Upcoming
Cuban singer Omara Portuondo returns to Taipei for a performance at the Taipei International Convention Center next Saturday, Sept. 27. Portuondo’s career spans more than 60 years, but it wasn’t until 1999 that she gained worldwide recognition for her part on the album and documentary Buena Vista Social Club.
Born and raised in Havana, Portuondo started out in the chorus line at the famous cabaret Tropicana, and then later pioneered a unique musical style that combined Cuban music, bossa nova and American jazz influences that came to be known as “Feeling.” Her singing also draws comparisons to French singer Edith Piaf.
Portuondo last played in Taipei in 2005, and her current tour coincides with a new, soon-to-be-released solo album.
Cuban singer Omara Portuondo at the Taipei International Convention Center (台北國際會議中心大會堂), 1, Xinyi Rd Sec 5, Taipei City (台北市信義路五段1號)
▲Sept. 27 at 7:45pm
▲Tickets are NT$800 to NT$3,200
▲On the Net: www.ticket.com.tw
Theater
Avenue Q (喜樂社區) by Glorious Theater Company (耀演劇團) is based on the Tony Award-winning musical of the same name. The set and puppets are inspired by the children’s television show Sesame Street, but the themes are adult-oriented and address serious topics such as racism, pornography and homosexuality. The show, geared toward adults, includes full-puppet nudity.
▲Cultural Affairs Bureau of Hsinchu County (新竹縣文化局), 146, Xianzheng 9th Rd, Chubei City, Hsinchu County (新竹縣竹北市政九路146號)
▲Today at 7:30pm and tomorrow at 2:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$350 to NT$800, available through NTCH ticketing
Tellus Theater continues its tradition of adapting classical Western theater to the stage with its version of Euripides’ Medea, the story of a woman who takes revenge on the husband who betrays her. The production is in English.
▲Lien Te Vegetarian Restaurant (蓮德品素天地), B1, 82 Ningpo W St, Taipei City (台北市寧波西街82號B1)
▲Tomorrow at 3pm and 7pm and Sunday at 3pm
▲Tickets are NT$350, available through NTCH ticketing
Heart of Ocean (海洋之心) is a diabolo dance performance by Diabolo Dance Theater (舞鈴劇場) that portrays life underwater.
Sinjhuang Cultural Arts Center (新莊文化藝術中心), 133 Jhongping Rd, Sinjhuang City, Taipei County (台北縣新莊市中平路133號)
▲Tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$200 to NT$900, available through NTCH ticketing
Open Sesame! Merrily Go Around the World With Wu Ding the Wizard (巫頂環遊世界) is a puppet theater production by the Paper Windmill Theater Troupe (紙風車劇團) that features a wizard who travels around the world.
▲Tainan Municipal Cultural Center Performance Hall (台南市立文化中心演藝廳), 332, Chunghua E Rd Sec 3, Tainan City (台南市中華東路三段332)
▲Tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$200 to NT$750, available through NTCH ticketing
The Zen drumming group U-Theater (優人神鼓) commemorates its 20th anniversary walk around Taiwan with The Walk, which tells the story of the sights and sounds of their journey and the people they met.
▲Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm at the National Theater (國家戲劇院), 21-1, Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City (台北市中山南路21-1號).
▲Tickets are NT$1,000 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing
Classical music
12th International Taipei Chopin Piano Competition — Final Round (2008年第十二屆國際台北蕭邦鋼琴大賽 — 決賽) takes place this weekend and includes the semifinals and finals of the junior and youth divisions. The competition began this year with 364 contestants, with performers from Poland, Germany, France, Russia, the US, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan and South Korea. The award ceremony will be held at 7:30pm on Sunday.
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