Theater
K. Lear by International Visual Theatre from France combines sign language, glances, gestures and spoken dialogue for its adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear. The show is part of the Taipei Arts Festival.
■ Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台), 25, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段25號)
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 8pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$450 to NT$1,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Part of the Taipei Arts Festival, Macbeth — Who Is That Bloodied Man?, by Poland’s Teatr Biuro Podrozy, creates a nightmarish world using fire, stilts and motorbikes in its adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
■ No. 5, Beiping East Road Outdoor Theater (北平東路5號戶外劇場), 5 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路5號)
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 8pm
■ Tickets are NT$800, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
My Dear Next Door (隔壁親家), a Taiwanese musical and comedy, tells the story of two farming families embroiled in a long-running feud. Taiwan’s favorite comedians, Peng Chia-chia (澎恰恰) and Hsu Hsiao-shun (許效舜), play the family patriarchs.
■ National Theater, Taipei City
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$3,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
One of Ping Fong Acting Troupe’s (屏風表演班) popular touring productions, Can Three Make It Part I (三人行不行I) is a comedy that tackles the absurdity and chaos of urban life with 18 characters played by three actors.
■ Novel Hall (新舞台), 3-1 Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路3-1號)
■ Tonight at 7:30pm and 10:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm, 7:30pm and 10:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$800, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Billed as a return to the golden age of theater-based glove puppet performances, Wu Zhou Yuan Glove Puppet Theater Troupe’s (五洲園掌中劇團) Conquering All Under Heaven (爭霸天下系列布袋戲) is a series of 10 performances drawn from the troupe’s traditional repertoire that have been revised to cater to contemporary audiences.
■ Red House Theater (紅樓劇場), 10 Chengdu Rd, Taipei City (台北市成都路10號)
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$200 and NT$300, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
Chicago Saxophone Quartet (芝加哥薩克斯風四重奏), established in 1968, begins a tour of the country tomorrow. The group, which has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and toured around the world, will perform a program that includes Italian Concerto, BWV 971, (Allegro) by Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. Katsuki Tochio), Quartet for Saxophones by Russell Howland, Quartet for Saxophones by Pierre Max Dubois, Cafe 1930 From “Story of the Tango” by Astor Piazzolla (arr. Claude Voirpy) and other works.
■ Tomorrow (Jhongli), Sunday (Taipei), Monday (Taichung), Tuesday (Kaohsiung) and Wednesday (Chiayi) at 7:30pm
■ Jhongli Arts Center (中壢藝術館), 16 Jhongmei Rd, Jhongli City (中壢市中美路16號); National Concert Hall, Taipei City; Chunghsing Concert Hall, Taichung (台中中興堂), 291-3 Cingwu Rd, Taichung City (台中市精武路291之3號); Kaohsiung’s Chih-Teh Hall (高雄市文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號); Chiayi Municipal Cultural Center (嘉義市文化中心音樂廳), 275 Jhongsiao Rd, Chiayi City (嘉義市忠孝路275號)
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,500 for Jhongli and Chiayi, NT$400 to NT$1,600 for Taichung and Kaohsiung and NT$400 to NT$2,000 for Taipei, available through ERA ticketing outlets or online at www.ticket.com.tw
TSO and Per Poc (偶!羅密歐—北市交VS. Per Poc偶戲團) brings together the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (臺北市立交響樂團) with the Per Poc puppet company to present Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. The production will also feature actress Lang Tsu-yun (郎祖筠) narrating the story, and the orchestra will perform under the baton of guest conductor Domonkos Heja. The program will also include a performance of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story Suite.
■ Today at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$200 to NT$1,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Hu Nai-yuan and the National Taipei Symphony Orchestra (胡乃元與國臺交) features Taiwan’s veteran violin soloist Hu Nai-yuan (胡乃元) performing with the National Taipei Symphony Orchestra and conductor Hubert Soudant. The program includes Mozart’s Overture From “The Magic Flute”, Beethoven’s Concerto for Violin in D, Op. 61 and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 8.
■ Today at 7:30pm
■ Chunghsing Concert Hall, Taichung (台中中興堂), 291-3 Cingwu Rd, Taichung City (台中市精武路291之3號)
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,200, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Contemporary
Roxy Roots, a newly opened bar and restaurant for reggae and blues fans, hosts the Kenyatta Quartet tomorrow night (See Highlight).
■ 90 Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路90號). Tel: (02) 2725-3932. On the Net: www.roxy.com.tw
■ Show starts at 11pm tomorrow
■ Entrance is free
Metal-core/emo band 831 (八三夭) appears tonight at The Wall (這牆). Tomorrow it’s a “double CD release party” with two metal bands, Revilement and EFTC. Also on the bill tomorrow evening are Demise and Desecration. On Sunday Pitiful Monster opens up for all-girl rock electro band Go Chic. On Wednesday the venue hosts post-rock band Donhail (擋哈鵝), noise band Sunset Rollercoaster and Brit-pop and grunge group The Capelin (柳葉魚). The Fever Cats, Engine No. 9 (九號引擎) and New Yorker (紐約客) split the bill on Thursday.
