Theater
Cats is the hit musical based on T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, a book of poems about feline friendship. The musical, like the poem, revolves around a ball, during which one lucky cat will be bestowed with an extra life. Cats will be cats, however, and the tension mounts and rivalries are fueled as the leading contenders for the extra life try to out do each other over a backdrop of memorable songs and breathtaking dance routines.
* Chih-De Hall, National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center, Kaohsiung City (高雄中正文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號)
* Today, tomorrow, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Tickets are NT$800 to NT$4,800 and available through ERA ticketing
Irma la Douce (巴黎花街) by Godot Theater (果陀劇場) tells the story of a former cop on the steamy streets of 1960s Paris, who falls in love with a prostitute named Irma la Douce after they meet at a seedy bar called the Cafe Moustache. After killing off la Douce's pimp, the ex-cop takes his place and gradually loses all sense of reality as he becomes increasingly jealous of the hooker's johns. A highlight of the performance is the comedic acting talents of Chin Shih-jie (金士傑), who plays the role of the cafe owner.
* Taichung Zhongshan Hall (台中市中山堂), 98 Hsuehshi Rd, Taichung City (台中市學士路98號)
* Tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,400 and are available through NTCH ticketing
According to … 劇說 … is a joint production by Hsin Tien Senior High School (新店高中), Taipei Chenggong High School (成功高中) and the Affiliated High School of National Chengchi University (政大附中). The play uses different voices to look at life in contemporary Taiwan, from a student's perspective.
* National Taiwan Arts Education Institute (國立台灣藝術教育館), 47 Nanhai Rd, Taipei (台北市南海路47號)
* Tomorrow at 6:30pm
* Admission is free. Call (02) 2325-7383 X31 for tickets
A Hero Is Not Afraid of a Cat (英雄不怕貓) by Children's Apple Theater (蘋果兒童劇團) is a family play that tells the story of a kingdom of rats and the exploits of a particularly adventurous rodent named Gebu. One day on his travels, Gebu encounters a mountain cat who — surprise, surprise — is the enemy of the rats. But because the rats have all lead easy lives, none are willing to fight the cat until a hero comes along and saves the day.
* Taipei Culture Center, Wenshan Branch (台北市立社教館文山分館), 32 Jingwen St, Taipei (台北市景文街32號)
* Tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Tickets are NT$200 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Classical
Homeland Famous Music for the Family (故鄉名曲精華音樂會親子共賞首選). From The Mill in the Black Forest to Longing for the Spring Breeze, Homeland Chamber Ensemble (故鄉室內樂團) will present a series of lectures and concerts from tonight through March 25. The lecture/concerts will be presided over by Chen I-lin (陳宜琳) in Taipei and Du Shu-feng (杜淑芳) for the Taichung events. Featuring violinists Chang Shih-peng (張士芃), Chan Ching-ching (詹青青), violist Chen Chih-yuan (陳麒元), cellist Lien Yi-Shien (連亦先), and pianist Liao Chiao-han (廖皎含), the concerts will include a program of quintet, quartet, trio, and solo works, presenting Eilenberg's The Mill in the Black Forest, Mozart's Turkish March, Oesten's Dolly's Dreaming and Awakening, famous Taiwanese music Longing for the Spring Breeze (望春風), Amazing Grace, Schubert's piano trio Wiegenlied, Medelssohn's Song of Spring, Chopin's Nocturne Op.9-2, the first movement of Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.5 in F Major, Op.24, Bridge's Pieces for Viola, the third movement of Davidov's Cello Concerto No.2, the first movement of Brahms' Violin Sonata No.2 Op.100, and Falla's Danse Espagnole.
* Tonight at the Hsinchu Municipal Auditorium (新竹市立演藝廳), 17 Tungta Rd Sec 2, Hsinchu City (新竹市東大路二段17號), tomorrow at Taipei's National Concert Hall, Sunday at the National Taichung Library Chungsing Concert Hall (台中市中興堂), 291-3 Jingwu Rd, Taichung City (台中市精武路291之3號), March 10 at the Yuanlin Performance Hall, Changhua County(員林演藝廳), 99, Ln 2, Zhongzheng Rd, Yuanlin Township, Zhanghua County. (彰化縣員林鎮中正路二巷99號), and March 10 at the Taichung County Seaport Art Center (台中縣立港區藝術中心), 21 Chungchen Rd, Chingshui Township, Taichung County (台中縣清水鎮忠貞路21號)
* For the Hsinchu concert tonight, NT$800 to NT$1,000 tickets are sold out as of press time, but NT$300 to NT$600 tickets are still available. For the Taipei concert tomorrow, NT$1,500 tickets are sold out, but seats are available from NT$300 to NT$1,000. For the Changhua concert on March 10, NT$600 to NT$800 tickets are sold out, but NT$200 to NT$500 are still available. Tickets are available from NT$300 to NT$1,000 for the concert in Taichung City on Sunday and from NT$200 to NT$800 for the concert in Taichung County on March 25. Visit www.artsticket.com.tw for details
* All concerts will begin at 2:30pm except tonight's concert, which will start at 7:30pm.
