religionn Kemogcaieg tac norecioly itnscble temper weigh gait hs reptation? This ries in pant merits new ans orb terrifically refined and ferely felt pocket Infinitis, Peter Selah (Though om 12.)ON BROADWAY ‘The 1976 film “Network,” written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet, was uncannily prescient about our outrage-fuelled news-as-entertainment culture, fore- seeing the likes of Sean Hannity, Jerry Springer, and Laura Ingraham by de- cades. Lee Hall's stage adaptation, which premiéred at London's National ‘Theatre last fall, arrives on Broadway just in time for our national nervous breakdown. Bryan Cranston stars as Howard Beale, the news anchor who pronounces himself “mad as hell” over the airwaves, with Tatiana Maslany as, the programming director who juices his meltdown into a ratings bonanza. ‘The production (starting previews on Nov. 10 and opening Dec. 6, at the Be- Jasco) is directed by the ubiquitous Ivo van Hove, who knows a thing or two about spectacle—and about holding a bewildered audience in the palm of his hand.—Michael Schulman THE THEATRE, Catch as Catch Can w Ohio On paper; Mia Chang's new play, for Page 13, fatly straightforward: we meet si members of two working-elass families and prosrniely dearer the fut ines aking jeneath theic banter, polished by decades ‘of Kin and friendship. But the east numbers ‘only three, with each performer taking on a pair of roles regardless of age and gender. Directed with unobtrusive precision by Ken Rus Schmoll, the actors Jef Biehl, Michael Exper, and Jeanine Serralles, all wonderful, give every character a distinct personality Without eesorting to broad strokes, and they ways make it lear whom they ate portray ing at any given time—quite a fest when the fempo aezelerates in the second act. It's hhad to shake the impression that the shows merely a vehicle for virtuoso performers, bt "Catch as Catch Can” gives them both space to shine and material that resonates —Elsabeth Vincemeli (Trough Now. 17) Good Grief Vineyard ‘Awoye Timpo directs Ngori Anyanwu's tem?autoblographical play, about Nkcehi (Anyanwa), who has left a pre-med pro- gram and moved home to Bucks County, Bennsylvania; she “has the lonely heart of an artist” and isa bit lost, even more so after the death of her dear friend MJ (lan 8 THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 2018 Quinlan), The nostalgic narrative wanders backward and forward through time; the plots as minimalise asthe scafolding- ee fet, which suggests not just the thin bar rier between life and death but vagueness, tnhanced by stage fog. "Good Grief is ost sure footed when it dares to be ten der. “You are too young tobe so heavy, my dear” Nkechis father (Oberon KA Ade Jepong) says, lave one aight. “Life goes on aad you wll get lighter” This turns out tobe Nicchis fantasy of conversation with her cra young artist imagining her life the wants tobe. (Reviewed in our issue of ARII8,)—Sarah Larson (Thrcugh Now. 18.) ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream Public 1n 1957, the Public's Mobile Unit made its inangefal tour ina track on loan from the Department of Sanitstion. Si decsdes om, the travelling theatre company has not let profesionalization get in the way of play~ ness. After neary'a month onthe road staging free performances at churches, libraries, commanity centers, homeless shelters, and correctional facilities he cast hae returned home. At the Public, Shakespeare dreamlike romance amped vp withthe ad of soap-bubble guns, ‘tes by SaleN-Pepa, and Hawaiian les, At moments, the director Jenny Keone whim: tical adaption feels more like an impishly tncuted dros rebearyal than a bnttoned-a ficial production; the actors make of Scrip asides, pike colored balloons into the fudlence, and pass around chocolate-chip oaks. ivea millennial dance party, except that everyone's speaking sixteenth-century English.—David Koriava (Through Nov. 12) ‘The Thanksgiving Play Playwrights Horizons In Larissa FastHorse’s new comedy, directed by Moritz won Stuelpnage, the ation centerson teachers preparing for the annual elementary School THankagiving show The director (payed by Jennifer Rares, ina pitch-perfet render ingot frazzled ber wants o make work that dismantle stereorypes and honors Nave Americans. Her lover (Greg Keller) fancies me the sands peed when an actress (Margo Siber})f broughtin predict. tbiyshelevapidand obese eth Disney, bt tone, Fst Hore «Native Amerian faving ier Playwrights Horizons debut, loud the show with ericatares of white ales who also happen tobe inept amateur thestre-makers: double whammy! Ala, there is nowhere for them to go. Goed satire requires abit more than potsbtse E,W. (Though De.2) Torch Song Hayes ‘A bighearte,ttimined-down revival, dflly tltered by Motos Kenly of Harvey Fie stein groundbreaking 982 “Torch Song Tl og’ comes to Broadvay, after an Off Broaday run last year, Michal Ue brings topnotch comedic physicality to the role of Arnold Beckoff, a joke-a-minute drag performer who ‘truggles to be loved as Kimvell He bay an affair with Ed (Ward Horton), who marries a troman; he wants fatherhood, and hs loving But homophobic mathe (sshowcepping Me cedes Rue) doesnt approve. Rueht pays her Bigoted character with great depth of ecling, antl Uri matches her ia rightecus powers att tecet mange las Uke TE you cant respect toe then you karen buses biog hee” Eig gered applause breaks. By the end, Firstetn fer shotn ua boldly coherent vision of love and family that feels especialy resonant in our amore enlightened but increasingly regressive age. (1U/12/18)—S.L. (Through Feb, 24.) Usual Girls Black Box, Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre Just a girl in rape-culeure world, Kyeouny (Midori Francis) grows up in a tangle o fox and deep self loathing. Ming Pesfer'= Roundabout Underground play, dicected by ‘Tyne Rafzli, depicts female adolescence asa barleground: No one gets out emily alive fessage and fury power so much of the pla that questions of craft seem secondary, but {he tone straddles ano woman’ land between realism and surrealism, and the acting i re~ bets, as if everyone has O.D'd on Fun Dip, Tesno suprise, then thatthe best and most devastating moments are the quieter ones, tsorhanders between Kyeoung and a woman Jennifer Lim), older and biting wise, who She might become. lm one scene, the woman, finds Kyeoung, sil in middle school, i the bathroom, preparing to shave off her pubic hair. (Francis stands naked from the Waist down, razor aloft.) “fee so adult” Kyeoung says.