Amaluna is currently playing under the big top adjacent to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (Oaks, PA) throughout the rest of July and August. Buy tickets here.

For those who’ve been here before, you know we’re kind of obsessed with Cirque du Soleil. Amaluna is the 18th different performance we’ve seen (closing in on 20!), and we even had the privilege of touring the international headquarters in Montreal. (Check out our previous reviews of Corteo, Crystal, Varekai, Paramour, Toruk: The First Flight, La Nouba, and Dralion + backstage tour!)

I’ll also get this out of the way right here at the top. After 18 different Cirque shows, Amaluna is solidly in the top 5.

If you’re unfamiliar, there are three main types of Cirque du Soleil shows: arena, bigtop, and resident. Arena shows – like Corteo, which we just saw a few weeks ago – tour around the world and set up shop in large sporting/performance venues. Bigtop shows – like Amaluna – also travel, but they erect their own tents and scaffolding and everything. Finally, resident shows are those that stay put in one theater and have much more freedom to customize the theater to their specific needs. Most of these shows are in Las Vegas.

Each type of show has its own unique draws and drawbacks. And each type of show is a completely unique experience.

For their part, bigtop shows are essentially small traveling communities. They travel with 80-90 tractor trailers and take over a week to set up (and three days to take down). By contrast, arena productions travel with “only” 20 trucks, set up in one day, and tear down in 3.5 hours. This is why bigtop productions also spend more time in each city on the tour. (As I said, Amaluna will be in PA for over a month.)

Bigtop shows are also much more intimate affairs. All seats are closer to the stage, the ceiling is lower than at arenas or theaters, and you’re simply much closer to the performers and action.

So what’s the story with Amaluna? And how does it compare to other Cirque du Soleil shows? I’m so glad you asked.

Few Cirque shows follow a coherent narrative. Rather, they play on a single motif or theme the reverberates throughout the costumes, set design, music, and performances. The word Amaluna is a mashup of ama, which means “mother” in multiple languages, and luna – moon.

Amaluna invites the audience to a mysterious island governed by goddesses and guided by the cycles of the moon. Their queen, Prospera, directs her daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony in a rite that honors femininity, renewal, rebirth, and balance, which marks the passing of these insights and values from one generation to the next.

That being said, don’t try to make too much sense of the storyline. Just take it all in and appreciate the visuals for the eye candy they are.

And Amaluna is certainly full of mind-blowing visuals and plenty of eye candy. Much of the show, despite its intimate setting, feels like Cirque du Soleil on steroids. The performers hold nothing back, and every single act will have you breathlessly asking, “….but….how??”)

The cast of Amaluna is also a majority female, including an all-woman band – which I’m pretty sure is a first for Cirque du Soleil. And “majority” is actually selling it short. I’d go so far as to say it’s 70-75% women.

“Amaluna is a tribute to the work and voice of women,” explains Director of Creation Fernand Rainville. “The show is a reflection on balance from a woman’s perspective.

According to show director Diane Paulus, “I didn’t want to build a ‘women’s agenda’ show. I wanted to create a show with women at the center of it, something that had a hidden story that featured women as the heroines.”

The first act featuring male performers doesn’t occur until the second half and, even though it’s very good… it feels like they missed out on a great opportunity for an all-women Cirque show.

The acts are a mix of standard Cirque routines and a few new surprises. What’s new? Amaluna makes use of a gigantic water bowl (which is notoriously used – and used better – in Zumanity, Cirque’s adults-only show), there’s a phenomenal balancing routine (with palm leaf ribs) that will BLOW YOUR MIND, and there’s an Indonesian-inspired dance routine called “1,000 Arms and Sticks.”

But even the “standard” routines will give you chills. Performers on unicycles, aerial straps, uneven bars, and the Chinese pole all take familiar acrobatic tools and turn the dial up to 11.

…but….HOW??

You have plenty of chances to catch Amaluna under the bigtop near the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, so don’t miss it. Don’t let the name fool you, though. This is at least 45 minutes away from Center City Philly. But still very much worth the journey. Buy tickets here.