A review and photo by Larry Wagner
Opera Fresca‘s rendition of Georges Bizet’s Carmen at Cotton Auditorium is delicious. Filomena Francesca Tritto gives a distinctive and highly credible interpretation of this gypsy cigarette factory girl as she seduces and abandons poor Don José, a handsome young and weak willed corporal of the dragoons. Her low, sultry voice is perfect for the role, capturing the audience in the first act with the famous Habanera aria and never letting go. Clare Barca, the heart and soul of Opera Fresca along with Adam Juran, Assistant Director and one of the singers, have brought together a marvelous cast of voices that you don‘t want to miss. Carmen has a large cast with smugglers, dancers, gypsies, street urchins, soldiers and a toreador with his retinue – something for everyone. The costuming is bright and Carmen‘s red dress swirling though her dancing is great.
Did I say don‘t miss it? Well, don‘t. We are so blessed to have these marvelous theatric productions in this area, but they can‘t continue if we don‘t support them.
Carmen will be playing on Saturday, April 28 at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 29 at 3pm. Tickets are $18 and $38. They are available at the Mendocino Hotel, Harvest Market, at the door, or by calling 1-888-82-OPERA or 707-937-3646.
From now until the middle of May, visitors to 
During pupping season, the males hang out elsewhere in the area. Last Sunday, we drove north along the coast north of MacKerricher and Ten Mile Beach. We stopped at the vista point at mile marker 74.09 on Highway One. This is a lovely spot with some wetlands areas on the headlands, leading down to the ocean. We saw a number of harbor seals down on the rocks, and we’re guessing they were males.
This was also the driving trip where I discovered that Peet, my 9-month-old puppy, gets car sick. After he threw up twice in 25 miles, we headed back home — where Peet moped around the rest of the day. Gonna have to toughen that puppy up! 🙂
Congratulations to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens for making the cover of the latest issue (March-April 2007) of