BALLET WEST; "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Capitol Theatre on March 30, 7:30 p.m. Additional performances March 31, April 4-7, 7:30 p.m. and April 7, 2 p.m. Tickets at all ArtTix locations or by calling 355-2787.
William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" does translate into dance, but the audience needs to be on its toes as well. While the story line is in the program, it doesn't hurt to know the story so you don't get lost. Other than that, it's beautiful.
Ballet West brought to life one of the classic comedies of theater, and as busy as it could have gotten, it flowed smoothly and captivated the audience until the final curtain call.
The dancing, scenery by David Hays and costumes by Karinska and David Heuvel were highlighted by the lovely Mendelssohn score, performed by the Utah Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Terrence Kern.
It all begins in "a forest near Athens, one Midsummer eve. . . "
Oberon, king of the fairies (Tong Wang), and his wife Titania (Jessica Harston) find themselves in a heated quarrel. Afterward, Oberon instructs the mischievous Puck (Jeff F. Herbig) to cast a spell of love on her.
The king also tells Puck to cast spells on two other quarrelling couples — Helena (Christiana Bennett) and Demetrius (Christopher Ruud) and Hermia (Leslie Ann Larson) and Lysander (Noel Dupuis).
Wang's Oberon was stern, strong and nimble. And he played the perfect straight man to Herbig's sometimes overzealous and confused Puck.
Harston, on the other hand, danced Titania with grace and playfulness, especially when she falls in love with the bumbling actor Bottom (Paul Murphy), who has the head of a donkey, because of his reckless rendition of a play that was to be performed at the wedding of Duke Thesis (Jason Linsley).
In Act I, the artists took on George Balanchine's wonderful choreography and literally ran with it. Mistaken identities, tender pas de deux (especially between Titania and her cavalier, danced by Jeffrey Rogers). And when the Duke's betrothed Hippolyta (Donna Patzius) leaps onto the scene, it's all roving hounds, energy and well-timed comedy.
The whole story is told and solved in Act I, but Act II held its own, thanks to the breathtaking divertissement pas de deux performed by Michiyo Hayashi and Seth Olsen.
At times Hayashi appeared to be a music-box dancer as Olsen spun her slowly for the audience to see. And when he gently lifted her off the stage, it was as if she were swaying in the wind. Beautiful.
E-mail: scott@desnews.com