As someone who has seen more than 40 luaus over the years, I can truly say Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Auana has taken the concept of “sharing Island history through performance” to new heights.
Not only is the immersive Hawaiian-themed production at OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel the definition of spectacular, but audience members can also opt for a VIP experience that includes a reception with cast members and lavish gourmet appetizers and cocktails — no need to dine elsewhere. Both ‘Auana and the VIP experience are literally elevated, too: The daredevil performers at times vault themselves breathtakingly high into the new, purpose-built theater, while the private reception at Maui Brewing Company takes place on a second-story lanai overlooking Kalakaua Avenue.
The 80-minute show, which opened in December to rave reviews, shares the artful blend of dazzling, occasionally death-defying acrobatics with hypnotic music and dance that has been the hallmark of Cirque du Soleil since its founding in 1984. But it decidedly stands apart from the 16 other Cirque shows around the world as a resident production inspired by the culture and history of its location.
Divided into eight “chapters” that span many eras, ‘Auana takes its name from the Hawaiian word meaning “to wander, to veer off,” according to Cultural Creative Producer Aaron J. Salā. Fittingly, hula ‘auana — modern hula that incorporates music and more flowing movements than traditional hula kahiko, which involves chanting and drumming — helps link the diverse kinds of performances and time periods. Salā and linguist R. Keao NeSmith have created engaging, propulsive songs and chants in Hawaiian that even if you can’t understand their meaning will echo in your head long after the show concludes.
The different chapters are also connected by the Trickster character who eventually circles back to his native heritage as he wordlessly wanders in time. Some of the Hawaiian lore will be instantly recognizable through the music and action: the “surfers” who ride a towering, shaky wave of boxes during the Golden Age of the Waikiki Beachboys, which also involves playful audience interaction with a beach ball; a jaunty, mimed jam session that celebrates “Hawaii Five-O,” and the ongoing creation of the islands through the fiery, thunderous eruptions of volcanoes.
Other chapters invoke Hawaiian history and mythology that may not be as well-known to visitors. ‘Auana honors the fearlessness of the Polynesian voyagers who crossed the vast Pacific Ocean in sailing canoes with similarly bold acrobatics performed from an aerial structure that rocks as if on waves. The performers’ diving and sliding safely into nets also reminded me of the traditional Hawaiian sport of hōlua, sledding down steep, smoothened trails at breakneck speeds.
The sensuous, high-velocity spinning of two roller skaters costumed in green and white takes its inspiration from the legend of the naupaka shrub, whose blossoms appear to have the top half missing. The story has several versions, goes that a Hawaiian princess named Naupaka fell in love with a commoner named Kaui — an impermissible union in ancient Hawaii. After a sign from the gods convinced them they could not stay together, Naupaka tore the flower in her ear in half and gave the other half to Kaui, saying she would live in the mountains and he would live by the sea. This explains the two main varieties of naupaka: kahakai (coastal) and kuahiwi (mountain). But you don’t need to know botany, or this legend, to appreciate the inherent romance.
In another sequence, a graceful, purple and white-clad performer in an aerial hoop pays tribute to Hina, the moon goddess, whose phases traditionally dictate the best times for fishing, farming and other endeavors in Hawaii. Another ‘Auana artist deftly creates metamorphosizing images in sand, embodies Papahānaumoku, mother earth, who with Wakea, the sky father, created everything in the world. Her beautifully evolving series of designs appear on large screens so that all in the 784-seat OUTRIGGER theater have a clear view.
Choreographer Hiwa Vaughan, a kumu hula (hula master), and Costume Designer Manaola Yap, who has presented his indigenous-informed clothing line at New York Fashion Week, also contribute a deep sense of connection to Hawaiian culture and the contemporary spirit of Cirque du Soleil. Yap also created designs that appear in the VIP Experience in the open-air lounge of Maui Brewing Co., just off the lobby of OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel.
The hotel conveniently offers room packages with tickets, so even if you don’t book the VIP Experience, you can indulge at Maui Brewing Company before or after the show and enjoy the work of other local artists found throughout the hotel. Showtimes are at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, with tickets starting at $85, inclusive of taxes and fees.