—Alexis Sleki (Through Dec 1.)Bloat: wae MANAGEMENT uate AN Cures en mate el Bees eee ee aed cess ote ed aac neous See aN peor > Guidance designed to grow Eiclsccca retinal Core eeu lag Meiee een FIDELITY.COM/WEALTH | 800.FIDELITY Ree aie ie ceo eo Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC. ©:2018 FMR LLC. Allights reserved. 837004 2.0CLASSICAL MUSIC “Circus: Wandering City” Brooklyn Academy of Music ‘The audacious string quartet ETHEL, which reaches beyond the bounds ofthe classical rep ercoitein style and subject matte, pays tribute the trapeze artists, tion tamers, and fice jug 1s of the famed Ringling Bros, Cireus, which ssed operations last year, This eighty- minute production dark, naturalistic, and sometimes even funny-tells the story behind thei faceless feats with lively original sore, written by the cians, that hurtes through the air when it i hopping along in waltz time, Archival im ages and video ofthe circus, plus dacamentary interviews with retired performers, are projected ‘ona backdrop behind the musicians, who wear steampunk-style vests and top hats. -Oussama Zaby (Nov. 16-17 a 7:30.) Jenny Lin Jewish Museum “The persuasive pianist Jenny Lin offers a pro gram meant to compleent the museur' eu feat eahiikion onthe Rusian avant-garde punt cts Chagall, Linky, and Malevich evoking the strangeness andthe unfamiliar eloquence that AT THE OPERA hove artists showed in ther day. Acetic simpli: iayand brusque physicality comminge in works by the Russian composer Galina Ustvolskays Lin provides sharp contrast with the symmetry and swirl of Philip Glssss music, inclading the "Now York premiere of his latese major piano ‘composition, "Distant Figure (Passacagia for Solo Piano)."—Steve Smith (Nov. 15a 7:30.) New York Philharmonic David Geffen Hall The admirable conductor Manfred Honeck returns to the Philharmonic podium with an offbeat menu of tart and sweet courses. Dvorak’: ‘umbnstious “Carnival Overture sets the stage forthe Czech composer Bohuslav Martina ‘lia Concerto No.1, brilliant, neglected worle flush with Gallic elegance and piquaney. The nimble Frank Peter Zimmermann serves as 0 loist. Honeck then tums toa generous selection of waltzes, polkas, and similarly congenial pieoes boy Johann Strauss, Jr, and Josef Strauss 5.5. (Noo, 15a 7:30 and Noo. 16-17 at 8.) “Only the Sound Remains” Rose Theatre With her particular brand of spectralism—a technique that involves the electronic ma nipulation of sounds the composer Kaija ‘The enduring accomplishment of Benjamin Britten's chamber opera “The Turn of the Screw" -which Juilliard Opera performs on Nov. 14, Now. 16, and Nov. 18 at Peter Jay Sharp Theatre—is its startling economy. With just sever coices and thirteen instruments, the composes eteates an enthralling pphantasmagoria of horror and lingering dread, as the governess of Henzy James’ novella distressed atthe suffering of her two young charges, spirals into madness. Ie’ a perfect piece for a conservatory, allowing the students of this storied music school to hone their craft while working with pros (in this case, the conductor Steven Osgood and the director John 3iampietro). Audience memibers,in cur, get the chance to hear a penetrating yet rarely staged piece of musie theatre—and the bragging rights to they knew these performers when —Oussama Zabr 10 THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 19, 2018 ariaho conjures an alluring stasis, in which ‘music seems to shimmer while standing stil Two contemplative Japanese Noh plays, which are blissfully fre ofthe dramatic tension that hhas dominated centuries of Western theatre, provide sympathetic source marerial for her Style, Both plays deal with supernatural visita ‘ion, allowing Sariaho to fold the rich voices ff the countertenor Philippe Jatoussky and the bass-baritone Davéne ines into heavenly ‘musical textures; Peter Sellars direets, and ‘nest Martinez Izquierdo conducts, OZ. 17 at 7:30 and Nov. 18 at.) Juan Diego Florez Carnegie Hall Time was when opera stars gave aria recitals with piano accompaniment and without apology. Nowadays, they're more likely to plumb the depths of classical song literature to assemble programs with serious-minded themes and a Sense of musical coherence, The bel-caato vir tuoso juan Diego Flores, unbothered by corrent trends, presides over a program of oper great est its in which no chestnut is too chestnut. Vincenzo Sealera accompanies te divo in show pieces from “L'Elisird Amore," “Manon,” "La Boheme," and other works. OZ, (Now. 18 at 2) “Death and the Maiden” Alice Tully Hall In Schubert's famous song, Death says, “Tam your friend, and come aot to punish.” That idea that mortality is at once a kindness and a terror-—reappears in the quartet of the same name, written a few years before the composer’ own early demise. The baritone Nikolay Borchey, the pianist Wu Qian, and the Schumann Quartet collaborate ina program by the Chamber Music Society of Lincola Center, which also features Mussorgsiy’s lu gubrious ‘Songs and Dances of Dexth” and an arly work by Rachmaninoff. Fergus Melndh (Now. 18.1 Boston Symphony Orchestra Camegie Hall Before he became the Symphony's music di- rector Andris Nelsons Was an accomplished trumpeter, That especeace and insight wll be on show a he conducts hs fiend and some time teacher, the Swedish trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger, in EK. Gruber “Ania” an tppeaing crest thts by tana ratempltine ae pucigh, Mabler’ its Symphony another trumpet display) completes the program (Now. 19 at 8.) NIGHT LIFE Musicians and might-club proprietors lead complicated lives; i adetiable ro check in advance ta confirm engagements Mare Ribot The Stone at the New School {As socially conscious and politically active ashe is musically inventive, the guitarist Mare RibotTy rr ae Pe aa + kindle Cr at)HIP-HOP. Tobe Nwigwe's #Get IwistedSundays video series—named for the first installment, in which the Houston rapper freestyled as his then girlfriend, Fat (now his wife), twisted his hait—was meant to be a sort of lyrical ex- ercise, Then the acclaim started rolling in, and he began to repackage his agile verses with original beats and enhance his videos with fully developed concepts and choreography. The resulting songs, assembled as collections aptly titled “The Originals’ (released in May) and “More Originals’ (out last month), have been hypnotic. His deep, gravelly voi ad down-home Southern dravl combine with messages of empowerment and positivity for astriking outcome: every track brims with intent, but not at the expense of | levity. He is remarkably unburdened by his own gravitas. Nwigwe dreamed. of becoming a professional football player, but what a shame it would've been if the world had been deprived of such musical gifts. He plays his frst show in New York on Nov. 18, at the Bowery Ballroom.