Anna Nicole Smith died ignobly, but perhaps an opera at the Royal Opera House in London will redeem her. Nah, probably not. “Anna Nicole,” which is not so much an ode to the woman born Vickie Lynn Hogan but a musical rendering of her tragic life, will play February 17 to March 4. The buxom billionaire’s widow will be played by Eva-Maria Westbroe, a Dutch soprano who has also performed in operas by Puccini and Verdi. Supposedly, the opera will be a capital-I Intellectual analysis of Anna’s scheming, wanton lifestyle, drug abuse and binge eating. And it will be a classy affair, let me tell you: The libretto was written by the same guy who wrote “Jerry Springer: The Opera” and a brochure for the show warns the faint of heart of “extreme language, drug abuse and sexual content.” For an opera based on Anna Nicole Smith’s life, I would expect nothing less. [Guardian UK]
