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THEATER | THEATER REVIEW

On This Magical Island, Women Rule

‘Amaluna,’ a Cirque du Soleil Extravaganza

By CLAUDIA LA ROCCO APRIL 3, 2014

Who among us, in a fit of desperation over losing his beloved to a giant
lizard man, has not torn off his shirt and scaled a pole with the ease of a
lemur — only to reach the top and find he has nowhere to go, but must
hang there, devastated and batlike, to the moody vocalizing that
surrounds him, as if in a dream?
No? Anybody?
It’s possible, then, that you won’t connect emotionally to
“Amaluna,” the latest Cirque du Soleil extravaganza to roll into New
York. This one, written and directed by the Tony Award-winning Diane
Paulus (“Pippin”), has put down stakes in Citi Field, housed within its
own sprawling encampment. Arriving by the No. 7 train, as I did on
Tuesday evening, with a still-wintry sun descending into darkness, and
walking across the expanse of concrete surrounding the large tent, is to
feel as if you were entering another world — which is, of course, what
Cirque du Soleil is all about. Who needs connection when you’ve got
contortionists?
Yes, there is a sort-of plot. This one is based ever so vaguely on “The
Tempest,” with the twist that this magical island is ruled by women.
(Julie Taymor, who directed that play’s 2010 film adaptation, got there
first; Helen Mirren was cast as Prospera.) Cirque said that the cast is 70
percent female, an unusually high proportion for the organization, and
all of the musicians are women. You can imagine Beyoncé nodding her
head approvingly, about both the casting and the hair extensions.
Lili Chao’s delicate balancing act offered a moment of refreshing

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6.5.2014 ‘Amaluna,’ a Cirque du Soleil Extravaganza - NYTimes.com

quiet, while Virginie Canovas, Kylee Maupoux and Marina Tomanova

showed surging aerial force. (The men, it should be noted, held up their
end; a high-flying teeter board quartet offered a rare instance of mostly
unadorned tension and play.)
Ms. Paulus has said that she did not want to create a show with a
“women’s agenda,” which is probably a good thing, as any specific
message would be hard to decipher amid all the Cirque frippery. But
the display of female strength (as in biceps and triceps and quads, oh
my) is nonetheless a lovely thing. There are no damsels in distress here,
despite the aforementioned pesky lizard man.
Beyond this feminist gloss, is there anything to be said about
“Amaluna” that you couldn’t guess? Not really. It may be a new
production, but it’s an old formula, a giant machine of a spectacle with
(unfortunately tedious) clowning thrown in, and lots of sound and light
and quick set changes to keep things moving in a blur. Does this sound
like your cup of tea? Well then, get thee to Queens. The big top awaits.
“Amaluna” runs through May 18 at Citi Field, Flushing, Queens; cirquedusoleil.com/amaluna.

A version of this review appears in print on April 8, 2014, on page C9 of the New York edition
with the headline: On This Magical Island, Women Rule.

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