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[EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT]

HIGHLIGHT “We touch upon the whole erection, and not just the Bush,” reads the promotional flyer for Kurt Penney’s show at the Comedy Club in Taipei tomorrow night. The Canadian expat, who has performed as a stand-up comic in Taiwan for more than five years, hails from Bishop’s Falls, Newfoundland, where he says “everyone knows everyone else ... and the phone digits only have four numbers.” If the flyer and his YouTube video (tw.youtube.com/watch?v=qDPdMEBnNI8 or search “Bush and the Republican Hillbillies”) are any indication, Penney’s material will cover US President George W. Bush, the Republican Party and the Iraq War. He will be joined by the Taichung Improv Group and fellow comics Barry Hanley, Brian Funshine, Torch Pratt and Matt Bronsil, who uses puppets in his act. ▲ Kurt Penney, Matt Bronsil and friends at the Comedy Club, B1, 24 Taishun St, Taipei City (台北市泰順街24號B1). Visit english.comedy.com.tw for more information. Space is limited. For reservations, call (02) 2369-3730 or send an e-mail to social@comedyclub.tw ▲ Tomorrow night at 10pm ▲ NT$350 entrance includes one drink; NT$80 beer specials throughout the evening

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Soma plays rock and pop covers tonight at Tone 56 Live Bar. Tomorrow it’s house band Loaded, which plays everything from “rock classics to today’s hits.” Every Sunday features a regular rotation of groups: this week it’s a solo set from keyboardist Jasper.

▲ 1F, 56, Minquan E Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市民權東路三段56號1樓), near the corner of Fuxing North (復興北) and Minquan East (民權東) roads Call (02) 2517-3869 for more details

▲ Music shows go from 9:30pm to 12:30am tonight and tomorrow, and 7:30pm to 9:30pm on Sundays

▲ No admission fee



Every Wednesday night at the Cosmopolitan Grill there’s a blues open mic, held by the Blues Society on Taiwan and hosted by Torch Pratt. All are welcome to bring their instruments and sit in on guitar, bass, or drums.

HIGHLIGHT Internationally acclaimed German director Wim Wenders is on a swift visit to Taipei this week to scout locations and pick a cast for First Page Taipei, the first Taiwanese project he has undertaken as executive producer. Set entirely in Taipei, the film is the feature debut by American-born Taiwanese director Arvin Chen (陳駿霖) and was developed from his film school thesis production Mei, which won the Silver Bear in the short film category at 2007’s Berlin International Film Festival. Wenders said it was Chen’s script that drew him to the project. The revered filmmakers also said he particularly liked the idea that the film would be mostly shot at night and that Chen could represent the city from a non-local perspective. Wenders will today hold a panel discussion along with Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢), followed by a workshop led by the German director, who will talk about his works and artistic career over the past four decades. ▲ College of Communication, National Chengchi University (政治大學傳播學院劇場) ▲ The discussion is from 3pm to 5pm and the workshop from 7pm to 9pm ▲ Though seats are fully reserved, fans can wait at the door to fill possible vacancies. For more information, visit www.atomcinema.com/wenders

▲ 1F, 218 Changchun Rd, Taipei City (台北市長春路218號1樓). Call (02) 2508-0304 or visit www.cosmo.com.tw for more information

▲ 8pm to 11pm every Wednesday

▲ No admission fee



DANCE

2008 Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Festival 3. Taiwan’s modern dance pioneer Tsai Jui-yueh (蔡瑞月) will be remembered this weekend with five performances at the rebuilt Japanese-style building in Taipei City that once housed her school. One of the great attractions of this series is that the audience sits outside, while the dancers perform inside and in front of the studio building. The six works on the program include pieces by Tsai, her daughter-in-law Ondine Hsiao (蕭渥廷), the late American choreographer Eleo Pomare and Zhang Xiao-xiong (張曉雄). The dancers have been drawn from the Grace Hsiao (蕭靜文）Dance Theater and the Taipei Crossover Dance Theater (台北越界舞團) and other companies.

▲ Tonight and tomorrow at 8pm; tomorrow and Sunday 3:30pm and Sunday at 8pm

▲ Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute/Rose Historic Site (蔡瑞月舞蹈社), 4F, 40-1, Zongshan N Rd Sec 2 (台北市中山北路二段40-1號4樓)

▲ Tickets are NT$600, available through artstickets.com.tw



EXHIBITIONS

Philosophy and Poetry — Li Tsai-chien (哲理與詩情—李再鈐八十雕塑展) celebrates the 80th birthday of the esteemed artist and educator with an outdoor exhibition of 15 large-scale sculptures that are representative of Li’s signature style of abstraction and his interests in Greek geometric forms and East Asian philosophy.

