There is only one word for the current Cirque du Soleil® live arena production of Delirium, playing its final performance tonight at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC; and that word is “Wow,” or maybe, “Oh, wow.”

This magnificent multimedia musical extravaganza is a crowd-pleasing combination of a technopop concert, a circus, and a spectacular lightshow, featuring superlative singers, hard-rocking musicians, a stiltwalker, high-flying aerialists and acrobats, hand-balancers, dancers, and clowns. Delirium is a veritable three-ring circus all crammed into a single ring, with as many as six singers, four actors, 11 musicians, 18 dancers, and eight acrobats occupying the stage at the same time.

Montréal-based Cirque du Soleil’s first arena event, brilliantly conceived and imaginatively directed and designed by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, is a rare feast for the eye and ear -- all unfolding on a 130 feet wide by 20 feet deep stage, with giant tulle curtains/projection screens at each end of the stage. Lemieux and Pilon have created a splendid set and a dazzling multimedia program for this remarkable evening of fantasy in which a lonely balloonist floats back and forth over the stage, trying to overcome his fears and, apparently, constantly scouring the surrealistic landscape below for the woman of his dreams.

Dave St-Pierre has ingeniously choreographed the show’s acrobatic dances; costume designer Michel Robidas has dressed the cast in an eye-catching array of fantastical fashions; and Québec producer, composer, and arranger Francis Collard has expertly re-mixed 20 of the troupe’s most striking musical moments, originally penned by Violaine Corradi, René Dupéré, and Benoît Jutras. Lighting designer Alain Lortie, props and decorative elements designer Anne-Séguin Poirier, and sound designer Yves Savoie also help keep life pulsing through the production.

Some highlights of Delirium include:

The worst that I can say about Delirium is that the show is so LOUD that only a few words of the English lyrics are intelligible. Ticket buyers with delicate eardrums would be wise to bring ear plugs. The best that I can say is, Delirium is not just a show; it is an EVENT; and Cirque du Soleil-style entertainments are rare in this part of the United States. Don’t miss it.

The RBC Center presents Cirque du Soleil® in Delirium Thursday, April 13, at 8 p.m. at 1400 Edwards Mill Rd., Raleigh, North Carolina. $69.50-$99.50. RBC Center Box Office: 919/861-2323. Group Sales (for groups of 20 or more): 919/861-5457. RBC Center: http://www.rbccenter.com/events/upcomingevents.asp?event_id=207 [inactive 2/07]. Cirque du Soleil®: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/default.htm[inactive 9/07]. Nitza: http://www.nitza.com/.