—Briana Younger is understandably piqued these days. How that wll affece the intensity of his upcoming per- Formances at this residency is anyone's guess, Dut his solo recitals—featured Nov. 13-14 and Nov. 16—are generally special events. A duet withthe pianist Anthony Coleman on Nov 15 iso has promise.—Sieee Funerman (Now. L-12) Mareus Roberts Nonet Village Vanguard “The 1989 cecording ‘Deep ia the Shed” the pianist Marcus Roberts: second project as Ectdleader, featuring the guest coluit Wyaton Marsalis (under the alias E, Dankgrorth) and a cadre of fine young players—was a bracing affirmation of jazz essentials coated in the thythms and tone ofthe blues Roberts has used the ensuing decades toexamnine both historial and orignal jaz tangents, At hie fist Vanguard appearance in fifteen years he revisits his opus with a nonet braced by siz, horns.—S.F. (Now, 13-18.) W.C. Handy’s Blues Merkin Concert Hall No, W. C. Handy didn't invent the blues—and ‘best of luck trying to nail down a single com- poser who did—but he did much to codify its song forms and, as publisher, to disseminate 12 THENEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 9, 2018 its pleasures to a wider audience in the eatly decades ofthe last century, Salting this sem- inal pioneer will be two fanatical champions of jazz Americana, the mult-instrumentalists Vince Giordano and Scott Robinson, joined by vocalists including Lucia Bradford and Joshua Blue—SF (Now. 14) Summer Walker Hammerstein Ballroom The biggest song from the rising R. Bi Summer Walle "Girls Need Love sat once Zar los for pba toch and an cligh ned statment on ssa avtonary TT debut Thom the slow- burning “Last Day of Snmer™ teleased in October, proceed ina similar fash- Jon, propelled by buttery vocals that contour ter dlr ie with vlnerabily. Walker appean in sappor of her Ibelmate GLACK {Gronosscad Back’), whose ter sl, East ‘tanta Love Letter ean anguarded exerci bowing bali ifs ch hiphop ie at Terminal Briana Younger (Now 4). Gucci Mane Avant Gardner Ionemeasure of per prestige ithow she or be responds tos gente hat conan in tan sition, then Gueei Mane has earned his stripes ‘many times over. The Atlanta hitmaker has pow teed his carcee with animble appraach to music tnd a magnetism that only grows with time ‘With neary two decades of output (othe tune of ‘moze than a hundred mixtapes and albums), the ‘hallenge of any Gucci Mane show is how to craft ‘set that captures tall. He shares the headlining slot with the E.D.M. dj, and producer Carnage, Wha is known for his riotous festival sets and bass-ratting beats BY. (Noo. 16) Jack White Kings Theatre ‘We kow who the first rock tars were, but who among this endangered species will be the lst? Few candidates hive made a resounding an argument as Jack White, with hsdaaing puta icumen, ghostly mystique, and; ina cul re touchy siableandience Like is forebears, the tmisilan also delights in taking creative laps wih ti andi: Caen pom: Boat Ing House Reach? his ecet reese, in which ‘White cass aside his frst loves—minimaism, analog to engage with contemporary pro duction, at ies invoking the mad hedonism of P-Funk, After months of touring arenas, ‘White and his backing quate, which includes two heyboaidists, squeeze into a theatre Jay Rutienbar (Now 1-12) The Bunker: No Way Back Good Room Founded and run by the dj. Bryan Kasenc, the Bunker has been New York’s premicr techno night for fifteen years. Not coincidentally, its resident djs Derek Plasaiko, Mike Servito, and Patrick Russell—are from Detroit, techno's biethplace and home to one of the toughest dance-music audiences ia the world. ven 40, the Buaker’s local mashup with Detroit's bistory-steeped party No Way Back—this is its eighth visit to Brooklyn—has an extra special kick, NW.B.'s founders, BMG and Erika, who also make music together as Exto- ae capable of steering a party in any direction, from head-dowa stern to cheekily bbuoyant-Michaelangelo Matos (Nov. 2.) Mexican Summer: A Decade Pioneer Works 12008, Kemado Records established a small, sub-impriat asmed Mexican Summer asa ‘iaylonly subscription service. Since then, Ue label Ras evolved into fr more than just crate-dgger's paradise I's had a hand in boost- ing dozens of arcistsincluding Best Coast, Washed Out, and the Tallest Man on Earh— who have gone on to seismic commercial and {rcalsoees. At Pioneer Works the label el- hres a dsadeof sounds with performances by fonds and collaborator inching Jf Canco- Ledesina, Ariel Pink, Jess Williamson, Ton- stanssbandht and Pil Pola Mejia (Nev. 7) Eri Yamamoto Paul Taylor Dance Company Studios ‘The under-recognized pianist Eri Yamamoto has a weekly tio gig at the West Village nightVa EES Mayor draws comparisons between recommend this book to all mythical androids and ancient robot nterested in biology and nature and the Al of today pred eng ey wl learn fling, thorough research ‘much and be marvelously entertained and impressive experts Bert Halabler, coauthor of The An Sarah Olson, Science Da TIMEFULNESS TT EVOLVE CL ia MARCIA BJORNERUD ou hy attempted to study a PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS onspot Arthur's Tavern, but her outsized com. positional ambitions will be in evi uring this run of "Goshu Ondo Suit Japanese-foll-inspired extended work, which ‘mates Yamamoto’s group (David Ambrosio fon bass, Tkuo Takedehi on drums) with the Choral Chameleon choir.-—S.F (Nov. 17-18.) The Pixies Brooklyn Steel Kurt Cobsin famously wrote “Smells Like ‘Teen Spirit” under the spell of the Pixies. But what if che band’s more durable influ ence actually came years later? Specifically, in 2004, the Pixies embarked on a reunion tour that opened the floodgates for the le gion of Generation X idols currently reviv ing their careers in music venues around the world, The quartet—now with the magnetic bassist Paz Lenchantin in 2 role originated by Kim Deal—recenily issued a boxed set Gevored to its explosive fist albums, fon Pilgrim” and "Surfer Rosa.’ The musi cians perform those records front to back in 2 production featuring visuals that accen tate the lurid imagery of the songs... (Noo. 18.20.) IN REVIVAL MOVIES Ar Eternity’s Gate This dramatization of the last stages of Vincent van Gogh’ life, directed by Julian Schnabel and starring Willem Dafoe as the ill-fated genius, lurches between the ridie talous and the sublime, I's set mainly in the South of France, where the artist's quest for tn environment that's friendlier than Paris is marred by his new neighbors’ suspicion and hostility. The arrival of his friend and col Teague Paul Gauguin (Osear Isiac) gives rise to some stirring intellectual exchanges —2s well as to van Gogh's tragic self-mutilation and his internment in am asylum, Thete, ina ‘moving scene, he responds pessionately tothe cold critiques of a priest (Mads Mikkelsen). But the movie ips seemingly at random be ‘ween French and English and, ludicrously, features actors impersonating, as ifn Monty Python, familiar Aigures from the paintings, into which the actors are visually dubbed These vulgar defacements of the art work match the eye-rollingly portentous melo ‘drama with which van Gogh's torments are ‘depicted. — Richard Brody (Ia limited release.) Ida Lupino, star of the nineteen-forties, became a director in 1949—a ‘great one, as seen in Film Forums retrospective (through Nov. 22) of her work on both sides of the camera. Her movies probe women's lives and troubles—unwanted pregnancy, mother-daughter rivalry, rape and its psychological aftermath—with a harrowing subjectivity that makes her one of the most original directors of the time. Lupino was also an inde- pendent producer, in partnership with her then husband, Collier Young, and her 1953 melodrama “The Bigamist” (which he wrote) confronts the emotional dangers of a working marriage. The title character (Edmond OBrien) is a travelling appliance wholesaler in business with his wife (Joan Fontaine), who runs their office but neglects their romance. Lupino herself plays the other woman. Though centered on the philanderer’s double life, the movie's most passionate moments are reserved for the anguish of the women facing his secrets and lies. Rickard Brody Me THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 19, 2018 CAM This remarkably accomplished thriller, by Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber (she wrote, he directed), depicts a crisis in the life and work of a eam gir, Alice Ackerman (Madeline Brewer) is performer who, under the name of Lola, live-streams & mildly pornographic and vigorously imaginative act from her all-pink bedeoom; while performing, she interacts with, followers (seemingly all men), whose tips are her income. But, suddenly, Alice, who mea sures her success by her popularity ranking, is Tocked out of her account; her persona (plus her face and her voice) is hijacked, and she sets ou to find the culprit. Meanwhile, she's awaiting the moment to tell her family what ‘he does for a living. The realization of her life online, as she interacts with «profusion of screens and windows, is extraordinarily com: plex and detailed, but the drama is thin and predictable; despite the quasi-documentary authenticity of the details of Alice's work, ‘he movie offers more provsess than perspec: tive RB. (In limited release.) The Front Runner Hugh Jackman plays Senator Gary whose plan co become President of the United States, in 1988, was destroyed, with aston: ishing speed, by the predatory pressor, a€ cording to another point of view, by his own folly, Jason Reitman’s movie, which is based ‘on Mate Bais book “All the Truth Ts Out” i evenhanded in its apportioning of blame, though there's a clear hint that the changes in the medias approach to politics would prove irreversible, Jackman has the geniality for the part, but pethaps aot the shiftiness, and youcan’t help wishing that Reitman had paid more attention to the fortunes of Donna Rice (Sara Paxton), the young woman at the eye of the tempest. Younger audiences, new to story, may well regard it, in more ways than one, as old news, With Vera Farmiga, as Har’ besieged wife, and J.K, Simmons, as his campaign manager.—-dnihony Lane (Reviewed mor iste of 1/12/18.) (Tn side release) Outlaw King David Mackensie's Sls pleks up, mote or less, where Mel Gibson's “Draycheart 1998) lft off This time, the rebellious Soot te Rober the Brace (Chris Pine), who chafee at English role, and atthe unjust demands of King Edvard (Stephen Dillane), Robert Stabs wrival, gathers asl band of ellow- tenand wages acamnpeign of real goocrila srrfare before the ivy sles mec pitched Extle at Loudon Ti, in 1907, The piteh- ing, complete with a bari of sharpened Stakes, shows Mackenaie at his gutsesta gratiying climax to the movie after the dra fhatic defdrame tht come before, Viewers tmay struggle to belicee in tae aflble Fine Ba blood hungry troublemaker, and he's easily outstripped in mania by Aaron Tey” lorohnson, the wengefsl ames Dough Florence Pugh plays Robeit's determined queen; when she is onscreen, its hard to sratch anyone else-—-L. (11/12/18) (in Tnited rleae and on Neg) For more reviows, visit om goinga-on about town‘TABLES FOR TWO Adda Long Island Ci In the past few years, Indian food in New York has scen something of a re- naissance, brought on by chef unafraid to push past generic curries and offer menus that are specific, regional, and experimental. But whenever Chintan Pandya, the chef at Rahi, which opened in the West Village last year, was asked where he liked to eat Indian food on his own time, he found himself without a ‘good answer. The places that passed muster were too expensive. The places .. that were affordable didn't pass muster. Eventually, he realized that he could solve this problem. In September, he and his partner at Rahi, Roni Mazum- dar opened Adda, a “canteen’ that serves the kind of unpretentious, homey food that “Indian people actually eat,” Ma- zumdar said, as he and Pandya made rounds in the dining room one recent afternoon. To insure quality, they kept the menu small." We cant do justice to forty pages,” Mazumdar said. To keep prices down, they chose a low-rent lo- cation in Long Island City. Otherwise, they did exactly as they pleased, plaster~ ing the walls with colorful Indian news- print and choosing an eclectic array of their favorite multiregional specialties. Some of these are hard to find else where in the city, or even in the US., like bheja fry, dish commonly eaten in Parsi and Mustim communities. If no one told you, you'd never know that the main ingredient was goat brain, which looks, enveloped in a ruddy reduction of ginger, onions, and chili like any other ground meat, witha slightly curdier,air- ier texture and an earthy, mineral tang, In ‘Mumbai, Pandya’s home town, it com= monly eaten on the go; here it billed as, “snack,” along with other