Cirque du Soleil is heading to the beach at Waikiki with ʻAuana, its first permanent resident show in Hawai’i.
ʻAuana opens in December and will run for at least 10 years at the Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel on Oahu in the hotel’s newly renovated 784-seat theatre.
ʻAuana, which means “to journey off the beaten path” in Hawai’ian, begins with the story of the Polynesian migration and tells stories of Hawai’i with eight acts featuring 31 cast members, 13 of whom are from the state. The show runs 80 minutes.
Cirque’s newest show was created with input from community partners, including cultural creative producer Aaron J. Salā, an ethnomusicologist who worked with Disney for the Hawai’ian-language rendition of Moana. Salā was named president and CEO of the Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau in September.

‘Auana is the first Cirque du Soleil production to be staged in Hawai’i. At top, hula dancer Mami Ogiwara is among the performers for the production that is the first Cirque show to be staged in Hawai’i. (Artist rendering image courtesy of Cirque du Soleil; Erik Kabik photo of dancer)
In a media release, Salā said Hawai’ian songs, stories and traditions “descended directly from the heroes and luminaries of Hawai’ian traditions” have been used to create the show.
The costumes are by Hawaiian luxury clothing designer Manaola Yap. Award-winning kumu hula (hula teacher) Hiwa Vaughan is the choreographer.
“It’s celebrating the beauty of the Hawai’ian Islands, the beauty of Hawai’ian culture, but through the lens of Cirque du Soleil,” said Martha Seroogy, senior director of show operations.
I was part of a recent hard-hat tour of the theater’s reconstruction. The space had been shut for several years since the Magic of Polynesia dinner theater closed.
“We gutted it. We took everything out. This is the most intimate theater of any of our shows,” Seroogy said. “ʻAuana will be interactive, with cast members entering from the audience. We tried out random seats around the house and all felt close to the stage, with excellent views.”
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An LED wall at the rear of the jutting stage changes throughout the show. So do the patterns across the decorative proscenium arch.
Outrigger approached Cirque du Soleil, the globally renowned entertainment giant that started in the Canadian province of Quebec, about a resident show partnership, said Seroogy. Cirque has resident shows in Las Vegas, Orlando, and Mexico’s Riviera Maya, along with nine shows currently on tour.
ʻAuana will begin with the story of the Polynesian migration. Acts include acrobatics, foot jugglers, a rola bola balance board act that pays homage to surfing, and celebrity roller-skating brother-and-sister duo Billy and Emily England.
Four musicians will play live onstage during performances.
It won’t just be tourists buying tickets. Local audiences are expected to be robust.
That’s not surprising considering how popular Las Vegas is with Hawai’ian visitors, many of whom would take in a Cirque performance when they go. It’s often said that Hawai’ians consider Vegas “the ninth island” in the main Hawai’ian chain.
Ticket prices start at $69 USD, plus taxes and fees. There are two shows a night at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. from Wednesday through Sunday. The Outrigger is also offering show and stay packages.
For more, go to cirquedusoleil.com.