Intelligent 'Tales' Saturday, May 31, 2003 By SUSANA RODELL, Correspondent The News and Observer RALEIGH--They may be fairy tales, but they are not kid stuff. Carolina Ballet's take on Hans Christian Andersen, now on view at Memorial Auditorium, offers literate, delicious interpretations of three of the iconic stories and once again this company delivers a rich, theatrical evening, full of intelligence and humanity. Three choreographers take on the Andersen tales. Damian Woetzel does his best work yet for the company with a lovely vehicle for the delicate Margaret Severin-Hansen in "The Nightingale." Set in a Chinese emperor's court, it's a story about inspiration and authenticity: Severin-Hansen, as the nightingale, captivates the emperor with her pure singing but is soon usurped by the charms of a mechanical bird, played with dark sophistication by Melissa Podcasy. The mechanical fake doubles as Death and nearly has the befuddled monarch in her snare when the spurned nightingale returns to save him. Offered a place of honor in his court, the lovely creature chooses instead to return to her pastoral home and continue to bless a humble fisherman -- who was her first and most faithful audience -- with the solace of her art. The lesson here about modernity and its fascination with gizmos and glitz is pretty plain. The joy is in the dancing, and Woetzel's literate fun with the conventions of Chinese movement, flirting with but not quite succumbing to kitschy Orientalism. The darkest and deepest piece is "The Shadow," set by artistic director Robert Weiss and full of self-conscious Jungian reflection. A young poet (Mikhail Nikitine) sends his shadow (Timour Bourtasenkov) to spy on a young woman (Podcasy) who represents Poetry; the shadow does this, enters the Court of Poetry and learns his true nature, which makes him human. He prospers as the poet falters and falls ill. The shadow returns to the scholar and offers to take him to a health spa; in return, he must pretend to be the shadow's shadow. At the spa they meet a Princess (Lilyan Vigo) whose affliction is that she sees too well; she immediately falls in love with the poet. The frustrated shadow can't get her attention until he "cures" her by removing her glasses, after which she believes him when he tells her the poet is really his shadow. They are married at a great ball. The poet protests and for his pains he is condemned to the dungeon for the rest of his life. Calling on archetypes ranging from Thomas Mann to Spiderman, with several gorgeous pas de deux including one between the two men, it's vintage Weiss: knowing, sensual, and very, very beautiful. The last tale, Lynne Taylor-Corbett's "The Ugly Duckling," should perhaps have been placed first, since it's the one most accessible to children and would benefit from being shown while they're still awake. It's a lovely thing, narrated by Taylor-Corbett's engaging son Shaun, a charming, not-too-deep, humorous and very dancerly work. The young Lara O'Brien really shines as the Ugly Duckling; her only failure in the role is that she's decidedly un-ugly. Marin Boieru as the old lady in the hut dances with comic mastery. Ross Kolman's lighting and David Heuvel's costumes deserve special mention; both are almost characters in themselves in this show. Heuvel in particular has served this company superbly, producing lush, literate interpretations of Chinese and other sartorial conventions. Again this company has produced a varied, beautifully paced show that entertains and enlightens. Take the kids, but more important, take yourself -- with all your adult sensibilities.