Marie Duplessis, more commonly referred to as the Lady of the Camellias, was one of 19th century Paris’ most celebrated courtesans. She died tragically young in 1847 at the tender age of 23. Like many in her time, she was a victim of tuberculosis, which at the time had no cure. Â
Today, the Monte-Carlo Opera, under the helm of Cecilia Bartoli, is bringing this beloved favourite back to the stage. It will be directed by Bartoli’s predecessor, Jean-Louis Grinda. Â
La Traviata will be presented to audiences on 17th, 19th, 21st and 23rd March.Â
The long-time mayor of Monaco, Georges Marsan, has secured a sixth term in an entirely uncontested election.Â
Not one candidate stood in the way of 66-year-old Marsan, who has led the Mairie de Monaco since 2003, and neither did anyone outside of his L’Evolution Communale group put their name in the hat for an official post at the townhall. Â
Marsan’s sixth term represents an unprecedented tenure of the top spot in the history of Monaco. Â
Voter participation at the election, which took place on Sunday 19th March, was noticeably low at less than 40%. In all, 7,605 Monegasque citizens were eligible to vote, but just over 3,000 made the trip to the polling station.Â
In the last election of 2019, almost 46.5% Monegasques cast their vote. The number was higher again in 2015, at more than 60%. Â
Monaco set up a semi-final against Le Mans on the Sunday, with a place in the grand final in the AccorArena in Paris on 22nd April up for grabs. Le Mans gave the Roca Team a scare in the first quarter (26-15), but Monaco woke up in the second; Alpha Diallo levelled the scores (28-28) with an unreplied 10-point streak.
Nonetheless, Monaco went into the break with a narrow deficit and, without the suspended Mike James, had to find the solutions to construct an advantage. Matthew Strazel (17 points), Jordan Loyd (17 points), Chima Moneke (11 points) and Elie Okobo (11 points) were all pivotal in a solid collective second-half performance.
Monaco wrestled back control of the match in the fourth quarter in a game blighted by poor discipline and a mammoth 89 free throws. Ultimately, however, the victory was secured (78-87), and the Roca Team advance to a final against arch-rivals Asvel, who beat Strasbourg later that evening.
“Despite the circumstances, (66 fouls, 89 free throws), we found a way to win. I am happy with the qualification. It was an objective at the start of the season,” said Sasa Obradovic post-match.
Sasa Obradovic and Matthew Strazel by AS Monaco Basket
Okobo (21 points), Loyd (15 points) and Donta Hall (13 points, seven rebounds), who has forged a good understanding with John Brown III (six points, seven rebounds), were all key in a controlled match on Monaco’s part.
Crucially, the victory allows Monaco to take fourth place in the Euroleague standings, which ensures a home-court advantage in the end-of-season playoffs.
“Reaching the playoffs is important for Monaco, for France, for French basketball. We must continue like this,” said Obradovic.
The opera, which will be performed on 17th, 19th and 23rd March, will have to go on without Domingo, who has cited “very personal family reasons” for pulling out last minute. Â
“I have always felt closely attached to the Monte-Carlo Opera and its audience, and was eager to return to perform on the historic stage of the Salle Garnier, where I had not sung for over 40 years,” said Domingo in a statement, going on to add, “My desire to meet the Monegasque public again remains extremely keen. For this reason, I hope to mitigate your disappointment by creating a unique and exceptional event.” Â
The concert will start at 8pm. For tickets and more information, please click here.Â
Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.Â
Disruptions to fuel provisions will get worse before they get better, the Secretary General of CGT’s National Federation of Chemical Industries has declared, as union bosses try to force the government’s hand on pension reform.Â
Protests against France’s pension reform are still in full swing, with unions telling motorists to brace themselves for fuel shortages in the coming days and weeks. Â
This comes after an announcement by the CGT union on Saturday 18th March regarding the shutdown of the largest refinery in France, with others following suit, including several in the Bouches-du-RhĂ´ne. The ExxonMobil refinery in Fos-sur-Mer has already been shut down due to production and shipping stoppages. The neighbouring regions of the Gard and Vaucluse are also forecasting similar closures. Â
In the Bouches-du-RhĂ´ne, 17% of service stations have neither Unleaded 95 nor diesel as of the morning of Monday 20th March, according to estimations by FranceInfo. Â
NICE PROTESTS CONTINUEÂ
Meanwhile in Nice, protests on Sunday 19th March called by the CGT, FSU and Solidaires unions led to a violent reaction, which saw the offices of the president of the Republican party, Eric Ciotti, vandalised. The protestors graffitied the site and threw paving stones through windows. Â
Reacting to the vandals, Ciotti tweeted, “I will never give in to the new disciples of terror.”Â
Demonstrators also hit the streets the following day, with between 120 and 150 installed in front of the hospital in Cimiez. Â
Another round of strike actions is set for Thursday 23rd March, which will affect transport and other sectors. Â
CENSURE?Â
All this fuss is over the French government ramming the controversial pension reform bill through and bypassing parliament. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is facing two no-confidence votes in the National Assembly’s lower house, with debates set to begin on Monday 20th March. Â
While her allies have the largest number of MPs, they don’t have an absolute majority. This could mean defeat if the entire opposition unites in one of the votes. Â
The level of anger over a two-year rise to the retirement age, one the government deems necessary for the fiscal health of the nation, has divided the country and turned it into a battle ground, disrupting the lives of the public and leaving much of Europe scratching their heads. Â
Athletes participating in the Beausoleil Stair Race over the weekend climbed an astounding 66 flights of stairs at top speed in a race against the clock.Â
Anyone who has taken the stairs to the heights of Beausoleil knows it is not for the faint of heart, so imagine a scenario where you have to run! Â
That is precisely what happened on Saturday 18th March, when 70 participants donned their running shoes to take on the Beausoleil stairs – all 427 of them – for the 23rd annual Beausoleil Stair Race. Â
ONE-OF-A-KIND EVENTÂ
This unusual contest starts at the market at the bottom of the Riviera Palace and ends 66 flights later at the top of the town, using steam from the runner’s legs only: no escalators, no aids and no stopping. Â
“Compared to athletics, it represents an effort of a runner of about 400 or 800m,” said Jean-François Piccini, creator of the Course des Escaliers, to demonstrate the difficulty level. Â
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Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net. Â
Photo source: Ville de Beausoleil
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