Forest Woodwind Quintet—Forest Dance Party (森林五重奏—森林舞會). The Forest Woodwind Quintet, composed of flautist Hsu Yu-chia (許佑佳), oboist Tsai Tsai-hsuan (蔡采璇), clarinetist Chuang Hui-chu (莊蕙竹), hornist Wang Yi-chun (王怡鈞), and bassoonist Wang Hui-hsin (王蕙心), was founded in 2003 and performs a repertoire that encompasses all styles and genre of chamber music. All five musicians of the quintet have degrees in music from world-renowned institutes and play important roles in major international orchestras. The quintet will play a varied program, including Ibert's Trios Pieces Breves, Bizet's Habanera from Carmen and Carmen Fantasia, Lehar's Gold and Silver Waltzes and The Merry Widow Waltz, Kreisler's Schon Rosmarin, Agay's Five Easy Dances, Gossec's Tambourine, Farkas' Hungarian Ancient Dance, Debussy's The Little Negro, Mancini's The Pink Panther, Beethoven's Country Dance, and Offenbach's Can Can.
* Tonight the Music Salon of the Xue Xue Institute (學學文創志業大樓音樂沙龍), 5F, 207 Tiding Blvd Sec 2, Taipei (台北市堤頂大道二段207號5樓) and tomorrow at the Musicutopia (音樂理想國), 78 Minquan E Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市民權東路三段78號) near the Muzha Line's Zhongshan Junior High School MRT Station
* For tonight's concert, tickets are NT$500 and are available through NTCH ticketing or 0800-068-089; for tomorrow's concert, tickets are NT$100 and can be purchased at the Musicutopia or call (02) 2505-0859
* Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm
ComeMusic String Orchestra (來去弦樂團). Since its inception in 2001, ComeMusic String Orchestra's mission has been to increase public appreciation of classical and contemporary music. The orchestra was established by the cyber community comemusic.com, where musicians gathered to exchange music-related information. The orchestra made its debut concert in 2003 and since then, it has performed extensively around Taiwan. This year, the orchestra will give a series of concerts tomorrow in Taipei County, and Sunday in Taichung. Under the direction of conductor Li Hsuan (李瑄), the orchestra will play a program of Baroque works, including Corelli's Concerto Grosso, Op.6 and Vivaldi's Violin Concerto No.4 in F Minor, Scott Joplin's Theme from The Sting, The Easy Winners, and Elite Syncopations, Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero's More, from the Italian movie Mondo Cane, Puccini's Nessun Dorma from Turandot, Joe Hisaishi's Reprise from the movie Spirited Away, Lee Che-yi's (李哲藝) Taiwanese folk song The Hamlet Wine Song, Marquina's Espana Cani, and Lecuona's Malaguena.
* Tomorrow at the Performing Arts Hall of the Taipei County Hakka Museum (台北縣客家文化園區演藝廳), 239 Longen St, Sansia Township, Taipei County (台北縣三峽鎮龍埔里隆恩街239號) and Sunday at the Taichung Corridor Cafe Theater (文英館迴廊咖啡劇場), 10-5 Shuangshih Rd Sec 1, Taichung City (台中市雙十路一段10-5號)
* Concerts at the Taipei County Hakka Museum are free. For the concert at Taichung's Corridor Cafe Theater, tickets can be obtained free of charge from the ComeMusic String Orchestra at 0966-817-007, but there will be a minimum food and beverage charge
* Tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
Franz Kuo-Chang Chien Violin Recital (浪漫大師系列-錢國昌小提琴獨奏會). Chien now teaches at the music department of National Taiwan University of Arts and is the principal violinist of the Yinqi Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (音契合唱管絃樂團). As part of the 2007 Romantic Maestro Concert Series organized by the YinQi Culture and Music Foundation (財團法人音契文化藝術基金會) and co-organized by the Graduate Institute of Collaborative Piano at Tainan National University of the Arts, Chen will be accompanied by pianist Hong Pei-chi (洪珮綺) and present a recital with a challenging program of works by composers from across four European countries, including Beethoven's Sonate for Violin and Piano No.4 in A Minor, Op.23, Schubert's Rondo in B-flat Minor, Op.70, Elgar's Sonate for Violin and Piano in E Minor, Op.82, and Ravel's Sonate for Violin and Piano in G Major.