street foods, including a fantastic aloo chana chaat, made with smashed fingerling potatoes and chickpeas blanketed in luscious yo- gurt and sweet and spicy chutneys, From the tandoor oven come more unexpected delights: cubes of pillowy house-made paneer, without a hint of squeak, dusted in cilantro and chili powder, coral-skinned poussin, or young chicken, marinated in vinegat, Thai bird chili, and black salt, The curry section of the menu is the most familiar, but deceptively so. A dish called masaledar liparwan murgh may resemble chicken tikka masala but is astonishingly com- plex, with buttery hunks of tender dark meat and bright, clear notes of gin- get garlic, and fresh tomato. Pandya stopped to chat about it."I cant tell you iy secrets!"he joked, and then he did: simple but careful layering of deeply browned onions, three different cuts of tomato, and spices—turmerie, coriander, cumin—toasted to order. They weren't really his secrets, he admitted. To get certain recipes, including this one, he had gone to food stalls in Dethi, known as dhaba, and bribed their operators. “It helps if you bring alcohol.” (32-37 Thomson Ave, Queens. 718-AI3-~3888. Entrées $7-$17,) —Hiannab Coldfield BAR TAB The Uncommons Greenwich Village Ikis happy parados that the human soul thrives ton both the familiar and the unknown, Five Yyearsago, when new ownership reconceived this tiny parlor, once home to the legendary Village (Chess Shop, asa thrumming saack hall with an emphasis on novel and esoterie board games, they made sure to hold onto the classics. Now suas, patrons can play any of about a thousand ames, fora fee. Ona recent night, a group of fiends bought afew ten-dllar cupe of fost and amini-bottle of champagne. They carried a bat- {ered box containing Ticket to Ride, a game that was created this century but looks like it eame from the last to aroom decorated with Magic: ‘The Gathering banners and a framed poster that charted varieties of beer. As the players started laying down boxcars on a map of North ‘America, fllowing preasigned secret routes, ‘nearby woman in a loral-print dress explained the rules ofa fantasy game called Dominion to her date,a man inan atletie-t polo, ‘Do you tanderstand why this is important?” she ated, Jmpatiently, pointing to apie of cards, Ifyou dont understand something, tell me” Her date rubled his temples as she dealt hand, Merei- fully. a botde of white wine appeared. Quietly, he poured, Soon, the Ticket to Ride tai stretched from New York to Oklahoma City, ‘Winnipeg to Seatle, The players revealed theit final cards and tallied their points; whispers of “holy shit” and ‘goddaramit™ passed berween them. "Wasn't that fun,” the winner, a woman ina white tune, said, as she shimmied in her seat, Her defeated friends walled outside a 60 cavalier men in sports caps entered, minutes before last eall. One of them ordered Session lagers. The other grabbed the game Risk. Were there but world enough, and time. (230 Thomp- son St, 646-543-9215) —Neima Jehromi ‘THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 9, 201815Ross+SIMONS fabulous jewelry & great prices for more than 65 years Asterling alligator bangle Add a touch of whimsy to your wrist with our stylish alligator bangle. Made in Italy of fine sterling silver with exceptional attention to detail, Sparkling emerald eyes further enhance its appeal *149 Plus Free Shipping Sterling Silver Alligator Bangle from Italy Bypass style graduates from 14" to 1”. Hinged. 74" length. Shown larger for detail. Ross-Simons Item #781775 To receive this special offer, use offer code: SPLASH149 1.800.556.7376 or visit www.ross-simons.com/splash ee ‘stout. Jp collaboration with the italian Trade Agency, the Ministry of Economie Development and Confindustria-Federorafi-2) NEW YO KER“ THE \f] af <= i THE TALK OF THE TOWN COMMENT PARTY OF ONE hortly before President Trump, at a press conference last Wednesday, de- sided a CNN reporter asa “terrible per- son," he claimed, briefly, to be out of touch with his emotions. How, the Pre: ident wondered, was he supposed to feel about the midterm electoral defeat of so many moderate and suburban Re~ publicans? “T'm not sure that J should be happy or sad," he said. True, their logs had cost his party control of the House. On the other hand, as he saw it, many of them had never been de- monstrative enough in showing their loyalty to him or in asking for his help; they didnt “want the embrace.” They should have known that without Trump they were nothing. And so, on balance, he said,“ fee! just fine about it.” Whether the President is happy or sad has become the central, if not the sole, concern of the Republican Party and of his Cabinet. A few hours after the press conférence, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was finally forced to resign, Yet, even in his resignation letter, he pleaded to be understood as an ideolog- ical loyalist, praising the President for his focus on the “rule of law.” Sessions was indeed 2 true’Trumpist, particu when it came to immigration policy: The ‘White House's announcement,on Thurs day, that it was severely restricting asy- Jum claims could almost be seen as an actof spite—denying Sessions the chance to preside over the demolition of a sys tem he had so eagerly undermined. Si jons’s one misstep was to recuse himself from oversight of Robert Muel- Jer’s investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump believes that it’s the Attorney Gener- als job to protect the President from such annoyances. By most accounts, the rman he has named acting Attorney Gen- eral, Matthew Whitaker, believes so, too. When a reporter asked Trump if ‘Whitaker would “rein in Robert Muel- ler,” he replied only, “What a stupid question.” Perhaps, to him, the answer was obvious. ‘Onc of the more dangerous outcomes of the midterms is the belief, in some quarters of the G.O-P, that putting the Party in Trump's hands was worth it. Three of the Democratic senators whom. he personally campaigned against—Joe Donnelly, in Indiana; Claire McCaskill, in Missouri; and Heidi Heitkamp, in North Dakota—Iost. “He worked very hard, drew large erowds, and I think it clearly had a positive impact,” Mitch McConnell, who will remain the Sen- ate Majority Leader, said, apparently untroubled by the bigotry, the lies, and the fear-mongering that Trump had used ashe worked up those crowds. Me- Connell also wamed against *Presiden- tial harassment”—a phrase that, in the ‘Trump era, could deseribe many things, but by which he meant the Democrats’ tasing control