THEATER
Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway musical based on TS Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats will be staged at Taipei Arena (台北小巨蛋) tonight, tomorrow and Sunday and before moving to Tainan and Kaohsiung for additional shows from Sept. 24 to Oct. 3. For complete showing schedule, go to www.kham.com.tw.
■ Taipei Arena (台北小巨蛋), 2, Nanjing E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市南京東路四段2號)
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$800 to NT$5,800, available through 7-Eleven ibon, FamilyMart (全家) FamiPort and Hi-Life (萊爾富) Life-ET kiosks
Sayonara My Love (大國民進行曲) is a black comedy by Golden Bough Theater (金枝演社) that tells the story of a group of Japanese army officers who refuse to accept the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II and retreat to the mountains with a detachment of Taiwanese soldiers in the belief they are still fighting for the Japanese emperor. The music is produced by folk legend Chen Ming-chang (陳明章).
■ National Theater, Taipei City
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Formosa Zephyr Opera Troupe (台灣春風歌劇團) presents Murder in the Blizzard Night Inn (雪屋客棧殺人事件), a Taiwanese operatic thriller based on Murder on the Oriental Express by British crime writer Agatha Christie.
■ Taipei County Arts Center (台北縣藝文中心演藝廳), 62 Jhuangjing Rd, Banciao City, Taipei County (台北縣板橋市莊敬路62號)
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,200, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Assignment Theater’s (差事劇團) Where is Jiang Hu (江湖在哪裡) tackles the antagonistic contradictions between the city and the countryside through a story that begins as a virus that causes amnesia sweeps through a farming village.
■ Taipei Cinema Park (台北市電影主題公園), 19 Kangding Rd, Taipei City (台北市康定路19號)
■ Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday at 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400, available through NTCH ticketing or online at
www.artsticket.com.tw
Lee Qingzhao the Private’s (李清照私人劇團) Sia Lyu Di (夏綠地) is a theatrical exploration on American feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1892 short story The Yellow Wallpaper. The original story was written as a collection of journal entries by a woman who is confined by her husband to a room and starts to believe she is one of the women she imagines in her head.
■ Arki Galeria (築空間), B1, 2, Chongqing S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市重慶南路一段2號B1)
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 3pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at
www.artsticket.com.tw
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Season Opening Concert — Mahler No. 5 (NSO馬勒系列開季音樂會 — 馬勒第五) opens a new season for the National Symphony Orchestra (國家交響樂團) with a program that mixes Chinese orchestral music into its normal repertoire of the Western classics. The program will include Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides, Op. 26, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp Minor, and will feature I-Uen Wang Huang’s (王怡雯) Diptych of Taiwan, with Huang Hao-yin (黃好吟) on guzheng and Wang Ming-yu (王銘裕) on erhu. Lu Shao-chia (呂紹嘉) will conduct the National Symphony Orchestra (國家交響樂團).
■ Tonight at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Tubby the Tuba (台灣管樂團年度親子音樂會) is a concert for children designed to introduce one of the oft-overlooked instruments of the symphony orchestra — the humble tuba. The performance will feature the Taiwan Wind Ensemble (台灣管樂團) conducted by Chou Wen-wen (周雯雯) and the Clown Mime Group (小丑默劇團).
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm (Hsinchu), Sunday at 4pm (Taipei)
■ Performing Arts Center of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Hsinchu County (新竹縣文化中心演藝廳), 146 Sianjheng 9th Rd, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County (新竹縣竹北市縣政九路146號); Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂中正廳), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號)
■ Tickets are NT$200 to NT$500 for the Hsinchu concert, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw. Tickets for the Taipei concert are sold out
Spanish Seduction (西班牙的誘惑) presents guitar virtuoso Pepe Romero performing with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (台北市立交響樂團) under guest conductor Darrell Ang. The program will include Falla’s Interlude and Dance from La Vida Breve and El Sombrero de Tre Picos, Vivaldi’s Guitar Concerto in D Major, RV 93 and Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjeuz.
■ Wednesday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,200, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
CONTEMPORARY
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. No concerts are scheduled until Wednesday of this coming week, which features Soulwax, the live band of renowned Belgium DJs 2manydjs and French DJ Brodinski.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Show starts at 8pm on Wednesday
■ Entrance is NT$2,500 (NT$2,200 in advance). Advance tickets are available from tickets.books.com.tw/progshow/03010101412793
Hard rock/nu-metal bands OverDose and Respect (尊敬) appear tonight at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s premier venue for indie-rock artists. Tomorrow night features post-rock band Aphasia (阿飛西雅) and indie-pop group Goosander (川秋沙). On Wednesday it’s Yoz Tiger (包子虎), a solo project of the former member of post-rock band Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅號). Also on the bill are indie rockers The Hoyo and electro-band Noble Gas (惰性氣體).