* Sunday at the National Recital Hall, Taipei, and March 27 at the Performing Arts Hall of Tainan National University of the Arts (台南藝術大學演藝廳), 66 Daci Village, Guantian Township, Tainan County (臺南縣官田鄉大崎村66號)
* Tickets cost from NT$300 to NT$500 for the Taipei concert and are available through ERA ticketing. Admission for the Tainan concert is free
* Sunday and March 27 at 7:30pm
Chi Mei Symphony Orchestra's Lunar New Year Concert -- Songs of Praise in the Spring of 2007 (奇美管弦樂團2007新年音樂會 -- 春之頌). Chi Mei Symphony Orchestra was founded by Chi Mei Group founder Hsu Wen-lung (許文龍) in 2003. The widely-acclaimed Chi Mei Symphony Orchestra strives to promote, preserve and perpetuate public appreciation of classical music. The concert tour will feature guest conductor Tokuoka Naoki, and the orchestra will present a program of works, including Wagner's prelude from opera Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, Taiwanese folk songs Everlasting Blossoms (日日春), Sadness in the Moonlit Night (月夜愁), and Tuberose (夜來香), a Japanese folk song Red Dragonfly (赤蜻蜓), Leroy Anderson's Plink, Plank, Plunk and Waltzing Cat, and Chabrier's Espana Rhapsody, the Fourth Movement Finale from Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op.48 based on a stomping Russian theme, the Prelude and Sicilienne from Faure's Pelleas et Melisande, Op.80, Johann Strauss' most popular waltz On the Beautiful Blue Danube, Op.314, and Borodin's Polovtsian Dances from "Prince Igor".
* Sunday and Monday at the Tainan Municipal Arts Center (台南市立文化中心演藝廳), 332 Zhonghwa E Rd Sec 3, Tainan City (台南市中華東路三段332號), Wednesday at the Chiayi Performing Arts Center (嘉義縣表演藝術中心), 265 Jianguo Rd Sec 2, Minsyong Township, Chiayi County (嘉義縣民雄鄉建國路二段265號), Feb. 9 at the National Concert hall, Taipei, Feb. 11 and Feb. 12 at the Performing Arts Center of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Hsinchu County (新竹縣文化中心演藝廳), 146 Xianzheng 9th Rd, Chubei City, Hsinchu County (新竹縣竹北市縣政九路146號).
* As of press time, NT$200 tickets are sold out for Sunday's concert, but NT$100 seats are available. For the concert on Monday in Tainan, Feb. 7 in Chiayi, and Feb. 12 in Hsinchu, tickets range from NT$100 to NT$200. For the Taipei concert on Feb. 9, as of press time, NT$300 tickets are sold out, but NT$200 and NT$500 seats are still available through NTCH ticketing.
* All concerts will start at 7:30pm
Contemporary
Tonight at The Wall (這牆) it's post-rock trio Peppermint (薄荷葉), along with Aphasia (阿飛西雅) and 929 (九二九). Tomorrow it's post-rock/folk-rock band We Save Strawberries (草莓救星). Sunday features Lawrence, Kansas-based indie rock band The Appleseed Cast, whose music has been described in the alternative press as "groundbreaking," and having "hints of Stone Roses, My Bloody Valentine and Built to Spill — all embedded in a lush wave of production reminiscent of the Flaming Lips, Spiritualized or Mogwai." Wednesday it's pop-rock band Lumei (露魅), heavy metal act Bad Monk (歹和尚) and hip-hop/nu-metal rockers Respect. And on Thursday it's Lucky Pie with pop-rock band Casino (賭場肯尼) and metal core/emo act 831 (八三夭).
* Entrance tonight and tomorrow is NT$400. Sunday is NT$900. Wednesday and Thursday is NT$300
* Bands take the stage at 8pm
* B1, 200 Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or visit www.the-wall.com.tw
Tonight at Underworld (地下社會) it's expat punk outfit The Deported (驅逐出境) performing with David Broman. Tomorrow it's Public Radio, who play instrumental funk, reggae, alt-country, lounge and punk rock, and Canadian reggae artists The Anglers. And on Wednesday it's the electronic loops, 1980s keyboard melodies and distorted guitar of Space Cake (太空蛋糕) and Shine, Shine, Shine, Shine.
