Cirque du Soleil erects Big Top in Montco
Cirque du Soleil erects Big Top for Montco performances
UPPER PROVIDENCE » A sure sign of Cirque du Soleil’s return to Montgomery County was on full display July 12 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, when crews erected the big top that will house the performances. Cirque du Soleil brings a new show to the region — “Amaluna” — from July 24 through Aug. 25.
It’s a return engagement for Cirque du Soleil, and follows the troupe’s successful 2018 engagement in the county. An estimated 86,000 people saw last’s year’s VOLTA show.
The success of last year’s engagement is the reason Cirque du Soleil is coming back in 2019 — one year earlier than was originally planned, Mike Bowman, president of the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board previously told MediaNews Group.
Bowman said having Cirque du Soleil come back after just one year “is great for the county, the region and its residents.”
A crew of more than 60 raised the tent from the ground up on Friday afternoon — a set up that included more than 1,000 steel poles. The tent, which seats 2,500 people, is 62 feet high and 167 feet in diameter.
The Big Top is just one component of Cirque du Soleil’s Montgomery County engagement, however. An entire village is being set up surrounding
the tent, an effort that is continuing this week, according to a press release. The village includes concession tents, an artistic tent, box office, administrative offices and kitchen. Nearly 2,000 tons of equipment is required for the show and takes 78 trailers to transport.
“‘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,” a description of the show reads.
In the wake of a storm, a group of young men lands on the island, triggering an “emotional story of love” between Prospera’s daughter and a suitor.
The show premiered in 2012, and includes a 48-member cast comprised primarily of women and featuring a female band, according
to Cirque.
Cirque du Soleil’s Big Top can be seen from Route 422, and is one way Cirque says, “Hey, we have arrived in your city,” Yannick Spierkel, the company manager for Cirque’s VOLTA show told MediaNews Group last summer.
Part of the estimated $14 million to $20 million economic impact of last year’s show on the area included about $2 million Cirque spent on staff, products,
services and lodging. Local workers are hired by Cirque du Soleil — 80 to 100 each day of the show’s run — to work in the box office, customer service, food and beverage, security services and specialized work in raising and lowering the Big Top.
Tickets for “Amaluna” at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks can be purchased online via cirquedusoleil.com/amaluna. Beginning July 24, tickets may also be purchased in person at Cirque du Soleil box office, located in front of the Big Top’s entrance tent. (Regular box office hours are from 90 minutes prior to the first show time and close 30 minutes after the beginning of the second show on show days.