Four years ago this month at age thirty-nine, Playboy model, reality star and tabloid fixture Anna Nicole Smith died. Her tumultuous life included dropping out of high school, teen parenthood, stripping, plastic surgery, accusations of gold-digging, and repeated struggles with drugs and alcohol. But while Anna Nicole is no longer with us, she’s alive and well at the Royal Opera House in London. A new opera called ‘Anna Nicole’ premiered last night. Composed by Mark-Anthony Turnage and written by Richard Thomas, it stars Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek in the title role. To talk about this new work, we’re joined by writer Richard Thomas, who was also a co-creator of the controversial production ‘Jerry Springer: The Opera.’
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