* The bar opens at 8pm and bands take the stage at 9pm
* Entrance is NT$300
* B1 45 Shida Rd, Taipei (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit
www.underworld-taipei.blogspot.com for more information
Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) presents G.J.O. Big Band: Groovin' Jazz Orchestra (搖擺爵士大樂團) tonight. Post-rock band Orange Grass (橙草) and alt-pop trio Tizzy Bac take the stage tomorrow. Monday night is open jam night, when anyone with an instrument can jam with other artists and play a short set on stage.
* The music starts at 9:30pm tonight
* Entrance tonight is NT$400, NT$350 for tomorrow and NT$300 for Sunday and Tuesday. There is a one-drink minimum but no cover charge Monday
* B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1). Call (02) 2368-7310, or visit www.riverside.com.tw
Velvet Underground (地下絲絨) presents nu-metal band Seven Deadly Sins (七原罪) on Wednesday and fusion act They're Lisa (他們是力殺) on Thursday.
* Bands take the stage at 9pm
* Admission is NT$300 or NT$200 for students
* B1, 50 Zhongxiao W Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市忠孝西路一段50號B1). Call (02) 2314-1868 or visit www.velvet-underground.com.tw
The Grooveyard in Taichung will be closed tonight due to the opening of Groovecity, a new venue managed by the owners of Grooveyard at B1 in Tiger City. It reopens for the "foot stompin', yee hawin' country music" sound of The Soilers. On Sunday, house combo 'Round Midnight plays jazz standards and originals. Wednesday at the Grooveyard is Jazz Night, and Thursday is Taiwan Exposed Open-Mic Night, a jam session for established and amateur musicians, poets, comedians and other performers.
* Bands take the stage tonight at 10pm and tomorrow at 9:30pm. Wednesday's jazz and Thursday's jam and poetry session both start at 9pm
* Entrance tonight and tomorrow is NT$100 before 10pm and NT$200 after. The workshop is NT$200. There's no cover on Wednesdays and Thursdays
* 2F, 105 Huamei W Rd, Taichung (台中市華美西街105號2樓). Visit www.grooveyardtaiwan.com
Exhibition
Zero Zone — Digital Exhibition by Sun Chien-yu (零界點-孫蒨鈺數位創作展). Through more than 50 digitally-processed images, films and installation pieces, the female artist aims to illustrate the concept of nothingness through a visual language.
* Grass Mountain Chateau (草山行館), 89 Huti Rd, Yangmingshan, Taipei (台北市陽明山湖底路89號). Open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Call (02) 2862-1911
* Until Feb. 25
Sept.16 to Sept. 22 The “anti-communist train” with then-president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) face plastered on the engine puffed along the “sugar railway” (糖業鐵路) in May 1955, drawing enthusiastic crowds at 103 stops covering nearly 1,200km. An estimated 1.58 million spectators were treated to propaganda films, plays and received free sugar products. By this time, the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corporation (台糖, Taisugar) had managed to connect the previously separate east-west lines established by Japanese-era sugar factories, allowing the anti-communist train to travel easily from Taichung to Pingtung’s Donggang Township (東港). Last Sunday’s feature (Taiwan in Time: The sugar express) covered the inauguration of the
The corruption cases surrounding former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) head Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are just one item in the endless cycle of noise and fuss obscuring Taiwan’s deep and urgent structural and social problems. Even the case itself, as James Baron observed in an excellent piece at the Diplomat last week, is only one manifestation of the greater problem of deep-rooted corruption in land development. Last week the government announced a program to permit 25,000 foreign university students, primarily from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, to work in Taiwan after graduation for 2-4 years. That number is a
This year’s Michelin Gourmand Bib sported 16 new entries in the 126-strong Taiwan directory. The fight for the best braised pork rice and the crispiest scallion pancake painstakingly continued, but what stood out in the lineup this year? Pang Taqueria (胖塔可利亞); Taiwan’s first Michelin-recommended Mexican restaurant. Chef Charles Chen (陳治宇) is a self-confessed Americophile, earning his chef whites at a fine-dining Latin-American fusion restaurant. But what makes this Xinyi (信義) spot stand head and shoulders above Taipei’s existing Mexican offerings? The authenticity. The produce. The care. AUTHENTIC EATS In my time on the island, I have caved too many times to
In a stark demonstration of how award-winning breakthroughs can come from the most unlikely directions, researchers have won an Ig Nobel prize for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses. After a series of tests on mice, rats and pigs, Japanese scientists found the animals absorb oxygen delivered through the rectum, work that underpins a clinical trial to see whether the procedure can treat respiratory failure. The team is among 10 recognized in this year’s Ig Nobel awards (see below for more), the irreverent accolades given for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think.” They are not