Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House, Royal Opera Chorus

Sex, celebrity and scandal: Mark-Anthony Turnage’s opera draws on the dramatic life and death of Anna Nicole Smith.

Anna Nicole, a young single mother from Texas, is determined to become famous. But, as she learns, worldwide celebrity comes at a terrible cost.

Anna marries an octogenarian billionaire. After his death she and her lawyer Stern become embroiled in lengthy, expensive legal battles over her husband's estate. Plagued by the pain caused by her breast implants, she becomes increasingly dependent on booze and painkillers. Her son dies from a drug overdose, and Anna loses herself to despair.