Calling All Goddesses

5 reasons why Cirque du Soleil's newest show is unlike any you've seen before

For more than 30 years, Cirque du Soleil has been wowing audiences all over the world with its dazzling live shows. Featuring amazing performers who defy gravity with their acrobatic acts and musicians who play the original scores live, the experience is unlike any other form of entertainment.

The latest Cirque du Soleil show, Amaluna, is bringing its blue-and-yellow-striped Big Top to Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie beginning January 23, 2019.

The audience is 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 in a rite that honors femininity, renewal, rebirth, and balance. In the wake of a storm caused by Prospera, a group of young men lands on the island, triggering an epic, emotional love story between Prospera's daughter Miranda and a brave young suitor named Romeo. But the couple must face numerous trials and overcome daunting setbacks before they can achieve harmony.

Even if you've been lucky enough to witness a Cirque show before, here are five reasons why Amaluna is unlike anything you've ever seen before.

1. The women are the stars
Not only is Amaluna's storyline focused on females, the cast is comprised mostly of women. "I didn't want to build a 'women's agenda' show. 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," says director Diane Paulus.

2. They're in charge offstage too
Amaluna is the first Cirque du Soleil show to be directed by a woman. Diane Paulus, the Tony-winning theater and opera director, drew from a series of classical influences when creating the concept of the show, including tales from Greek and Norse mythology, Mozart's The Magic Flute, and Shakespeare's The Tempest.

3. Women also run the music
Cirque du Soleil shows are known for their incredible scores and live musicians, and Amaluna is the first time the company has employed an all-female band.

4. The show's title has a hidden meaning
"Amaluna" is a fusion of the words "ama," which refers to "mother" in many languages, and "luna," which means "moon," a symbol of femininity. Together, the word evokes both the mother-daughter relationship and the idea of goddess and protector of the planet. Amaluna is also the name of the mysterious island where the show's story unfolds.

5. There are two brand-new acts
Jaw-dropping feats of physicality are what make Cirque shows so unique, and this one is no exception. Amaluna boasts not one, but two, new acts: the Waterbowl and the Balance Goddess.

The Waterbowl is a pool that's more than 7 feet in diameter and weighs 5,500 pounds when filled. It's where Miranda and Romeo tentatively kiss for the first time, after Romeo watches Miranda perform a challenging hand-balancing routine before diving through the water.

The Balance Goddess is shown creating a world in equilibrium with a mobile made of 13 palm leaf ribs. An ode to balance, her movements are slow, deliberate, and almost meditative as she concentrates all her attention on this literally breathtaking structure. And then she removes the smallest piece, everything disintegrates and the young couple's trials begin.

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Take advantage of 15 percent off select tickets, categories 1-2-3 for all weekday and Friday 4:30 pm shows.

Amaluna is the first female-driven Cirque du Soleil show.

Photo by Markus Moellenberg

Amaluna is the first female-driven Cirque du Soleil show.

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Movie Review

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney go off in trashy film The Housemaid

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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