Jezebel: Opera

Scenes From "Anna Nicole: The Opera"

Tracie Egan Morrissey — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:04:00 EST

Yes, it's ironic that Anna Nicole Smith's tawdry life is being played out at the Royal Opera in Covent Garden. But it's downright poetic that it's apparently a critical hit. In death, the buxom blonde has finally been able to achieve something that she never quite could in life: She's being taken seriously. And by The New York Times! Of the show, reviewer Anthony Tommasini said,"It proved a weirdly inspired work, an engrossing, outrageous, entertaining and, ultimately, deeply moving new opera." Check out some scenes above. More »

Julia Gillard Sings Sutherland's Praises

Katie Luscombe — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST

[Sydney, November 9: The Australian PM speaks during a memorial service for opera singer Dame Joan Sutherland. Sutherland was recognized for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire. Image via Getty.]

Anna Nicole Smith's Operatic Life

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:51:00 EDT

Coming soon to a small screen near you: "Anna Nicole, The Opera." Smith's life story will soon become the subject of a BBC Four production, with a Dutch soprano playing the title role. More »

Annie Carmen Get Your Gun

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:10:00 EDT

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[Baden-Baden, May 19. Image via Getty.]

Night At The Opera

Anna Holmes — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:10:00 EDT

[Beijing, April 26. Image via Getty]

Companion Piece

Anna Holmes — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:10:00 EDT

[Beijing, April 12. Image via Getty]

Going Solo

Anna Holmes — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:10:00 EDT

[New York, April 9. Image via AP]

Anna Nicole Smith: The Opera

Jessica Coen — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST

From the creators of Jerry Springer: The Opera comes a similar treatment for Anna Nicole Smith. Except, unlike Springer, she's dead. Which makes this all feel a little awkward. [AP] More »

The High Notes

Anna Holmes — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:10:00 EST

[Paris, January 26. Image via Getty]

Another Opera Singer Criticized For Weight

Sadie Stein — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:20:00 EST

Soprano Daniela Dessi was set to play the lead in Franco Zeffirelli's new La Traviata, but quit the production after the legendary director made a crack about her build: More »

The Red Sea

Anna Holmes — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:10:00 EDT

[Dresden, August 23. Image via Getty]

R.I.P. Hildegard Behrens

Sadie Stein — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:40:00 EDT

Hildegard Behrens, a dramatic sopranao famed for her interpretation of Wagner, has died at 72. The cause of death was apparently aneurism. [NYT] More »

Telegraph Writer: Skinny Opera Singers More Believable, Hotter

Anna North — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:20:00 EDT

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Ever since Deborah Voigt was fired from a production for being too fat to fit into a little black dress, opera critics have been charting a trend toward skinnier singers. But none have done so as annoyingly as Michael White. More »

R.I.P. Betty Allen

Sadie Stein — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:40:00 EDT

Betty Allen, who overcame a childhood of incredible challenges to become a world-renowned mezzo-soprano and voice teacher, has died at 83. Ms. Allen was also a famed arts administrator, running the Harlem School of the Arts for 13 years. [NYT] More »

What A Diva

Anna Holmes — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:10:00 EDT

[Munich, June 16. Image via Flynet]

What Lies In The Shadow Of The Statue

Anna Holmes — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:10:00 EDT

[Bregenz, Austria; June 17. Image via Getty]

Ballet Shoes Feeling Extra Painful

Sadie Stein — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:20:00 EDT

Already set upon by nature, time, gravity, ballet dancers are hit extra-hard by the economy. More »

Opera: The "Last Musical Bastion" Of Segregation

Sadie Stein — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:20:00 EDT

The death of the original "Bess" from Porgy & Bess comes at a time when people are reflecting on breaking the color barrier in classical music. More »

Opera Singer Is Rehired After She Loses Over 100 Pounds Through Gastric Bypass

Jessica G. — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:30:00 EDT

In 2004, Deborah Voigt, a renowned opera singer, was fired from a London production of Ariadne auf Naxos because, according to the New York Times, she was "too heavy to wear a sleek black cocktail dress that [the director] deemed integral to his concept." The opera company had to pay out Voigt's contract even though she was not performing, and the famed soprano took the extra cash and subsidized gastric bypass surgery. Now, four years later and over a hundred pounds lighter, she is returning to London to wear that cocktail dress and perform as Ariadne. Voigt even made a YouTube parody sending up the "little black dress incident." Voigt seems to play both sides in this situation, reports the Times: "[she] defends the right of opera companies to take appearance into account when they are casting productions, while insisting that vocal artistry should come first." More »

The life and death of Anna Nicole Smith...

Tracie Egan Morrissey — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:40:00 EDT

The life and death of Anna Nicole Smith is being turned into an opera by composer Richard Thomas (who wrote the Jerry Springer musical), and will debut at the Royal Opera House in London in 2010. Thomas said that Smith's story is a "classic American tale about celebrity" that is "intrinsically operatic." [Telegraph] More »