of the House to investi- gate Trump. Despite Trump's description of the midterm results as “close to complete there were some notable set- backs for his party, especially atthe state level, with a net loss of at least six gov- emorships and more than two hundred legislative seats. Some of the Republi- can House members who wontt be re- turning in January, including the tw yythree who chose to retire, would likely agree that they might have been abl to keep their seats if they had embraced. ‘Trump, but they just could not or would not make that bargain, Others stayed away fora pragmatic reason: Trump was deeply unpopular in their districts. The President said that Barbara Comstock, the incumbent in Virginia's Tenth Dis- trict, was among those who had for- eited a win by not aligning herself with him. In fact, she lost to an opponent, Jennifer Wexton, who had labelled her “Barbara Trumpstock.” Trump's kind of Republican would have bragged about how great that sounded. Yet Trump is right in one respect. ‘The midterms were a party-building exercise, if all one was trying to build is the Party of Trump. The G.O.P. is THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 19,208 17acelimating itself to accepting divisive- ness and unconstitutional travestie— inchuding, perhaps, efforts to end birth right citizenship—in return for a few Senate seats. Worse, more and more Re- publicans elected under ‘Trump's aus- pives, such as Josh Hawley, of Missouri, and Marsha Blackburn, of Tennessee, dont even see their association with him as a trade-off They like what the Pre ident stands forand seem to regard being loyal to him and Keeping him happy as natural parts of the job. ‘The same appears true of Whitaker. ‘A former federal prosecutor who was, until last week, Sessions’ chief of staf, Whitaker is, in many ways, a walking distillation of Trumpism. Fle has spoken of the border as being “under assault” and of the need for "New Testament” judges; and, in an echo of his new boss’ flimflammery, he was recently involved in a questionable invention-marketing ‘operation. (“Anybody that works for me, they doa number on them," Trump said on Friday. He added,"T dont know Mate Whitaker'—a reminder that Trumpist Joyalty goes only one way.) Whitaker has already announced that there never was any collusion with Russia: last year in a column for CNN, he wrote that Muel- Jerwas headed for “witch hunt” territory Nevertheless instead of recusing him- self as Sessions did, Whitaker has taken control of Mueller’s investigation; even ihe doesnt fire the special counsel, he could try to veto subpoenas that Muel- Jer’s team might want to serve on the President or on members of his family. ‘Mueller has apparently begun writing his final report; efforts by the Adminis tration to scuttle any indictments could easily escalate into obseruction of justice, According to the Times, by last Thurs day congressional Democrats, who are anticipating the subpoena power that the chairmanship of House committees will give them, had held a conference call to map out ways to protect Muel- Jer—or to jump into the fight themselves. ‘The firing of Sessions is an illustra- tion of how the President's demand for loyalty brings the country ever closer to a constitutional crisis, Whitaker has said that the list of Supreme Court decisions that he thinks are wrong begins with Marbury v. Madison—the landmark 1803 case that delineated the Court's power to interpret the Constitution, and which is woven into almost every as~ pect of American jurisprudence. Ifthe Court doesn't decide what's constitu- tional, who does? ‘Trump? (On Friday, meanwhile, the President headed to Paris for a centennial com- memoration of the end of the First ‘World War: The trip gives hima chance to brag to other leaders about his term victory and, he no doubt expects, to accept their congratulations, their thanks, and their embrace. —Amy Davidson Sorkin FRIENDSHIP DEPT, SUPERFAN Some, Michael Cera, the gently comedic actor, now thirty years old, pitched a show to TV execs featuring two of his artistic heroes. “I wrote a cartoon that T really wanted Elaine to bea voice in—herand Kenny,” Cera said on a recent Wednesday at the Golden, the Broadway theatre in midtown. For the cartoon, Elaine and Kenny—the writer-performer-director Elaine May, now eighty-six, whose hit show “An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May” premitred at the Golden in 1960, and the writer-dire tor Kenneth Lonergan, ffty-six—agreed to play mother and son."My friend and I wrote it and tried to sell it, but no- body wanted it,” Cera went on. “Iwas, like, Are you kidding? A cartoon star- ring these two would be, like, my fa~ vorite thing.” Another project came together: May is currently starring in Lonergan’s play “The Waverly Gallery,” in revival at the Golden, and Cera is init, too. May 18 THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 2018 plays Gladys, a spirited Greenwich Vil- lage gallerist and matriarch; Alzhei- mer’ is encroaching, and her family struggles to cope. But Ceras character, Don, an artist showing at her gallery, is unfazed, because he believes that Gladys's problem is her hearing aid. (Don, Lonerganis scxipt says, isa “de- tail-fixated person who devotes alot of his mental energy to very slowly and carefully arriving at the wrong conclu- sion.”) The role, for Cera, is relatively modest—he co-starred in Lonergan’ past two Broadway revivals, “This Is, Out Youth,"in2014, and “Lobby Hero,” this year, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award—but, like Don, he is unfized. I desperately tried to claw my way into it, to work with Elaine,” he said. “I would have, like, taken out the trash on this production,” Cera was sitting on a fuded, salmon ish upholstered chair in the Golden's empty second-floor lobby between the play's matinée and evening perfor- mances. He wore a bright-salmon ox- ford shirt and held a coffee mug that said “T trusted you ...T trusted you over and over, in bright-salmon letters. “This isan old Andy Kaufman clip,"he said, pointing to the phrase. In the bit, from 1977, Kaufman, ina bright-salmon jumpsuit, bounces around, wailing, “T Michael Cora trusted you,” to a cheering, increasingly baffled audience. “In 2008, did a movie called “Youth in Revolt, and we all loved this clip,” Cera said. “This was a wrap gift from the producer.” “Youth in Revolt” provided him with more than a good mug. Its director, Miguel Arteta, gave Cera a twentieth- birthday gift of a “huge pile” of his favor- ite movies on DVD, including