In his new production of "Don Quixote" at the Bolshoi, Yuri Grigorovich tries to bring depth to a frivolous ballet classic.


In this version, which premiered Thursday, the skies of sunny Spain are curiously set with clouds -- a backdrop for heightening Don Quixote's consternation as he pursues his grandiose visions.


But the strengthening of dramatic line that has made Grigorovich's other editions of the classics so outstanding doesn't work with "Don Q."


From the ballet's original production in 1869, the antics of the foolhardy knight were used only as a thin thread to hold together the ballet's comic plot -- the real focus of which is a romance between Kitri and Basil from the second volume of Cervantes' novel. The whole thing was really an excuse to present a cavalcade of dances in Spanish style, something the original choreographer, the legendary Marius Petipa, was well able to do given his years in Spain before coming to Russia.


Grigorovich takes the quixotic tale too seriously. He opens the ballet with a belabored prologue in which Don Quixote is visited by bat-like demons who would destroy his lofty romantic dreams. Again, in Act II, the chivalrous hero fends off the fiends -- it's pure camp that only serves to let fizz out of a ballet that should be sheer effervescence.


One has to wonder if the inspiration for the gloom is Grigorovich's own personal drama. Bedeviled by suggestions that he retire, and battling plans for a contract system and other changes at the theater he has ruled for 30 years, Grigorovich recently threatened to quit in disgust the day after the premiere. But apparently, like Don Quixote, Grigorovich has decided to stay on and fight -- at least for now.


Whatever its origin, the effort to use Don Quixote's character to imbue this lighthearted, crowd-pleasing romp with MEANING fails, for though the book might offer possibilities for psychological depth or spiritual content, the ballet does not, particularly given the invincibly merry score. This is not to say the ballet is without merits. Despite its failings, "Don Quixote" nonetheless has some good moments: Grigorovich has preserved shining passages by other choreographers from past productions and given the final act -- Kitri and Basil's wedding -- graceful cohesion.


The Bolshoi dancers perform their roles with varying degrees of success. As Kitri, rising soloist Galina Stepanenko proves her technical mettle by delivering high-velocity turns and leaps. What is unfortunately missing, however, is Kitri's playful charm and piquant insousiance.


As Basil, Yuri Klevtsov partners Stepanenko admirably, and the two dance an exciting sequence in the Tavern Scene of Act II, in which Kitri spins, then takes running leaps into Basil's arms. Klevtsov excels in the wedding pas de deux, his leaps revolving triumphantly in the air, his turns powerful and precise. But though he dances well, Klevtsov does not fully plumb the comic possibilities of Basil's roguishly appealing character.


As Dulcinea, Inna Petrova, with her sweet serenity and gossamer lightness, is the embodiment of the Don Quixote's gallant vision of feminine pulchritude.


Character dancers Yulia Malkhasyants and Yulia Levina turn in their usual electrifying performances as, respectively, the gypsy and Mercedes. But Maria Bylova's Street Dancer is a se–orita who teeters precariously on the edge of Latin kitsch.


The corps de ballet musters verve in the ensemble dancing, particularly in the dance with castanets of Act III.


Valery Levental's sets are somewhat somber, particularly for a story told in colorful Spain, but they are appropriate for Grigorovich's attempt at abstraction.


If the production suffers from ponderousness, the orchestra does not. The musicians give a rousing performance.


In watching this, yet another restaging of an old ballet, one cannot help but long to see something at the Bolshoi that is in the truest sense of the word a premiere, for great theaters not only preserve the classics of the past, but also explore new directions.





"Don Quixote" will be danced again Monday and Thursday at 7 P.M. Three acts, with prologue and eiplogue. Running time: Just over three hours.