Anna Nicole Staatstheater Nurnberg
Nov 3rd 2018
The neutral palette on the stage that greeted me was, I realised by the end of the work, of some significance. I saw it as the ordinary everyday world, the one that from which Anna S wanted to escape. And at the start with her funeral with the chorus in similar shades, this was emphasised. But as soon as she appeared – grimly and amusingly effectively from her black body bag - she brought life colour and vigour to the stage – and, by implication, to the world around her. The role is a fantastic one – musically and dramatically – and Emily Newton was magnificent. The extreme demands on her voice were met very well and she caught the essential sadness behind the frenetic partying most movingly.
The musical style – a real cornucopia – was fascinating. There were traces of all sorts and types – modern/classical/popular/jazz – anything and everything that would help to effectively convey the right mood for the scene and character. Some critics disliked this and implied that it was not truly ‘unique’ but rather a rag-bag of influences and varied elements. This. I think, missed an important point dramatically –that in her life (and in the different worlds into which she came) she adapted and tried to fit but also had an effect on that world so this musical smorgasbord is actually very smartly appropriate. She came from (and desperately tried to escape from) one distinct world and tried to enter others – so of course the musical styles are going to be wholly different.
I was very impressed by the libretto. It was very lean with not one unnecessary syllable and everything worked towards driving on the drama. This is not to say that there was not reflection by the characters – particularly Anna S – but even there, the drama was driven forwards and did not come to standstill for an overly reflective moment.
Related to and strongly connected with this, was the way in which Anna S acted as a sort of chorus on her own life, commenting and reflecting on it. She also, both directly and indirectly, commented on the society from which she came and whose other worlds she tried to enter. Of course the two are closely connected. What she thought she wanted (money and vast breasts) turned out to be chimeras who brought only pain – to her and others.
Brilliant evening – and I realise that I have said virtually nothing about individual performances – which I think is a compliment in that it was the bigger ideas of the work as a whole that stayed with me. The performances were excellent but they did not draw attention to themselves and they and the production allowed the story and its ideas to come through.
Great times!