May's “The Heartbreak Kid," from 1972. It stars Charles Grodin, as a man who aggres- sively pursues a woman he meetson hishoneymoon. “It’s become my favorite mavie,” Cera said. “The feel the language of it, the ride of Grodin, the tone, Elaine, her DNA in it. Love the note that it hits. [love the way she eut it." (In 2013 feeling inspired, Cera made a short film, “Brazzaville Teenages,"written with Bruce Jay Fried man, who wrote the story that “The Heartbreak Kid” was based on, and he ‘got Grodin to star) He became a May superfan, and can enthuse about every- thing from her 1971 black comedy, New Leaf” (she's a naive botanist who unwittingly reforms mercenary suitor), to aigs$ Nichols and May G.E. refrig- erator commercial (“In between breaths of talking about the fridge, they're pri- vately ending their affair") and their be- loved “Teenagers” sketch. “They're si ting in a car by a lake, being teen-agers, not knowing how to talk ta each other. It's bemutiful—how they play off each other, the way Elaine gets laughs.” Cera and May first met when he de~ livered his cartoon script to her. Later, they had lunch. Cera has had lunches with several of his other heroes, to cluding Gene Wilder and Grodin; Gro- din, now eighty-three, brought Cera to a restaurant where a series of busbays ceamnestly praised Ceras work.“He had, like, rehearsed the staff to embarrass ime,” Cera said. “Such a great guy.” At their lunch, May did not prank Cera. ‘They talked about beer—“She had just discovered beer, she was, like, having a Jove affair with boer’—and the intensely ‘enjoyable and also shameful” feeling of having a laughing fit onstage. (His with Kieran Culkin, in “This Is Our Youth’; hers with Nichols, in “Teenagers,” after a teeth-bump kissing mishap.) In“The Waverly Gallery,” Cera and May are rarely onstage at the same time, “We've been trying to find these litle spots where we can flesh it out together in the tiniest ways,"he said. “Elaine kind ‘of adjusts my jacket at one point—those little things that imply an offstage dy- namic.” Another part of their offstage dynamic: beer. “Sometimes, after the show, welll have a beer together and talk shop,” he said. “Plaine likes stout. And porters. There’ this amazing stout called Mexican Cake. Ie's viscous and ics strong. So we share a bottle and talk about things. It’s nice.” —Sarab Larson DAILY DIGEST CHATTER hat we know about the world seems (0 come increasingly from social media, But it can be hard to sep- arate the news from the geyser of other stuff: hoaxes, non sequiturs, memes about mandarin ducks, doctored foot= age of CNN reporters, and Kanye West’ latest opinions. Soe yo We AA, Dublin, in 2010, calls itself the world’s “first social-media newswire.” J Reuters stringers report on stories from around the globe, Storyful analysts cover the wilds of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Gab,and Discord, keeping an eye out for noteworthy posts. These become dispatches in a rolling digest that is available to subseribers, which include newspapers, TV-news bureaus, soda companies—anyone who needs to keep track of what Storyful calls “the conversations and movernents shaping the world” but who cant open enough tabs to track them all at once. A few years ago, Storyful was ac~ quired by News Corp, and the com- pany’s New York office now sits above the main studios of Fox News. Last week, early on Election Night,a throng of onlookers, many wearing “Make America Great Again’ hats, gathered ona plaza outside the building. A Fox correspondent, live on air, did inter- views with people in the crowd, ask- ing one man whether he liked the President's message on immigration. “One hundred per cent,"the man sai. Upstairs, Rob McDonagh, the editor of Storyful’s U.S. news team, watched the exchange on TV. "I just ordered a pizza,” he said. “I don't know how the delivery guy's gonna get inside the building,” Sharb Farjami, the C.E.O., stood up from his desk. “Now that people are leaving work and heading to the polls, you're gonna see a spike of alle- gations on social,” he explained. “Long Tines, broken machines, voter suppres- sion—some of it true, some of it not so much.” MecDonagh’s team was tasked, in part, with distinguishing the true from the not so much. Storyful attempts t0 validate each post or video before in cluding it in its digest. McDonagh pulled up an example on his laptop. ‘That morning, analysts had examined a tweet from a user named Carpe Donktum. “THIS IS ELECTION “Use thy corel”‘TAMPERING, "itread.“THISMUST GO VIRAL.” Attached was a video, apparently taken inside a polling place in Pittsburgh, where a sign on the front door read “Vote Straight Democrat.” “We have no way of verifying the identity ofthis” McDonagh squinted at the sereen—*Carpe Donktum per- son,” he said. “His Twitter bio says ‘Eternally Sarcastic Memesmith, which, does not inspire confidence. But we did verify that the video was taken today, and it seems to be from a real polling location.” His team had called the Al- legheny County Board of Elections. “They confirmed that there was a sign up, briefly, and that it was immediately taken down.” McDonagh was confi- dent that the video was nota computer enhanced hoax, or a “deepfake.” “For now, when they do crop up, you can spot them right away,” he said. “But it’s just a matter of time.” Sitting near McDonagh were a few news analysts with different special~ ties. “Beyoncé just made a super-late endorsement of Beto, you guys,” Nick Mendolia, who covers U.S. politics, announced. Anne Winberry,a trends editor, said, “I focus on the lighter, quirkier side. Today, its a lot of vol- unteers bringing people pizza at the polls.” ‘Michael Edison Hayden covers the dark underbellies of the Internet— the places most reporters prefer to avoid, but where news is often made, for better or worse. (In practice, al- most ahvays for worse.) “The chans”— 4chan, Schan, Endchan—"are going nuts with the racist Stacey Abrams memes right now,” he said. Abrams, who was running in Georgia, hoped to become the country’s frst black fe- male governor. This prospect, Hayden, said, had “clearly captured the imag- ination of the worst people on the In- ternet.” He was tracking one meme in particular. Three days earlier, the Adanta chapter of a black-separatist ‘group called the New Black Panthers had posted photos to Facebook of four or five of the group's members posing with assault rifles and signs, reading “Abrams for Governor.