'Varekai' comes full Cirque-l, with a new arena show at the Wells-Fargo Center

REST EASY, Cirque du Soleil fans. "Varekai" hasn't just survived its move down South Broad Street from that intimate tented production (at Washington Avenue) to the Wells Fargo Center.

In some regards, the returning and revised version of this otherwordly circus spectacle plays even better at our South Philly arena, seeming more coherent and grandly theatrical than distant memories recall of "Varekai's" debut here a dozen years ago.

This performance-art adventure is loosely based on the legend of Icarus. Now he's falling to Middle Earth, losing his wings but not burning up in the sun.

And in Cirque's retelling, a bunch of amazing, high-flying acrobatic creatures - including an especially enchanting femme fatale and inspiring guy on crutches - plus a jugglin' fool and some show-biz-scoffing clowns (comically breaking from the "plot") conspire to give Icarus his mojo back.

Plus, it keep us customers satisfied in a larger-capacity arena that's been curtained off to a half-house holding 3,400 (akin to one of those Las Vegas showrooms for Cirque), versus the 2,500 bodies squeezing into Cirque's tent.

"We did a lot of rethinking and adjusting of the production last year, before moving it into arenas," show spokesperson Vanessa Napoli said earlier this week.

The "all new" thrust stage set for the arena-era "Varekai" is deeper and wider while still featuring a grove of impressionistic trees, trap door and turntable-rigged flooring - used to dazzling trick effect - and a high-flying catwalk from whence many of the performers descend or disappear.

"The set can grow taller or shorter, too, depending on the dimensions of the building," Naoli said.

"Varekai's" sound system is new, too, the better to deliver the globally infused, percussively persuasive live music and singing in that mysteriously nattering Cirque speak. Both musicians and singers are more visible in this production.

And from the spectacularly shiny look of the production - featuring an enchanted crop of whimsically attired "Hobbit"-like characters - a fresh set of costumes and high-intensity lights were ordered up, too.

Many are the cast members who've come and gone, though. Only young, lithe bodies can pull off the body twisting and taxing contortions demanded in Cirque du Soleil stunts.

"After 4,000 performances, just two originals remain - one member of the [show-closing] Russian Swings troupe and the band drummer," Napoli said.

Logistics and the bottom line drove "Varekai" into the arenas "so the production could set up and move on faster, play fewer days in smaller markets or on returning visits."

And, not incidentally, scale down ticket prices, which start at $36 (for children) here.

In its prior, tented rendering, where Cirque hauled in "everything but the land - all the tents, staging, climate-control equipment and seats, performers' areas, food-preparation facilities and even the electricity," staging "Varekai" took a team of 80 people eight days to set up. Then the show would "sit" for four to eight weeks before moving on.

By contrast, the 80-man "load in" at Wells Fargo Center started at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning (singer Ed Sheeran's production had cleared out by 2 a.m.) and was finished 14 hours later.

The production carries on here through Sunday, then heads to Orlando, Fla., to resume shows next Wednesday.