'Rosalinda' delivers laughs and artistry

BALLET WEST, "ROSALINDA," Capitol Theatre, Feb. 7, additional performances 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8, 12-15 and 2 p.m. Feb. 15 (355-2787).

Love and betrayal can make for a very funny scenario.

In Ronald Hynd's "Rosalinda," Ballet West melds the timing of dance and comedy into one delightful and entertaining package.

Based on Johann Strauss' operetta "Die Fledermaus," "Rosalinda" takes some liberties with the original story line. Instead of being set in Vienna in 1874, Hynd moves the clock forward to Vienna in the early 1920s, so the new costumes -- designed by Peter Docherty, who also designed the intricate sets -- would allow the dancers more movement.

And it works wonderfully.

Last Friday's opening night saw Jessica Harston in the title role, with Seth Olson as her gallivanting husband, Gabriel von Eisenstein. The two took their characters by the collars and hammed it up through Hynd's clever and spry choreography.

Michiyo Hayashi captured the hearts of audience members as the von Eisensteins' practical and animated maid Adele. Tong Wang donned trunks and wings as the distinguished lady-killer Dr. Falke, who, through a hilarious chain of events, gets Rosalinda's husband thrown in jail.

Adding Peter Christie's Alfredo to the mix -- a buffoonish violinist and Rosalinda's former lover -- made the results a laugh-a- minute.

Side-splitting mistaken identities as the characters' sneak around set up some quick-paced and difficult dance combinations. However, not once did either distract from the other.

Hynd's knack for combining the comedic and artistic came through with flying colors, although the first act took some time to get into the groove of things. By the second act, the dancers had fine-tuned their character interpretations and sent the production into orbit.

Not to be upstaged totally by the principal characters, Ballet West's corps displayed a tight understanding of lines and synchronized combination executions.

The third act, set mainly in the jail, once again focuses on the balance of comedy and artistry. However, Jeffery Rogers' take on the drunk and bumbling jailer, Frosch, and the Keystone Kop routines of Stephen Gregory and Steven Davis had Friday's audience in stitches.

But that didn't take away from the lovely pas de deux danced by Rosalinda and her husband. In fact, the emotion was breathtaking.

The production was tied together neatly as the Utah Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Ballet West associate conductor David Van Alstyne, delivered crisp interpretations of the lighthearted and familiar Strauss score.

Bravi.

E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com

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