THEATER
A crew of 200 professionals from the National China Beijing Opera Theatre (中國國家京劇院) continues its six days of performances this weekend with Beijing opera classics, including Farewell My Concubine (霸王別姬), Phoenix Returns to the Nest (鳳還巢) and Red River (滿江紅).
■ National Theater, Taipei City
Photo courtesy of Kat Edmonson
■ Tonight at 7pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2pm and 7pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 and NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
8213 Physical Dance Theater (8213肢體舞蹈劇場) is heading into the final weekend of a 12-performance run of its Not Dance Festival (非關舞蹈). Artistic director Sun Chuo-tai (孫梲泰) wondered what the popular perception of the human body will be in 10 years, so he asked five artists, all from different backgrounds, to tackle the theme of “dance versus limbs” and see what happens. The choreographers are Christopher Chu (朱星朗), mime artist Yao Shang-te (姚尚德), Lee Ming-cheng (李名正), Yogi (Chan Tien-chen, 詹天甄) and American Casey Avaunt.
■ Guling Street Avant-Garde Theatre (牯嶺街小劇場), 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei City (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號)
■ Tonight and tomorrow 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$450, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Set to Maurice Ravel’s Bolero, choreographer Chou Shu-yi’s (周書毅) 1875 has its first outdoor staging tomorrow, with dancers Lin Yu-ju (林祐如), Hsu Wei-lin (許瑋玲), Chen Yi-chun (陳怡君) and nine others. The piece won the first Sadler’s Wells Theater Global Dance Contest last year.
■ Banciao Train Station (板橋火車站), B1, 7, Sianmin Blvd Sec 2, Banciao City, Taipei County (台北縣板橋市縣民大道二段7號B1)
■ Tomorrow at 2pm and 5pm
■ Free admission
Playbox Ensemble Theater’s (戲盒劇團) A Voyage to the Island — A Solo Operetta (島語錄: 一人輕歌劇) centers on Ann, a 32-year-old Robinson Crusoe addict isolated from the outside world. The show is part of the Huashan Living Arts Festival (2010華山藝術生活節). For more information about the festival, visit www.hlaf.com.tw.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Fruit Wine Building (果酒禮堂), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
ClASSICAL MUSIC
Tommy Emmanuel in Concert brings Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, widely regarded as among the best acoustic guitarists in the world, to Taiwan. He is famous for his delicate finger-picking style, his percussive effects on the guitar and his energetic stage presence. He has spanned a wide variety of genres in his almost half-century career as a musician, performing with the 1970s rock group Dragon, backing up Tina Turner and playing with other guitar greats such as Eric Clapton and Les Paul. He will perform a mixed program of popular tunes including Beatles music, Broadway musical tunes such as Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Australian folk music like The Jolly Swagman.
■ Tonight at 7pm
■ Armed Forces Cultural Center (國軍文藝活動中心), 69, Zhonghua Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市中華路一段69號)
■ Tickets are NT$600 to NT$2,000, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw; also available through ibon kiosks
Yundi Recital (李雲迪鋼琴獨奏會) features Chinese-born pianist Yundi Li (李雲迪), who shot to fame after becoming the youngest ever winner of the International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in 2000 and has since become one of Asia’s most successful concert pianists. Li will perform a program of Chopin, including five nocturnes, Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante in E-flat Major, Op. 22, and Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 35.
■ Thursday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei
■ Only a small number of tickets remain in the upper price bracket from NT$3,000 to NT$4,800, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
Scheherazade’s Carnival (一千零一夜的嘉年華) presents trombonist Lee Shyan-jer (李賢哲) performing with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (臺北市立交響樂團) under Yang Chih-chin (楊智欽). Lee will perform Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra by Tomasi. Other items in the program will include Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Op. 35.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yanping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號)
■ Tickets are NT$200 to NT$800, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Annalisa Stroppa Vocal Recital (美聲燦星—次女高音安娜莉莎.斯特洛芭演唱會) is a concert by the highly acclaimed contralto Annalisa Stroppa, who will offer a program of music by Chopin, Ravel, Bizet, Gluck, Mozart and Donizetti. She will be accompanied on piano by Tsai Shi-hao (蔡世豪).
■ Monday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
CONTEMPORARY
No shows were scheduled tonight at Legacy Taipei as of press time. Tomorrow Mando-pop songwriter and producer Kay Huang (黃韻玲) takes the stage. On Wednesday, Japanese guitarist Ken Ohtake, best known for his work with Hakka folk singer Lin Sheng-xiang (林生祥), launches his new CD I Must Have Been There, an album of acoustic guitar-led instrumentals that include the sounds of the pipa, accordion and a Finnish bowed instrument called the jouhikko.
■ 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 tomorrow, 8:30pm on Wednesday
■ NT$900 for front area and NT$600 for back area tomorrow and Sunday, NT$500 on Wednesday (NT$400 in advance). Tickets can be purchased at ERA ticketing, online through www.ticket.com.tw or www.legacy.com.tw or at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Noise rocker Sunset Rollercoaster (落日飛車), indie-pop outfit Macbeth (馬克白) and post-rock group Lily et Coco (哩扣) perform tonight at The Wall (這牆. Tomorrow’s show, which features Japanese singers in a show billed G.W. Nicolai in Taipei, is sold out. On Sunday J-rock band SuG, which falls under the Japanese glam-rock category known as “visual kei,” takes the stage.