™* Those photos are real,” Hayden said. “We're not trying to debunk that this hap- pened—we'e trying to track how it ets spread around and used as pro 20. THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 1B, 2018 paganda.” He recounted the chain of events: On November 4th, the con- servative site the Daily Caller ran an item about the photos (‘Armed With Assault Rifles, Black Panthers March for Staccy Abrams”). On November 6th, the Atlanta fournal-Constitution picked up the story (“Those Pictures of New Black Panthers Campaigning for Abrams Are Real, and They Aren't Apologizing”). That same day, a site called Right Wing News added its spin: “Black Panthers Just Took Over City—Alll Out War on Election Day.” Around 7 P.M., Hayden opened a link from a colleague. “Holy shit,” he said. "Brian Kemp is running ads about this.” Kemp, Abrams’s Republican op- ponent, had just paid for a Facebook ad featuring the photos. “SHARE if you agree that Abrams and the Black Panthers are TOO EXTREME for Georgia,” the ad read. “Unbelievable,” Hayden said, “We've gotta add this to our story.” —Andrew Marantz ON THE FLY RITUAL, 8 oe Cp Tinney ihe ide OR elections, Ilyse Hogue, the president of the pro-choice lobbying group NARAL, arrived at the wrong Drybar to get her hair done. Her ap= pointment was on the Lower East Side; this was West Sixteenth Street. Could. they accommodate her? She didrit have much time, and they squeezed her in, ‘That night, she was scheduled to speak ata Swing Left rally at Cooper Union, before flying to her home state of Texas, to stump for Lizzie Fletcher, in Dal- Jas, and Beto O'Rourke, in Houston. ‘Then she'd doa weekend sprint through ‘Midwestern battleground states—lowa, Michigan, Minnesota—before flying to Washington, D.C., where she lives, to cast her own ballot on Tuesday. “T should have gotten my shit together to early vote,” she said, settling into a salon chair, as Dua Lipa blared over the speakers. “But my nanny quit last week, and it was tough.” Hogue, forty-nine, is the mother of twin toddlers. When she became preg- nant, in 2085, it complicated her role as “the abortion lady.” She recalled walking into a hearing on Capitol Hill thirty-six weeks pregnant: “I was as, bigas a house.” A pro-life activist asked whether her belly was zeal. “Obviously, it’s such a crazy question,” she said. “But it goes to the heart of the dis- connect, which is like, yes, people who advocate for women’s agency and au- tonomy also want children and love people. We're not all sterile spinsters.” Since taking her job, in 2033, Hogue has come to appreciate the role that image plays in her work."When I came in, it was still the Bush years, and D.C. was so straitlaced. Tt was suits and monochromatic colors."She tried dress- ing the part before deciding thar, she said, "conforming to these prescribed roles is the problem.” Now she believes in wearing “whatever makes you feel good.” At the salon, she had on a midi skirt, black heels, and a shirt that read *Pro-sciutto & Pro-Choice & Pro- secco.” She held up an accessory made by a supporter, a handkerchief bearing amap of Texas with the words “Wave Goodbye to the Patriarchy” along its border. She swirled her wrist; like a sailor leaving shore, She also makes a habit of getting her hair done before speaking engage- ments. “Part of that is me feeling good, and not bedraggled,” she said. She tucked her chin down as a hairdresser separated sections of her chestnut hair and secured them with barber clips. Drybar offers a menu of nine hair styles, like the “Southern Comfort,” which features a Stepfordian lifting of the roots, and the “Manhattan,” a smooth, flat-ironed look apparently best suited for walking beneath sky- scrapers. Hogue selected the “Cosmo- Thai” —loose cuels, beachy vibe—and smiled. “It's my go-to,” she said. “It’s not too styled but not too messy. Kind of like me.” As the hairdresser worked, Hogue said, “Kavanaugh is the hardest fight Te ever fought.” She wenton,"T mean, the most visceral, the most emotional, the most raw:"In July, when President ‘Trump announced Brett Kavanaugh as his Supreme Court nominee, NARAL, sprang into action, spending millionsof dollars on a nationwide campaign that focussed on reproductive rights, and on Kavanaugh’s comments that Roe v. Wade was not “settled law™"The threat to Roe v. Wade is real and on the horizon,” Hogue said in a state~ ment at the time. ‘The drama that followed—the sex- vual-assault allegations, Christine Bla- sey Ford’ testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee—was difficlt for NARAL to navigate. "I don’t want to call ita distraction, because that sounds like it wasn't equally important,” Hogue said. “But I think that, because of the power of that story, it eclipsed the other ‘The hairdresser tugged on a strand of hair. “Look down?” Hogue asked. “No? Just don't move?" She held her head still. Before Kavanaugh was confirmed, NARAL organized protests attempting to sway members of the Senate Judi- ciary Committee, When they didn't work, “itwas devastating,” Hogue said. “There's no way to sugarcoat it. After Collins's speech, and Manchin com- ing out after her, it was terrible. I went home, I was exhausted. My husband and our friends got me a lot of Italian food.” Still, she said, it was a reminder of the need to keep fighting: “Nobody is going to swoop down and save us. Even if we win the White House in 2020, we have seen the limitations of what one person in power can do.” ‘The hairdresser took the clips out, and Hlogue's loose curls fll around her neck. She seemed satisfied. Then she looked down and frowned, “Now I'm thinking, Does this look stupid with- ‘out tights?” She asked a staffer to buy her a pair before her speech. Reached by phone on Wednesday morning, after the midterms, Hogue said she hadn' slept. "I feel super jazzed and also really resolved,” she said. She listed the wins she was most thrilled by: Janet Mills, in Maine, Steve Siso- lak, in Nevada. The losses were bear- able, she said, because many women won, “So many women!" But, Beto. She sighed. “Look, I think people are super sad that he lst,"she said." There’. winners and losers in polities, and, yes, for the next six years we are stuck with ‘Ted Cruz.” —Jeanie Riess WANTING GAME AT THE POLLS 1n Tuesday, polling places in New York City opened at 6 A.M., under drizzly skics. In school auditoriums and assembly halls, officials bat- dled jammed machines and unusually large crowds, Some of the things voters held while waiting in line: umbrellas, children, iPhones, walkers, backpacks, dog leashes, pens, hot coffee, one another. —Joana Avilez ILLUSTRATION BY JOANA AVILLEZ.