Wearing a fragrant lei, an aloha shirt and a smile from ear to ear, Neil Dorward looked more like a tourist in the lobby of Oahu’s Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel than the director and co-creator of Cirque du Soleil’s first resident show in Hawaii, which, incidentally, was a mere three hours away from its world premiere next door.

But with his passion project having protection, guidance and support from Hawaiian spirits since the beginning, who needs to stress on opening night?

“The Hawaiian gods 100% for sure guided us during the creation of this show,” said the London-born Santa Monica transplant. “The ancestors were there throughout the process as well. The story of this show comes from the spirits of Hawaii, and they are a constant presence.”

With the ancestral guardians, or aumakua, among the capacity audience for the Dec. 17 premiere, the Diamond Head-size effort it took to bring “Auana” to Hawaii was evident in all 80 minutes of this heartfelt and heart-stopping production. The sweat equity that 32 cast members and an 85-strong crew started building at the official world premiere will undoubtedly grow with interest as the show runs indefinitely as Waikiki’s newest must-see attraction.

“Auana” is the first Cirque staging in the Aloha State since 2012, when the touring show “Quidam” had a 10-night arena engagement in Honolulu. The new production takes over a completely refurbished, 20,000-square foot theater that was home to the long-running “Magic of Polynesia” before it disappeared due to COVID-19. The 784-seat venue adjoins the 25-story Beachcomber property, a half-block from Waikiki Beach.

With a freshly inked and extendable 10-year agreement between Cirque du Soleil and Outrigger Hospitality Group, a Honolulu-based luxury resort chain and management company, the plan is for “Auana” to ride out this double-up wave indefinitely — as it should, because it’s that good.

Based on the spirit and history of the islands, the resplendent yet respectful story is told through eight amazing acts that serve as milestones of the protagonist’s quest for self-discovery, understanding and inner peace. Before he succeeds — spoiler alert, but is it really? — this lost soul, a wanderer if you will (“auana” means “to journey” in Hawaiian), returns to his island home after leaving his Hawaiian roots behind to see what else is out there. The transformative world he’s drawn into is what spins (and twirls and leaps and bounces) in front of the audience, bringing with it circus of the sublime.

So, cue the aerialists, contortionists, acrobats (two on roller skates, and no wife has ever trusted a husband more), a sand artist, a speed juggler and a dude who surfs on an ever-growing stack of rolling cylinders. Proving how deep the talent pool is, the surfer dude isn’t even the grand finale. That honor goes to two wild and crazy guys who do everything but play pickleball on a giant rotating wheel suspended high above the stage. This edge-of-your-seat pièce de resistance is as gratifying as it is gravity-defying.

Compared with the 14 other shows this Cirque-phile has seen, “Auana” is no easier or harder to follow than most. What would help, and here’s where the locals have a possible advantage, is understanding the chants and movements of hula, which are used to thread each circus act to the underlying story. How brilliant and apropos to employ Hawaii’s most traditional dance as a narrator that also beautifully accompanies the parade of international talents. What’s also beautiful is if one gets lost in the story, it’s no sin to just sit back and enjoy the eye candy set to a wonderful musical score played live.

With pretty much every Cirque production, you’ve got your avant-garde story, dazzling feats, entrancing soundtrack and just the right amount of humor. That’s the DNA of nearly every theatrical labor of love from the prolific, Montreal-based entertainment company. But what puts the “lei” in Cirque du Soleil is a sweet and savory blend of French Canadian and Polynesian flavors.

Don’t go hungry now; “Auana” is definitely no luau show. Tourists from the mainland just love Hawaii’s version of dinner theater. If any comparison must be found, “Auana” is reminiscent of “Ulalena,” a more modestly produced musical stage show about the history and mythology of the Hawaiian islands. That production closed in 2018, five years before the Maui theater where it played for nearly two decades didn’t survive the devastating Lahaina wildfires.

In at least one respect, “Ulalena” lives on in “Auana.” John Signor is their common-bond musical director, and with his latest work, he does justice to sensational original music by Los Angeles-based composer Evan Duffy, whose credits Cirque’s “Mad Apple.”

Before excusing himself to do one more interview leading up to addressing the world premiere audience, the director was asked if he approached “Auana” differently than his previous Cirque du Soleil gig. After all, Sin City and the Big Pineapple are two very different vacation destinations.

“ ‘Mad Apple’ was created for a late-night audience, and with regard to ‘Auana,’ first and foremost, this is for the (Hawaiian) community to be proud,” Dorward said on his big night. “We are honored to showcase the art forms of Hawaii to the rest of the world.”

Yet more reasons “Auana” packs a Hawaiian punch.