'Don Quixote' at Ballet San Jose - SFGate

Wes Chapman's lively, colorful staging of the classic "Don Quixote" might not break any new ground for this 144-year-old ballet, but the frothy, lighthearted production that Ballet San Jose premiered at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts on Friday is nonetheless a solid showcase for a company.

The ballet's comic plot, drawn from Cervantes' epic novel, recounts the adventures of the mischievous Kitri, who longs to marry her poor but handsome suitor, Basilio. Over the history of "Don Quixote," so many versions and additions have been made, it's hard to say what the original really looked like, but Chapman, who leads Ballet San Jose as artistic adviser with Raymond Rodriguez, hews closely to what is generally accepted as the traditional Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky choreography.

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