▲ Taipei National University of Arts — Kuandu Museum of Arts (台北藝術大學關渡美術館), 1, Xuenyuan Rd, Beitou Dist, Taipei City (台北市北投區學園路1號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10am to 5pm. Tel: (02) 2896-1000 X2432

▲ Until March 31, 2009



Masao Kinoshita Solo Exhibition (木下雅雄個展) features 15 sculptures the artist has created since 2001. Kinoshita is known for his series of human-bodied chimeras with animal heads.

▲ Eslite Gallery (誠品畫廊), B2, 245, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段245號B2). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2775-5977 X588

▲ Until Nov. 2



Philippine Contemporary Art — Jose Legaspi Solo Exhibition (菲律賓當代藝術 — 荷西拉嘉斯比個展). Legaspi’s pastel drawings are often described as nightmarishly erotic and bestial. His subjects are mangled bodies, menacing faces, sexual exploits, burning houses and fetuses flushed down the drain.

▲ Soka Art Center Taipei (台北索卡藝術中心), 2F, 57, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段57號2樓). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11am to 9pm. Tel: (02) 2570-0390

▲ Until Nov. 16



Madam Rose and Her Pets (蘿絲夫人與她的寵物們). This solo exhibition by Huang Pei-ying (黃沛瀅) features the young artist’s new paper sculptures of house pets, plants and insects in a garden setting that invites visitors to reconnect with their inner child.

▲ Taishin Financial Tower (台新金控大樓), 118, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段118號). Open Mondays through Fridays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 5576-1543

▲ Until Nov. 28



The Beauty of Brush and Ink — Chinese Calligraphy and Ink Painting by Chang Yi-tsu (筆情墨痕—張亦足創作展). From abstraction to realism, veteran artist Chang has roamed freely from traditional Chinese landscapes to scenes of Taiwan’s countryside.

▲ National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (國立台灣美術館), 2, Wuchuan W Rd Sec 1, Taichung City (台中市五權西路一段2號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9am to 5pm. Tel: (04) 2372-3552

▲ Until Dec. 7

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THEATER

Trifles (瑣事) is a one-act play by Susan Glaspell, later turned into a short story called A Jury of Her Peers. The work is being revised by Point Theater Workshop (戲點子工作坊) and tells the story of how two characters use their female intuition and understanding of women’s psychology to solve a mystery.

▲ Crown Theater (皇冠劇場), 50, Ln 120, Dunhua N Rd, Taipei City (台北市敦化北路120巷50號)

▲ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm

▲ Tickets are NT$450, available through NTCH ticketing

Two love stories intersect in Off Performance Workshop’s (外表坊時驗團) latest work We’ll Return Home This Morning to the End of the World (今天早上我們回家•直到世界盡頭).

▲ Huashan Culture Park (華山創意文化園區), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)

▲ Today, tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm

▲ Tickets are NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing

The Puppet and Its Double Theater (無獨有偶工作室劇團) revises The Happy Prince (快樂王子), a puppet performance based on Oscar Wilde’s fairy tale of the same name.

▲ Eslite Bookstore, Tainan City (台南誠品書店), B2, 181, Changrong St Sec 1, Tainan City (台南市長榮路一段181號B2)

▲ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow at 11am and 2:30pm

▲ Tickets are NT$400, available through NTCH ticketing

On Fire (賣番仔火的小女孩) by Taiyuan Puppet Theater Company

(台原偶戲團), tells the story of a greedy grandmother who forces her granddaughter to work in a factory that makes matches. The girl befriends a little boy and together they discover that the matches are alive. One night, a disaster threatens the lives of both children and their match friends.

▲ Taipei Cultural Center, Wenshan Branch (社教館文山分館), B2, 32 Jingwen St, Taipei City (台北市景文街32號B2)

▲ Tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm

▲ Tickets are NT$200, available through NTCH ticketing

Taiwan’s expulsion from the UN in 1971 serves as the background for Ping-Fong Acting Troupe’s (屏風表演班) latest work Stand by Me (六義幫). Written and directed by Hugh Lee (李國修), the story follows six youths who use an air raid shelter as a meeting place to discuss their roles in history.

▲ Tainan Municipal Cultural Center (台南市立文化中心), 332, Chunghua E Rd Sec 3, Tainan City (台南市中華東路三段332號)

▲Tomorrow at 7:30pm

▲ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Magical Fairy Tales — NSO Halloween Party (NSO萬聖派對 — 魔幻傳奇) sees the National Symphony Orchestra celebrating Halloween with a mixed program of music ranging from much-loved movie themes to favorite operatic overtures under the baton of Carl Davis.

▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow at 2:30pm

▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei

▲ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,000, available through NTCH ticketing

Wu Meng-ping Violin Recital — From Russia to the West (吳孟平小提琴巡迴演奏會 — 從俄國到西方) features emerging young violinist Wu Meng-ping (吳孟平) performing a program that includes Stravinsky’s Three Pieces From “The Firebird,” Divertiment and Prokofiev’s Five Melodies, Op.35 bis, Sonata No.1, Op.8. Wu will be accompanied on piano by Hsu kui-fang (許溎芳).

▲ Today at 7:30pm

▲ National Recital Hall, Taipei City

▲ Tickets are NT$200 to NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing

2008 Ju Percussion Group Children’s Concert (2008朱宗慶打擊樂團兒童音樂會 — 擊幻遊樂園) is a family concert with a program designed to appeal to audiences of all ages.

▲ Sunday at 2:30pm

▲ Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號)

▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$900, available through NTCH ticketing

CONTEMPORARY

Tonight VU Live House puts on a Jungle Halloween with Pan Africana a percussion group composed of African and Caribbean expats. Death metal fills the venue tomorrow night with Behemoth of Poland, and Taiwan’s finest, Chthonic (閃靈). The bands play earlier in the evening, with an after-party featuring DJ Ting.

▲ B1, 77, Wuchang St Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市武昌街二段77號B1). Call (02) 2314-1868 for more information

▲ Shows begin at 10pm

▲ NT$400 admission tonight includes two drinks; “VIP area” tickets for tomorrow are NT$1,300 or two for NT$2,500, and “rock area” tickets are NT$800 or two for NT$1,500

Tonight Underworld (地下社會) hosts indie bands Pen Sauce (筆醬) and Love Manana (愛的大未來). Afterwards Back 2 the Future (B2TF, 回到未來) hosts a Halloween costume party featuring DJs Yggiwt, Pomby and Keith. Tomorrow night one-man electro-rocker Sonic Deadhorse takes to the stage.

▲ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.upsaid.com/underworld for more information

▲ Bands play tonight from 9:00pm to 11:00pm; the DJs start at midnight. Show starts at 9:30pm tomorrow night

▲ Entrance is NT$300 for the bands; NT$200 for the B2TF Halloween party. Admission tomorrow is NT$300

It’s a busy weekend at the The Wall (這牆). The Halloween Metal Massacre takes place tonight with post-punk rockers Blood Orange and metal bands Beyond Cure, Revilement and Chthonic (閃靈). Tomorrow the venue hosts the final night of the Taiwan Band Festival, which is free to the public and features performances from indie-pop outfit The Shine and Shine and Shine and Shine (閃閃閃閃), Hakka folk rockers The Hohak Band (好客樂隊), alt-rockers Tizzy Bac, and protest folk group Black Hand Nakasi (黑手那卡西工人樂隊). On Sunday it’s electro rock group Plus Minus from the US and Japanese bands Bloodthirsty Butchers, nhhmbase and moools.

▲ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or go to www.the-wall.com.tw for more information

▲ 8pm tonight; 7pm tomorrow and Sunday

▲ Admission is NT$600 tonight (NT$500 in advance), free tomorrow and NT$1,200 on Sunday (NT$1,000 per person for groups of 10 or more people)

Jazz group Melodies for Memories takes to the stage tonight at Witch House (女巫店), playing jazz interpretations of contemporary pop tunes, while folk pop singer Europa Huang (黃建為) performs tomorrow night.

▲ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). For more information, call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org

▲ Performances start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games open 11am to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays; 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays

▲ Entrance fee for music shows is NT$300, includes one drink

Tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) it’s funk, Latin and acid jazz from the TFP Trio. Tomorrow evening Taiwan’s beloved indie rockers 1976 make an appearance. The group, who cultivated a die-hard fan base in Taiwan for its Brit-pop sound, has just released a new CD entitled Asteroid (這個星球).

▲ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓). Call (02) 2368-7310 or visit www.riverside.com.tw for more information

▲ Shows start at 9:30pm tonight and at 9pm tomorrow

▲ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow

Expat singer-songwriter David Foster and friends appear tonight at Sappho de Base. Appearing tomorrow night is Gross Fugue, a duo that combines video, electric guitar, double bass and electronic sampling. On Tuesday night the Grace Jazz Trio plays a set, with an open jam afterwards, while the Chris Stiles Jazz Trio takes to the stage on Wednesday. On Thursday night Sappho welcomes for the first time the Sea Journey Jazz Combo (海洋知音爵士樂團).

▲ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1). Call (02) 2700-5411 (after 9pm) or visit www.sappho102.biz for more information

▲ Performances begin at 10:30pm on weekends; 10pm on weekdays

▲ No admission fee

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