Anna Nicole the Opera ( . Y . ) in photos

Mark-Anthony Turnage's new opera Anna Nicole opened at the Royal Opera House tonight with even more celebs in the seats than on the stage. Cameras and TV crews lurked in the foyer to catch the varied likes of Graham Norton, Dame Vivienne Westwood, Mike Leigh and Boy George as they entered. Is this what the ROH mean by attracting a new audience? I'd love to know how many people apart from me actually paid for their seats. Sadly, although the ROH scored the coup of luring John Paul Jones to play bass on stage, his Them Crooked Vultures colleagues Dave Grohl and Josh Homme were nowhere to be seen.

I'll write more about the opera - or is it a musical? - later, but here are some before, during and after photos to be going on with.

Eva-Maria Westbroek took the title role. Here she is (complete with fake bewbs) getting kitted out for one of her infamous parties:

 
 

And here's Anna Nicole with her son Daniel (Dominic Rowntree):
 

Eva-Maria in fatsuit with Stern (Gerald Finley) and the new baby the libretto suggests he fathered. (I smell a lawsuit. Or should that be a Larrysuit?):
 

It's Britain's Most Irritating Man, aka the Go Compare tenor Wynne Evans as the Mayor of Anna Nicole's home town, Mexia:

 

Anna Nicole's pole dancing career takes off once her assets are enhanced:
 

Anna Nicole and her geriatric paramour J.Howard Marshall (Alan Oke):
 

 

They marry with Anna Nicole's son Daniel (Andrew Gilbert) in attendance:
 

A younger and flatter Anna Nicole, pre-surgery: 

The proper pole dancers show how it's done. Some of their colleagues were in the audience. Either that or Covent Garden dress standards are slipping again:
 

J.Howard made his spectacular entrance from the flies:
 

A couple of bodybuilders livened up the party. And check out John Paul Jones in the background:
 

It's all too much for J.Howard:
 

Anna Nicole's mother Virgie (Susan Bickley) is the nagging conscience of the piece:
 

More plastic bewbs:
 

 
 
 

Her lap dancing colleagues tell Anna Nicole where she's going wrong. Not enough up top:
 
 
 
 
 

Stern and Anna Nicole feature on the Larry King show:
 

Larry King (Peter Hoare):
 
 

 
 

Production photos (above): Bill Cooper/Royal Opera House

Here are a few shots from the curtain call. There was a standing ovation at the back of the stalls, vigorous applause at the front. Not a boo to be heard:

 
 

John Paul Jones:

 

 

The ROH was plastered with Anna Nicole posters:

 
 

They even covered the cherub light holders:

 

Comments

[Mona]

Hearing the audience cheering tonight I was scared this would mean this "opera" was a success... I am relieved now that even some young students agree this was not good nor an opera.

[Maya]

Did Anna tell Howard that he was baby's dad? I heard that she told him he wasn't? Tell us more about Mr. Stern's character?

[Rob V.]

@Mona
You using a word like 'even' is probably not a coincidence. But, given the general enthusiasm and the excitement of the audience at the ROH, I think it would be a bit more fair to replace it by 'still'. It is certainly a minority that doesn't seem to like it. Even amongst the students.