BRIEFLY IN DATEBOOK

“The Lonesome West,” a dark Irish comedy by Tony Award-winning

playwright Martin McDonagh, will receive its West Coast premiere at South

Coast Repertory on the Second Stage from March 16 through April 15.

Low-priced previews will begin March 13. The show brings the total of

premieres this season to three world premieres on the Mainstage and three

West Coast premieres on the Second Stage.

Artistic Director Martin Benson will direct the production. The cast

is yet to be announced. Tickets are $26-$47, with discounts available. A

pay-what-you-will performance will be held at 2 p.m. March 17. For this

performance, available seats will be sold at a price set by the patron,

with a $5 minimum suggested. The theater is at 655 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa. Information: (714) 957-4033

Performance added for Opera Pacific’s ‘Carmen’

Opera Pacific has added a performance to the late-February run of

Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” because of overwhelming demand for tickets. The

additional staging will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21.

The opera is now scheduled to run six consecutive days at 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 20-24 and 2 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Orange County Performing Arts

Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets are $28-$107.

Information: (714) 740-7878.

Zagat says Newport-Mesa has good eats

The 2001 Zagat Los Angeles and Southern California Survey lists four

area restaurants as tops in Orange County for food. Aubergine and Pascal

of Newport Beach and Troquet and Pinot Provence of Costa Mesa each

garnered a score of 27 out of 30 in the food category, placing them on

par with Spagos in Beverly Hills and the Hotel Bel Air.