Mind-boggling circus legends Cirque du Soleil will return to the Royal Albert Hall in 2016 with the UK premiere of Amaluna, its acclaimed ode to the work and voice of women.
The famed company, loved worldwide for its staggering acrobatics and stunning designs, will return to its regular London home from 15 January to 14 February with Tony Award winner Diane Paulus’ “celebration of love” that features an epic story typical of Cirque’s always mystical offerings.
In the company’s 33rd major production, audiences are invited 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, but the island is thrown into turmoil with the arrival of a group of young men.
For the first time in the 31-year-old company’s history, Amaluna features a predominantly female cast, as well as an all-female band. Commenting on the show’s decision to put women centre stage, Paulus said: “I didn’t want to build a ‘women’s agenda’ show. I wanted to create a show with women at the centre of it, something that had a hidden story that featured women as the heroines.”
It is a vision that has been rewarded with rave reviews during the show’s time on tour, with The New York Times describing “the display of female strength” as a “lovely thing”, and the San Francisco Chronicle hailing the production as “sumptuously designed and invigoratingly female-powered”.
Now in its 20th year performing at London’s stunning Royal Albert Hall, Cirque du Soleil continues to wow audiences worldwide. Celebrating its 30th anniversary last year, the circus behemoth has now performed to close to 150 million spectators in more than 300 cities across the globe.