'SALTIMBANCO'

A Cirque du Soleil production

• 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. today and tomorrow

• 1 and 5 p.m. tomorrow

•7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday

• 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7-8

•1 and 5 p.m. Nov. 9

• 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11-13

• 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14-15

• 1 and 5 p.m. Nov. 16

Blaisdell Arena

$40-$95 adults, $32-$72 children 12 and younger

877-750-4400, www.ticketmaster.com

STAGE REVIEW

Cirque du Soleil, now at Blaisdell Arena in its first-ever Honolulu visit, is perpetual motion, music and magic — acrobatics, gymnastics, aerial and on-ground wizardry staged with all the polished extras that define great theater.

Its traveling arena show, "Saltimbanco," which opened Thursday night, is a bolt of color, a jolt of superb artistry, a family-friendly bundle of laughs and thrills.

The troupers, costumed in lots of Spandex in day-glow hues, create rhythmic rainbows.

The music, performed by live musicians, is propulsive, and lyrics are sung in a hybrid language that sounds like a montage of European tongues. You don't have to understand what you hear; it's all in the seeing. The story is the grace and power of the agile and limber performers.

"Saltimbanco" is a merry-go-round for the eyes, for the ears, for the soul. Simple and graceful moments butt up against bawdy pantomime and bouts of manic comedy. And the acrobatic and arial performance can be electrifying, as acrobats, trapeze daredevils and bungee jumpers leap, bounce and swing without the benefit of a safety net.

This is the foundation of Cirque's franchise: taking traditional circus feats and reinventing them for a new generation of spectators.

The show's title, "Saltimbanco," is Italian for "saltare in banco," literally meaning "to jump on a bench." There'a a lot of jumping and juggling and jiggling and jiving — no bench. But the backdrop is an allegorical glimpse of urban folks interacting in a wildly colorful world of movement.

In Chinese Poles, performers ascend and descend poles with choreographic precision.

The Russian Swing, after intermission, is basic swing and somersaulting, but fun arises from a boisterous sideshow with villagers. Clad from head to foot in out-of-the-box costumes with hairstyles ranging from cotton-candy puffiness to punk-rock spikey, this motley lot acts out with celebratory spirit.

Ivan Do-Duc maneuvers a bicycle like never before — forward, backward, on one wheel like a unicycle.

As Eddy the clown, Amo Gulinello pantomimes with incredible emotion and invention. His bit with a guy from the gallery is one of the evening's simple pleasures.

The set-up at the arena — three-quarter seating, with some seats on the main floor, lots in the loges and the balconies — is just right for the 50-member company's big top bonanza. The colorful but uncluttered ring allows for effective entrances and exits. It's one circus you don't want to miss.