Royal Opera to stage Anna Nicole story

By Chris Green

Thursday 11 March 2010

Print
A A A
Latest in News
Pop diva Lady Gaga cancels Indonesia show after threats
Eurovision just doesn't get The Hump
Where are our Eurovision heroes now?
Keira Knightley engaged to rock star boyfriend James Righton from Klaxons
Illness forces Elton to cancel concerts
Eurovision row escalates as Iran withdraws ambassador
Stone Roses play first gig in 16 years
Jedward reach Eurovision final in Baku
Jedward through to Eurovision final
Is the Hump sunk before singing a note at Eurovision?
Related stories
News in pictures
News in pictures
On Facebook
Arts & Ents blogs

Brighton Fringe 2012: laughing through the blood, sweat and tears

It has been an emotional journey. The three weeks of intense activity that make up England's larges...

Disclosure: We’d never even been to a club when we made our first single

For most of us, reaching eighteen years of age opens up a new world for exploration, spontaneity and...

Something For The Weekend in London: May 25 – May 27

With 20+ degree weather expected to last all weekend in the capital, we'd be silly not to make the m...

Suggested Topics

The former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith will become the latest operatic heroine to meet a tragic end at the Royal Opera House when the musical version of her life story opens there on 17 February next year.

The production has been co-written by Richard Thomas, one of the creators of the controversial Jerry Springer: The Opera, and Mark-Anthony Turnage, one of Britain's leading composers.

The Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek will play Smith, who died in 2007 at the age of 39 after taking an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. The stripper-turned-model became embroiled in a long-running legal battle to claim a share of the estate of her late billionaire husband, the oil tycoon J Howard Marshall, who was 89 when they married.

The project is part of the Royal Opera House's commitment to producing a new opera for its main stage every two years. It described the production as "a major event in the UK arts calendar" but refused to give more details about the plot yesterday.

Critics said the involvement of Thomas meant that it was likely to be an "off the wall" production.

Comments

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
SPONSORED FEATURES

Experience the Heineken Hub

Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.

Teaching jobs Networking 2012 Prizes & offers
Business videos

Can you imagine a career in teaching?

Be inspired to teach - let real teachers show you how rewarding the job can be.

Heineken Hub Networking 2012 Prizes & offers
Business videos

Playing a game-changing role during the Games

Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Prizes & offers
Business videos

Enter the latest Independent competitions

Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Networking 2012
Business videos

Business videos from commercial thought leaders

Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Networking 2012
Prizes & offers
Career Services

Day In a Page

Patrick Cockburn: I fear this terrible massacre will be the beginning of a long civil war in Syria

Patrick Cockburn

I fear this terrible massacre will be the beginning of a long civil war in Syria
Hardeep Singh Kohli: For me, it is all about 'Gregory's Girl', a record of first love

Hardeep Singh Kohli

For me, it is all about 'Gregory's Girl', a record of first love
Christian Louboutin: 'I don't think comfort equals happiness'

Christian Louboutin interview

'I don't think comfort equals happiness'
Happy birthday, Hotel Babylon!

Happy birthday, Hotel Babylon!

Hollywood's home to the A-list celebrates 100 years of discreet luxury
Rupert Cornwell: Low-rise capital could finally reach for the sky

Rupert Cornwell: Out of America

Low-rise capital could finally reach for the sky
The secret life of the red carpet

The secret life of the red carpet

As Cannes reaches its climax with the Palme d'Or and the celebrities gather in London for the Baftas tonight, Kate Youde and Jack Dean investigate the real star of the show
It's not easy being Professor Green: The rapper, the heiress and a drama made in Chelsea...

It's not easy being Professor Green

The rapper, the heiress and a drama made in Chelsea...
Hardcore, hard-wired: How the prevalence of porn is changing our everyday lives

How porn is changing our lives

It's everywhere - from pop videos to fashion magazines to the theatrical stage.
River Phoenix: the final reel

River Phoenix: the final reel

Twenty years after the actor's death, his last film is to be released
Facebook: The shares shenanigans

Facebook: The shares shenanigans

Investors are crying foul over the huge losses they incurred when the social network site floated on the stock market last week
Up and away – how '7 Up' went global

Up and away – how '7 Up' went global

As the last episode of Britain's '56 Up' airs, the first episode of '28 Up', from the former USSR, starts. Then there's the US, Japan, Germany...
You'll soon pick this up: Tuck into Bill Granger's fresh street food

Tuck into Bill Granger's fresh street food

It provides perfect party fare for some fun in the sun...
All to play for: How is Ukraine shaping up ahead of Euro 2012?

How is Ukraine shaping up ahead of Euro 2012?

Peter Popham casts his eye over the state of the Euro 2012 co-host ahead of the tournament.
Red or not, here they come: Artists reimagine the iconic telephone booth

BT ArtBoxes: Red or not, here they come

Artists reimagine the iconic telephone booth...
The Last Word: Premier bullies devise youth system bound to end in tears

The Last Word

Premier bullies devise youth system bound to end in tears