Dance Review : A Middling ‘Romeo’ : ABT Presents a Promising New Juliet in a Dutiful Revival

American Ballet Theatre is trying nobly, and desperately, to survive the slings and arrows of economic misfortune. Aesthetic misfortune, too.

In the good old days (and we didn’t know how good they were), the company could afford to play lengthy annual seasons in Southern California--sometimes two--and the repertory could be both varied and adventurous. Now we are lucky to get an engagement that consists of six performances of “Romeo and Juliet.” Period.

Oh, well. At least it isn’t six performances of “Swan Lake.”

In its current stand at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, which began on Thursday, ABT is pouring some new wine into an old bottle. Kenneth MacMillan’s Shakespearean tippy-toe extravaganza has been around, in one guise or another, since 1965. The production is beginning to betray some signs of age, which is dignified, and of wear, which isn’t. With a new generation of artists assuming the central roles, the dancer has become the thing, not the dance.

The current principals must compete with some formidable ghosts. When the Royal Ballet first brought this “Romeo” to Los Angeles, it hosted superstars as the star-cross’d lovers--Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev--not to mention the dramatic Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable (even better) and the marvelously lyrical Antoinette Sibley and Anthony Dowell.

MacMillan’s “Romeo” made its mark in the vast open spaces of Shrine Auditorium and even within the preposterous orchestra shell of Hollywood Bowl. The ballet seemed foolproof.

When ABT got into the Veronese act in 1985, the titular portrait gallery was enriched with the tragic Juliet of Natalia Makarova and the feverish alternative of Gelsey Kirkland, among many, many others. There are, as it were, some big tutus to fill here.

The dominant attraction on Thursday turned out to be Julie Kent as the 14-year-old heroine. She has come a long way since “Dancers,” Herbert Ross’ cinematic embarrassment of 1987. Other Juliets command a broader dynamic range. Others appear more vulnerable, more innocent, more virtuosic. Others have seemed more ethereal as they floated up the curving stairs at the end of the balcony scene. Still, Kent holds her own splendidly.

Warm and wide-eyed, she resembles a Renaissance Madonna in momentary repose. Her long limbs, long neck and willowy carriage sustain, and extend, a grand line. This Juliet knows the value of a broad legato phrase, flashes the most embracing of smiles and conveys a winning sense of wonder at the changes taking place within her and around her. Her flexible back bends over the edge of the bier in the final tableau in a heartbreaking image of desolation.

Kent’s performance is already remarkable for its individuality and achievement. It is even more remarkable for its promise.

Jose Manuel Carreno, her Romeo, proved a bit more problematic. The dark and diminutive young Cuban, remembered as a rather pallid Oberon with the Royal Ballet in the same house, is a strong technician and a conscientious partner. He exerts an agreeable aura of romantic ardor. He is sympathetic, and he works hard.

Unfortunately, he seems to deal in prose when one most wants poetry. He tends to strike poses in lieu of a well-defined characterization, and he tends to drop those poses when it is time to dance.

It isn’t his fault, of course, that Kent towers above him when a pas de deux finds her sur les pointes. A hero who gets lost in the hectic crowd scenes, however, remains a hero in trouble.

According to the bard, “Romeo sails upon the bosom of the air.” Not this time.

The most striking figure in the supporting cast was Victor Barbee, a pensive, almost poignant Tybalt whose swagger betrayed hints of emotional insecurity and who killed Mercutio virtually by accident. Parrish Maynard, the Mercutio, managed to be playful rather than coy, thank goodness, and he succeeded in making the character’s bravura organic to his bravado.

In the minor duties of Benvolio, a boyish danseur from Kiev with the daunting name of Maxim Belotserkovsky served notice of a major talent. Valentina Scala did what can be done with the outrageous chest-thumping agonies of Lady Capulet. As the old Nurse, Elizabeth Ferrell waddled decently, though she resembled a girl sent in to do a woman’s job. Angel Corella tended appreciatively to the showy leaps, turns and bounds of the Mandolin Dance.

Otherwise, it was “Romeo” business as usual, with Charles Askergard as a lanky Paris, Michael Owen as a stern Lord Capulet and David Richardson doubling as an agitated Escalus and a mellow Friar Laurence. Denise Lewis, Gabrielle Brown and Christina Fagundes served rather daintily on harlot duty. The busy corps performed with much vigor, little finesse.

Prokofiev was well-protected in the pit by Jack Everly and members of the Pacific Symphony. So were the dancers.

Nicholas Georgiadis’ stylized decors are fading. But they still define locales deftly, and accommodate both moods and mobs with picturesque efficiency.

We have seen better “Romeos.” We have seen worse.

* “Romeo and Juliet,” presented by American Ballet Theatre at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Remaining performances (with differing casts) today at 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. $18-$85. (714) 556-2122.