Anyone smart enough to play the clown bears watching. Many will this weekend when Carolina Ballet presents Stravinsky’s Clowns, Thursday through Sunday at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. For artistic director Robert Weiss, it’s a chance to interpret three works by the 20th-century composer. It’s also a chance for him to present his vision of three classical ballets, since George Balanchine, Weiss’ mentor, choreographed Pulcinella in 1924 and Jeu de Cartes (Card Game): A Ballet in Three Deals in 1937, while Diaghilev choreographed Petruschka with the Ballet Russes in 1911. Meet a romantic clown from commedia dell’arte, a joker who rules the deck, and others this weekend. For tickets, call 719-0900. –Byron Woods
