PETER LEONARD

The last time I went to Cirque du Soleil I was five years old. Needless to say, it was terrifying. The peculiar people, the bright lights and the loud music made the entire night a living nightmare. After that scarring night I was somewhat reluctant to go back this year for “Amaluna.”

“Amaluna” focuses around a tiny island ruled by a goddess. When a ground of men wash ashore, the goddess’ daughter falls in love. The rest of the show focuses around the struggles they have to go through.

But the plot isn’t what makes this show special. What really drew me in was what Cirque is known for, the acrobatics. Ranging from people standing on other’s heels to what was probably the most creative use of a teeter-totter I have ever seen, “Amaluna” pulls off Cirque’s tradition in a splendid fashion.

The only downfall to the entire performance was the somewhat amateur, non-acrobatic “comedy” performances here and there. I found these to be the lowlight of the evening, being exceptionally dull and boring, with an entire 15 minutes devoted to a joke about one of the characters giving birth. Considering the audience was filled with grade schoolers, I am willing to wager that some parents had some interesting questions to answer after the show.

Overall the entire experience was extremely positive. The tense music was filled with the shrill of electric guitar and the lead singer was marvelous at raising the energy of the crowd. The ending was a continuous staircase of hype and it payed off well in the finale.

Fortunately, my experience from my earlier years was not repeated with this performance. I am now looking forward to next year’s with anticipated glee. It will certainly be the show to see.