The seasonal show will have a ten-week limited run to Jan. 4, 2009.

Wintuk tickets are available beginning April 30 at 9 AM. A festive troupe of 40 winter-inspired characters will celebrate the opening of the box office between 11 AM and noon April 30 at the Seventh Avenue marquee in front of Madison Square Garden, at 34th Street.

The winter-themed, acrobat-filled, spectacle-infused show had its world premiere last year at MSG's WaMu. Annual return visits are planned.

In recent years the venue found holiday-season success with productions of A Christmas Carol, Peter Pan and Annie.

Cirque du Soleil, MSG Entertainment and BASE Entertainment are producing Wintuk, which was designed exclusively for the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden — billed as Cirque du Soleil's first permanent address in New York for a show presented outside the Big Top. Wintuk was the first Cirque du Soleil show created specifically for a family audience, and the first Cirque du Soleil production to be built around a specific premise: the theme of winter.

According to MSG, "Wintuk is an enchanting winter tale about a boy named Wintuk and his quest to find snow and adventure. Wintuk lives in a city where the arrival of winter has brought long shadows and intense cold — but no snow! He interacts with an extraordinary cast of high-energy urban street characters, including acrobats, dancers and talking marionettes. But when the snow does not arrive, he embarks on a quest with three companions — a female shaman who's lost in the city, a shy man destined to discover his courage, and the shadow of a young girl — to find the snow and bring it back to where it belongs."

The adventurers journey to an imaginary Arctic — a world without sunlight — "where they encounter the rich culture of the People of the North and extraordinary giant characters made of ice." When at last the sun returns, "they fly home on the wings of a giant crane and generate a swirling snowstorm."

A cast of 50 performers "weaves thrilling circus arts, breathtaking theatrical effects and memorable songs into a meaningful seasonal story that resonates with the whole family."

Richard Blackburn directs. Fernand Rainville is director of creation.

For Wintuk tickets visit www.cirquedusoleil.com, www.wamuatmsg.com or call Ticketmaster at (212) 307-1000.

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From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is now a major Quebec-based entertainment organization with over 3,500 employees from over 40 different countries, including 900 artists.

Cirque du Soleil's work has been seen by 60 million spectators in over 100 cities on four continents. In 2007, Cirque du Soleil will present 14 shows simultaneously throughout the world. The company has received such prestigious awards as the Emmy, Drama Desk, Bambi, ACE, Gémeaux, Félix, and Rose d'Or de Montreux. Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters are in Montreal, Canada.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.