It's cool and all that the live-action Rigoletto from Mantova brought us so many treats: Domingo as baritone (again) in another career milestone, the gorgeous Renaissance palazzi and fortresses of Mantova, and the lush, cinematic vision of a talented cast and crew. But for OC, it pales in comparison to a small item found in La Repubblica. During filming, the cast and crew of over 350 people warmed to a stray cat that was hanging out at the Rocca di Sparafucile. Ingratiating himself to the cast, they called him "Sparafucilino", elected him as mascot and called him a good luck charm. We only hope that one of those 350 gave little Sparafucilino a warm home full of tuna and catnip.
