Mark-Anthony Turnage and Richard Thomas’ Anna Nicole Opera to Premiere at Royal Opera House

Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek will play the title character in the world premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage and Richard Thomas’ opera Anna Nicole, about the late model Anna Nicole Smith, according to The Associated Press. Richard Jones will direct the production which will debut at London’s Royal Opera House next February. Covent Garden music director Antonio Pappano will conduct.

Turnage’s other works include the opera Greek, based on Steven Berkoff’s adaptation of Oedipus the King and The Silver Tassie, which is based on the play by Sean O’Casey. Thomas wrote the music and co-wrote the book and lyrics for Jerry Springer: The Opera. Jones received a Tony Award nomination for La Bete and also helmed the Broadway production of Titanic.

According to the AP, theThe Royal Opera’s 2010-11 season will also include the British premiere of Steffani’s Niobe, as well as new productions of Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur starring Angela Gheorghiu and Jonas Kaufmann; Wagner’s Tannhauser starring Johan Botha and Westbroek; Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar’s Bride’ starring Marina Poplavskaya; and Massanet’s Cendrillon’ starring Alice Coote and Joyce DiDonato.The company also said the world premiere of Judith Weir’s Miss Fortune a co-commission with the Bregenz Festival, will take place in Bregenz on July 21, 2011.

For further information, visit www.roh.org.uk.