Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk

Cirque du Soleil has created a new "christmas" winter show called WINTUK, about a city boy who craves snow, and who goes to a magical winter wonderland called Wintuk. It's playing at Madison Square Garden, which is a HUGE venue, and very unlike the expensive and beautiful tents that Cirque is used to playing.

I've read the previews which make the show sound like a typical Cirque du Soleil show, which means that I want to see it.

And the reviews have come out, and at least two of them are not very pretty:

NY Daily News

Cirque du Soleil offers a 'Wintuk' of discontent

The Cirque du Soleil brand has become synonymous with highly imaginative, infinitely energetic shows.

But after umpteen productions, even the best franchise runs out of juice.

Witness Cirque's seasonal family offering, "Wintuk," at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Clocking in at 110 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission, the show feels rushed together and as padded as a fake Santa's belly. The music is taped.

As with all Cirque shows, there's a slender narrative. Here, a city boy craves snow. His search for it takes him to Wintuk, a glacial land, which you can read about at cirquedusoleil.com. The program costs $15.

Along the way, the kid runs into unusual people, performers and oversize puppets. Youngsters might get a kick out of the crayon-colored singing street lamps and huge, shaggy white dog puppets. But they might be confused about what to make of the pink shadow of a ballerina who appears now and again. I was.
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and
NJ Star Ledger

Cirque surprise: it's a dud

NEW YORK -- The holiday season begins with a yawn as "Wintuk," a surprisingly duddy event from Cirque du Soleil, bowed last night at Madison Square Garden.

Failing to electrify the holiday slot left by MSG's popular "A Christmas Carol" musical, this numbing new attraction aimed for family audiences is two-hours-plus of nothing spectacular. Aside from being a waste of visitors' time and money, the show's really not much of anything else, period.
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Now, granted, these papers are not the NY Times, but they are usually on the money when it comes to what will appeal to their audiences.

What about you-- are you planning on seeing Wintuk? Have you seen it? Let me know what you think about the show in the comments below: