Cirque Du Soleil To Premiere In Montgomery Co. This Week

OAKS, PA — The big top is up, and the world class acrobats are in town, as Cirque du Soleil gets ready for the premier of its "Amaluna" show in Montgomery County this week.

Located at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks for the second straight year, the performers will hold shows through Aug. 25. Tickets are available online, and start at $54.

"Amaluna" is a "celebration of love and tribute to the work of women," organizers said. Size-wise, it's an even larger production than last year's "Volta."

Written and directed by Tony Award-winning director, Diane Paulus, the effort is Cirque du Soleil's 33rd production, and for the first time in its history, features a cast that comprises mostly women, with an all-female band.

"I didn't want to build a 'women's agenda' show," Paulus said. "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 show's story focuses on the wake of a storm caused by Prospera, a goddess on a mysterious island. A group of young men lands on the island and one falls in love with Prospera's daughter, but the pair find their love challenged by a wide variety of trials and a "coming of age ceremony" that demonstrates the passing of values from one generation to the next.