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net:
www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows starts at 8pm tonight, 7:30pm tomorrow and 8pm on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday
■ Entrance fee is NT$400 tonight, NT$400 tomorrow at the door or NT$350 in advance, and NT$300 on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday. Advance tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.thewall.com.tw or at White Wabbit Records inside The Wall’s shopping complex
Performing tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) are jazz keyboardist Lu Sheng-fei (呂聖斐) and Timeless Fusion Project, which counts locally renowned saxophonist Dong Shun-wen (董舜文) among its members. Tomorrow folk band Smoke Ring (煙圈) opens up for indie-pop band Nylas. On Sunday the venue hosts Golden Melody Award-winners The Nanwan Sisters (南王姐妹花), a trio of Puyuma (卑南) singers from Taitung. Monday is open jam night.
■ 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). Tel: (02) 2368-7310. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 9:30pm tonight and 9pm tomorrow and on Sunday. Open jam starts at 9pm. For a list of standard songs and ground rules, visit the venue’s Web site
■ Entrance fee is NT$400 tonight, tomorrow and on Sunday and NT$150 on Monday
Iconic Hoklo folk singer Chen Ming-chang (陳明章) and his Dan Sui Tour Band (陳明章與淡水走唱團) make an appearance tonight at Riverside Live House (西門紅樓展演館). Tomorrow it’s Sista Jumper, a dance party held by Lez’s Meeting (for more information, visit www.wretch.cc/blog/Lezsmeeting). On Sunday American jazz saxophonist Jeff Chang (張哲嘉) holds a release party for his album It’s Not What You Think. Sharing the stage on Thursday are two winners from this year’s battle of the bands contest at the Ho-Hai-Yan Rock Festival: Matzka and De Hot, a young Paiwan rock and reggae group that took first place, and second-place band Neon.
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號). Tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8:30pm
■ Entrance fee is NT$450 tonight and on Sunday. Tomorrow’s dance party is NT$700 in advance or NT$1,000 at the door. Tickets for the dance party can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw. Thursday’s show is NT$400
Tonight Underworld(地下社會) hosts a band called Seafood, which shares the bill with Brain Roller, which plays moody, Radiohead-inspired indie rock. Metal punk band Total Disruption and Hong Kong band Climax (高潮樂隊) take to the stage tomorrow. Drum ’n’ Keyboard (鼓打鍵盤) and Happy Rocker play on Wednesday.
■ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1). Tel: (02) 2369-0103. On the Net: www.upsaid.com/underworld
■ Shows run from 9:30pm to 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, closed on Mondays. Happy Hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays before midnight
■ Entrance fee is NT$300 tonight and tomorrow and includes one drink, and NT$100 on Wednesday
Jazz Your Mind performs tonight at Sappho de Base. Tomorrow night it’s blues, funk and surf rock with Blues Vibrations, on Tuesday it’s Emo Jazz Trio and on Wednesday it’s modern jazz outfit The Chris Stiles Trio, who include a few rearranged Mando-pop tunes in their set. On Thursday the venue presents The Jason Hayashi Jazz Trio.
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1). Tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappho102.biz
■ Shows start at 10:30pm on weekends and 10pm on weekdays. Sappho is closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ No entrance fee
Every Wednesday night at the Cosmopolitan Grill there’s an open mic hosted by keyboardist Andrew Page, with the music mainly covering blues and jazz. All are welcome to participate, and participants receive 20 percent off drinks.
■ 1F, 218 Changchun Rd, Taipei City (台北市長春路218號1樓). Tel: (02) 2508-0304. On the Net: www.cosmo.com.tw
■ 8:30pm to 11pm every Wednesday
■ No entrance fee
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights this week include pub legend and songstress Tiger Huang (黃小琥), who performs every Monday. Julia Peng (彭佳慧), another major draw, appears every Tuesday. Male crooner Liu Wei-zen (劉偉仁) is featured on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
■ Shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Franz and Friends (城市舞台藝文沙龍), an upscale restaurant and performance space in Taipei’s East District, hosts music shows every night. Weekly highlights include Denise Juan (阮丹青), a former pop singer turned piano teacher and television presenter, and her band Sunshine Costa. They play tonight. Tomorrow it’s Buona Sera, a group featuring soprano Chang Hsiao-ni (張曉倪).
■ 25, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段25號B1). Tel: (02) 2579-0558. On the Net: www.franzandfriends.com.tw
■ NT$300 minimum charge on Fridays and Saturdays. On other nights there’s a one-drink minimum
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby
April 22 to April 28 The true identity of the mastermind behind the Demon Gang (魔鬼黨) was undoubtedly on the minds of countless schoolchildren in late 1958. In the days leading up to the big reveal, more than 10,000 guesses were sent to Ta Hwa Publishing Co (大華文化社) for a chance to win prizes. The smash success of the comic series Great Battle Against the Demon Gang (大戰魔鬼黨) came as a surprise to author Yeh Hung-chia (葉宏甲), who had long given up on his dream after being jailed for 10 months in 1947 over political cartoons. Protagonist
Peter Brighton was amazed when he found the giant jackfruit. He had been watching it grow on his farm in far north Queensland, and when it came time to pick it from the tree, it was so heavy it needed two people to do the job. “I was surprised when we cut it off and felt how heavy it was,” he says. “I grabbed it and my wife cut it — couldn’t do it by myself, it took two of us.” Weighing in at 45 kilograms, it is the heaviest jackfruit that Brighton has ever grown on his tropical fruit farm, located