■ 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 start at 8pm tonight and tomorrow and 7:30pm Sunday
■ Entrance is NT$500 tonight and tomorrow (NT$400 in advance for each show), and NT$400 Wednesday (NT$300 in advance). Tickets can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight Witch House (女巫店) hosts performances from both indie-rock bands and folk artists in a coffeehouse setting. Tonight, Shine Lin (林倩), lead singer of The Peppermints (薄荷葉樂團), performs a solo set. Acoustic rock performer Mos takes the stage tomorrow. One-man electro-rock band Sonic Deadhorse appears on Thursday.
■ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號).
Tel: (02) 2362-5494. On the Net:
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 for music shows is NT$300
Tonight Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) hosts female Mando-pop songstress A-Lin (黃麗玲). Garage rockers Picks (痞克四) and pop singer Hsiao Hung-jen (蕭閎仁) perform tomorrow. On Sunday it’s pop rockers Zhongligou (中離狗) and Tomodachi (偷摸大雞). The venue hosts its weekly open jam on Monday.
■ 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 all other nights. For a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site
■ Entrance is NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, NT$350 on Sunday and NT$150 on Monday
Tonight Riverside Live House (西門紅樓展演館) hosts male-female pop duo JS. Tomorrow Skyline Jazz Band, whose repertoire includes bossa nova, soul and funk, shares the bill with jazz group Mont Fusion Project and pop-rap group Cool Silly (傻酷樂團). On Thursday it’s jazz-rock group Seven Shekels (七舍客勒) and songstress Jasmine Ting Chu (庭竹).
■ 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 tonight, 8pm tomorrow, 8:30pm on Thursday
■ Entrance is NT$400 tonight, tomorrow and Thursday. Tickets can purchased online through
www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
Pito Wilson and Lamb of Allah play tonight at Underworld (地下社會). Tomorrow it’s psychedelic alt-rock band Flat Club (假文藝青年俱樂部) and noise band Sunset Rollercoaster (落日飛車). On Tuesday the venue hosts a Mid-Autumn Festival full moon party with DJ Dizzy. On Wednesday it’s T.O.B. and Sideffect.
■ 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
■ Music shows run from 9:30pm to 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays. Tuesday’s party starts at 10pm. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, closed on Mondays. Happy hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays before midnight
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$300 on Fridays and Saturdays, which includes one drink, and NT$100 on Wednesdays. Tuesday’s party is NT$100
Flaneur Daguerre, a jazz quartet that plays everything from free jazz and Balkan folk to classical and rock and roll, performs tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts live jazz and blues performances. Tomorrow it’s saxophonist Terry Hsieh (謝明諺) and his quartet. Pianist Hsu Yu-ying (許郁瑛) and friends are on Tuesday. Fusion Planet takes the stage on Wednesday. Rocky and the Barfly host a late open jam on Thursday.
■ 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
■ Music shows begin at 10pm
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight, NT$150 tomorrow, NT$100 on Tuesday, free on other nights
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights for the week ahead include Mando-pop songstress Julia Peng (彭佳慧) and male crooner Shin Lung (辛隆), who performs every Saturday.
■ 211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北 市安和路二段211號). Tel: (02) 2738-3995. On the Net: visit www.ez5.com.tw
■ Music shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Tonight at Roxy Roots it’s expat country and western band 2 Acres Plowed. Tomorrow night is reggae and dub outfit Down in Air (盪在空中). On Wednesday the venue celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival with hip-hop and funk DJ Mr Blends.
■ 90 Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路90號). Tel: (02) 2725-3932. On the Net: www.roxy.com.tw
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Entrance fee for music shows is NT$300 (NT$200 credited toward food and drinks).
Taipei Swing holds dance socials on Friday nights at Capone’s, with live music from blues band BoPoMoFo
(ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). Dancers of all levels are welcome, and beginner’s lessons are offered while the band takes a break. On Saturday drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號)
■ Live music from 9pm to 11:30pm on Fridays, 8pm to 11:30pm on Saturdays
■ There’s a minimum charge of one drink on Fridays, dancers receive a free drink coupon. On Saturdays the minimum charge is NT$300
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Tonight, it’s rapper Soft Lipa (蛋堡). Malaysian Mando-pop singer Rynn Lim (林宇中) appears tomorrow.
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Kaohsiung City (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號). On the Net: pier-2.khcc.gov.tw, www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows start at 7:30pm
■ Entrance is NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, with a group special of NT$1,600 for five tickets for each night
The Mercury (水星酒館), an indie-rock club in Kaohsiung, hosts local group Sorrow of Youth and Taichung post-rock band Double Cheese.
■ 46 Liwen Rd, Zuoying Dist, Kaohsiung City (高雄市左營區立文路46號). Tel: (07) 550-8617. On the Net: mercurybar.blogspot.com
■ Show starts at 9pm
■ Entrance is NT$200, includes one drink
By Thomas Walk
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