Just over a century ago, Jacinto Benavente surprised audiences in Madrid with the premiere of Los intereses creados (The Bonds of Interest), a ''comedy of buffoons'' that pays homage to Italian Commedia dell'Arte and playwrights such as Carlo Goldoni, as a mocking satire of society at the time.

Convinced of the text's continuing capacity to entertain and provoke today's audiences, director Joann María Yarrow has intelligently adapted the work for Miami's Prometeo Theatre, making it the company's offering at the ongoing XXIII International Hispanic Theatre Festival.

The most difficult task Yarrow had was to avoid imbalance in a cast that included a well-known actor and students with different levels of experience, but she did just that. Though some actors did shine more than others, the company achieved an energetic balance.

The play, performed in Spanish, began with a prologue that is an ''actor's ballet'' choreographed by Humberto Gonzalez, and throughout the piece, movement flowed from scene to scene in a kind of dance.

The costume designs and backdrops by Jorge Noa and Pedro Balmaceda were creatively inspired by Commedia dell'Arte. A rotating stage reminiscent of puppet theaters or figurines from wind-up music boxes allowed easy scene changes.

Jorge Hernández, the indisputable heart of the production, played a pair of archetypal roles, Arlequín and Polichinela. Entering with an accordion and singing a crazy melody, the veteran actor offered a lesson in entertainingly holding the stage. His performance was both a compass for and inspiration to his fellow actors.

Ariel Polo, in his roles as Capitán and Doctor, made brilliant use of comic style and effective naturalness. With an outlandish Marge Simpson-style wig, Yudelka Heyer played the pragmatic Sirena, enriching the character with Caribbean touches. Pablo Becerra's Leandro was slow to get going but quickly gained confidence, soon finding the perfect tone for a timid man in love. Alejandra Ochoa played both the archetypal Colombina and Silvia, a character whose twisted legs allowed lots of physical comedy. Maylen Delgado achieved truly comic moments as the Hostelero.

However, the great surprise was the performance of the radiant Rocío Carmona as the picaresque Crispín, the most complex and demanding character in the play. Her expressive body language, voice and interpretation of the text left no doubt that this is an actress with a future.

The success of this Commedia dell'Arte-style production also owed a great deal to the consulting work of Orlando Arias, who designed the attractive masks and made sure the character types were authentic. Applause for Yarrow and her team. They demonstrated that, with proper guidance, actors still learning their craft can achieve an impressive artistic product.

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