Words by Susan Perry
An opera about Anna Nicole Smith? At the Royal Opera House? Seriously? This seems to be a common reaction to the very idea of Turnage & Thomas’s contemporary opera about the used and abused Playboy model, whose marriage to an elderly billionaire and decline into addiction were the subject of intense media scrutiny before her untimely death in 2007.
There are some things one never expects to see at the Royal Opera House. The lush red curtains replaced by gaudy pink, the faces of cherubs and statues covered by the image of a brash blonde, and the words “Pussy fabulous, Pussy queen” on the surtitles (and far more besides).
I was lucky enough to be enjoying the spectacle from the comfort of a box, which made me feel as if I was right there in the centre of the action. And there was plenty of it. Fairly basic scenes like oral sex on a sofa, or the cosmetic surgeon’s waiting room, were enlivened by the humour of the libretto. In contrast was some more inventive staging, including the vision of the octogenarian sugar daddy on a giant stairlift, a troupe of rather sinister dancers with television cameras for heads and Anna Nicole ultimately zipping herself into a bodybag.
- Anna Nicole Smith at the Royal Opera House
Courtesans and controversy are commonplace in opera. Anna Nicole’s world may be one of boob jobs and pole dancers, but the members of ‘The Meat Rack Quartet’ are presented as a product of their environment, not ostracised for being weak-minded, unfaithful or flirtatious, unlike, for example, Mimì in La bohème or the fiancées in Così fan tutte.
I sometimes find it difficult to connect with opera that is sung in English, but that could not have been less of a problem here. Eva-Maria Westbroek as Anna Nicole evoked considerable pathos and the passion of Conductor Antonio Pappano and the orchestra of the Royal Opera House brought the libretto alive.
A chorus of reporters is used, partly in the classical sense providing a commentary and structure to the narrative, but also demonstrating the media obsession with Anna Nicole. It is from her son that the strongest elements of tragedy arise, his only sung part being an agonising list of the drugs that overwhelmed and eventually killed him.
This is no morality tale. Anna Nicole may start off in innocence but her sexploitation does not involve any crisis of conscience, instead there is a willing acceptance of the “Same old routine, same old song, in the East the burkha, in the West the thong.”
The six performances of Anna Nicole all sold out, but it will be shown on BBC4 this spring.
Images via The Royal Opera House Photographer Bill Cooper
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Susan
Susan is a City lawyer with a love of structured workwear and sparkly things. Born in North London and raised in the ‘burbs, she has spent many happy years exploring the postcodes of SW. She likes tricolore salad and the wines of Burgundy and is a teeny bit obsessed with Hugh Laurie. Susan is here to let you know what’s hot in the Square Mile. She loves writing about most things the capital has to offer, including opera, cricket and shoes. Especially shoes.
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