Douglas Murray Douglas Murray

Anna Nicole is a masterpiece

It isn’t often that you can say you’ve seen an opera not only of but about our times. But Anna Nicole – which I saw Thursday night at the Royal Opera House in London – is such a work. The music is by Mark Anthony Turnage, the libretto by Richard Thomas. It sets off by causing the audience to laugh out loud repeatedly, but grows darker until the whole thing turns on the audience and indeed on our times.

The story of the small-town girl turned billionaire widow is probably familiar to most people. Anna Nicole Smith married early, had a kid, divorced, got out of town, joined a strip-bar, had a boob job, met an octogenarian oil billionaire, married him, outlived him, fought for his money in the courts with a lawyer she married next and then – having become a basket-case drug addict and celebrity in the meantime – also outlived her own son. Then she died.

Our critic in the magazine this week suggests that the opera never persuades us why what he rightly calls the ‘absurd life’ of Anna Nicole Smith is ‘worth our time’. I think it is about the best subject for a new opera I have seen. Not that it isn’t brash, vulgar and rude.  The chorus ‘You’ve got to get some tits’ stood out in this regard. As did the blowjob scene. But none of it is done for effect. I would defy anyone not to be moved after the latter scene, when Anna Nicole greets her young son and says she’s got them the ranch she believes she needs to have some security.

Eva-Marie Westbroek as Anna gives an amazing performance though it is sometimes hard to hear all the words, and it is a shame as ever when an opera in English not only has, but needs, English surtitles.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in