■ 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, 7pm tomorrow and Sunday
■ Entrance is NT$500 tonight and NT$1,600 on Sunday (NT$1,400 in advance). Tomorrow’s show is sold out. Tickets can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Indie-pop group Rowen (再生草) takes to the stage tonight at Witch House (女巫店). Acoustic fingerstyle guitarist Su-jer (舒?) takes the stage tomorrow. On Thursday, it’s indie rockers Yoz Tiger (包子虎).
■ 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
■ Shows start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games open 11am to midnight Sundays to Wednesdays, 11am to 1am Thursdays to Saturdays
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$300
Tonight Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) hosts Chicago-based Japanese blues guitarist Shun Kikuta [see story on Page 13]. Tomorrow night, it’s pop singer Summer Lei (雷光夏) backed by jazz ensemble Bit Sound. On Tuesday, singer Macy Chen (陳玫熹), who interprets classic Chinese songs in a jazz context, takes to the stage. Monday is the venue’s weekly open jam and this Thursday, Mando-pop producer and singer No Name (余荃斌) will perform.
■ 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$500 tonight and tomorrow night, NT$150 on Monday and NT$350 on Tuesday and Thursday
Yan Yung-neng (嚴詠能), a folk singer who won the Best Taiwanese-Language Album prize at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, performs tonight at Riverside Live House (西門紅樓展演館). Smooth indie-pop singer-songwriter Peggy Hsu (許哲珮) appears tomorrow to perform songs from her new album Le Cirque (馬戲團1號).
■ 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 is NT$600 tonight and NT$450 tomorrow. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight at Underworld (地下社會), beloved rockers 88 Balaz (88顆芭樂籽) take the stage. Punk band Damnkidz is also on the bill. Tomorrow it’s indie veterans and Taike pioneers The Clippers (夾子電動大樂隊) and indie-electronica outfit Heartones (心電樂). On Wednesday, female-led garage rockers The White Eyes will put on a show with Nintendo Generation Blues (任天堂世代憂鬱).
■ 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 for music shows is NT$300 on Fridays and Saturdays, which includes one drink, and NT$100 on Wednesdays
Electric jazz trio I Have a New Band Now plays tonight at Sappho de Base. Tomorrow the Earl Hines II Jazztet performs cool jazz, and on Tuesday, it’s Hsu Yu-ying (許郁瑛) and friends. On Wednesday it’s Fusion Planet, followed by DD Quartet 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
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Entrance is NT$150 tonight and tomorrow, NT$100 on Tuesday and free on other nights
Highlights for the week ahead at EZ5 Live House include Mando-pop songstress Julia Peng (彭佳慧) on Tuesday and male crooner Shin Lung (辛隆), who performs on Saturdays. Pub songstress and pop singer Tiger Huang (黃小琥) performs on Mondays.
■ 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
■ Shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (including two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Capone’s is closed tonight for a private party. Taipei Swing’s weekly dance social with blues band BoPoMoFo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ) has been temporarily moved to The Tavern Premier, located at 415, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段415號). Dancers of all levels are welcome, and beginner’s lessons are offered while the band takes a break. Tomorrow, Capone’s reopens for drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta, who 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
■ On Fridays, minimum charge of one drink, dancers receive a free drink coupon. On Saturdays, minimum charge is NT$300
Tonight 89k, Taichung’s spot for local indie bands, hosts Detroit native Nick Javier and his 70s soul and funk band Sexual Chocolate. Tomorrow is reggae and dub night with Zion Express, Down in Air (盪在空中) and Otaku3.
■ 21 Daguan Rd, Nantun Dist, Taichung City (台中市南屯區大觀路21號)
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Entrance is NT$300 tonight and tomorrow
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 the venue presents Japanese math rock/post-rock band toe. On Saturday, Taiwan’s top absurdist rock band Loh Tsui Kweh Commune (濁水溪公社), commonly known as LTK, takes the stage.
■ 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 7pm tonight and 7:30pm tomorrow
■ Entrance is NT$1,300 tonight and NT$400 tomorrow
HIGHLIGHT
by David Chen
American jazz singer Kat Edmonson is one of the headline acts tonight at the Taichung Jazz Festival, which concludes this weekend.
Edmonson, a 26-year-old from Austin, Texas, has garnered rave reviews for both her debut album Take to the Sky (2009) and her live performances, one of which led a Boston Globe jazz critic to call her possibly “the most promising American jazz singer to come along since Cassandra Wilson.”
Her raspy, almost kitten-like voice has drawn comparisons to Billie Holliday and Blossom Dearie, but Edmonson is no jazz anachronism. She lends fresh interpretations to standards like Summertime and reimagines modern classics like The Cure’s Just Like Heaven and The Cardigans’ Lovefool, all of which are worth a listen and can be heard on Edmonson’s Web site, www.katedmonson.com.
Grammy-winning Latin jazz composer Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz Orchestra perform on Sunday at the festival’s finale. For more details on the lineup, visit www.taichungjazzfestival2010.com.tw.
■ Jazz singer Kat Edmonson tonight, and Latin jazz pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill tomorrow and Sunday, at the Taichung Jazz Festival
■ Shows start at 7pm, at the Main Civic Square (市民廣場), Jingguo Boulevard Parkway (經國綠園道) and Gongyi Road (公益路), Taichung City
■ Admission is free
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