Cirque du Soleil has produced over two dozen shows to this point (and I've seen nearly a third of them, I believe), so every new show they mount seems to be a -- pun not intended -- tightrope act. They have to balance the need to present the core of what people expect from a Cirque production, while still providing enough innovations to justify the new show. Amaluna succeeds mostly in this regard, though does miss in a few areas.
The set is probably the weakest part of the production. It feels like recycled Cirque props, selected just because they fit in the traveling tent space used for this show. For example, there's a bit of metallic sculpture meant to evoke jungle (and feeling slightly ripped off from Ka), and a half-globe filled with water (as seen in Zumanity).
The costume design, however, is some of Cirque's most interesting work to date. There's a strange lizard character with a prehensile tail covertly operated by the performer. A group of acrobats have back supports slyly built-in to their costumes for when they lay on the stage to lift other performers with their legs. Even the sailor characters, the most straightforward of the show, are dressed in an interesting interpretation of pirate made of not-quite-denim, not-quite-vinyl.
The music isn't a total departure for a Cirque production, but it does stretch the usual boundaries. Amaluna has an unusual emphasis on percussion, and has a rock vibe throughout that occasionally brushes up at the boundary of metal. Also, it's performed by the first all-female band in Cirque's history, who roam the stage with the other performers more freely than is typical in other Cirque shows.
The acts themselves are a bit hit-and-miss. The "clown" segments, as is typical for Cirque shows, are overly long and underly funny. (A prolonged sequence of a couple giving birth to octuplet footballs is especially tedious.) The Act 1 finale, featuring a half dozen performers on uneven bars, seems oddly simplistic for Cirque, not much evolved beyond what you could see watching any gymnastics competition. But there are far more hits than misses. Act 2 is especially full of highlights, with an impressive pole-climbing act and an amazingly skilled juggler. But the real show stopper is the second act opener, in which a woman constructs a precariously balanced skeleton-like structure of sticks. In all the Cirque shows I've seen, I've never seen anything like that.
Though Amaluna doesn't feel quite as revolutionary as some of the standing Cirque shows in Vegas, there are enough highlights in it to recommend. If you're in Denver, the show will be here for another month or so, giving ample opportunity to see it. If you're elsewhere, check the tour schedule and see if it's coming near you.
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