Theater
Being staged as part of the Taiwan International Festival of Arts (2011台灣國際藝術節, tifa.ntch.edu.tw), Crosstalk Travelers (那一夜,在旅途中說相聲) is the newest installment of Performance Workshop Theatre’s (表演工作坊) popular crosstalk series, which began in 1985 with the smash hit play That Night We Performed Crosstalk (那一夜我們說相聲). The product of a collaboration between renowned playwright and theater director Stan Lai (賴聲川) and television guru Wang Wei-chung (王偉忠), Crosstalk Travelers tells the tale of two wanderers who recount past adventures and reflect on life.
■ National Theater, Taipei City
Photo Courtesy of Performance Workshop Theatre
■ Tonight through Sunday at 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$3,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw.
Based on Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice, Eyes of Your Mind (牟尼之瞳) is Sun Hope Taiwanese Opera Troupe’s (尚和歌仔戲劇團) latest attempt to fuse modern theater and Taiwanese operatic arts. The play is part of the Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival (高雄春天藝術節, w4.khcc.gov.tw/ksaf2011).
Photo Courtesy of Capriccio Chamber Orchestra
■ Kaohsiung Cultural Center’s Chihteh Hall (高雄市立文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市五福一路67號)
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Photo Courtesy of KBN
Off Season Company Party (過季尾牙聯歡晚會) by comedy troupe Yubon Theatre (魚蹦興業), which was formed in 2008 by a group of theater actors, starts with seafood company Yubon throwing a long overdue weiya (尾牙), or lunar year-end party held, despite the company’s deteriorating finances.
■ Red House Theater (西門紅樓), 10 Chengdu Rd, Taipei City (台北市成都路10號)
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
Photo: Taipei Times
■ Tickets are NT$600, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Magic of the Dance (魔力之舞) returns to Taipei for a foot-stomping performance. Fusing modern and traditional Irish music and dance, Magic of the Dance presents the story of a man and a woman who fall in love in Ireland but become separated. The show follows their efforts to reunite.
■ Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館), 505, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段505號)
Photo Courtesy of TedX Monga
■ Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$600 to NT$4,500, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
Classical music
A Concert of Russian Ballet Music by Chen Rueibin (陳瑞斌俄羅斯芭蕾鋼琴音樂會) presents the highly-acclaimed Taiwan-born concert pianist Chen Rueibin (陳瑞斌) performing a program that includes selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcraker, and Stravinsky’s Petrouchka. The concert in Taipei will be followed by performances in Kaohsiung (March 25) and Taichung (April 6).
■ Sunday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Ticket are NT$500 to NT$4,800, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
New Sound, Beautiful Notes (新聲樂音) is a performance by pianist Lee Mei-wen (李美文), violinist Hsu Su-lan (許恕藍) and cellist Lu Chao-lun (呂超倫). The program includes Lee Szu-hsien’s (李思嫻) Yio: Seclusion, Worry and Ease (幽、憂、悠), David Lefkowitz’s Homage, Remembrance and Prayer, Shostakovich’s Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano No. 2, Op. 67 and Rachmaninoff’s Trio Elegiaque, Op. 9.
■ Thursday at 7:30pm
■ National Recital Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,200, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw. Also available through 7-Eleven and FamilyMart FamiPort kiosks
Contract With the Devil (魔鬼的約定) brings renowned conductor Christoph Poppen and violin virtuoso Lukas Vondracek to Taiwan to join in celebrations being held to mark the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt’s birth. Poppen will be guest conductor of the Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra (高雄市交響樂團) in a program that includes Liszt’s Symphonic Poem “Les Preludes,” Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88.
■ Sunday at 7:30pm
■ Kaohsiung Cultural Center’s Chihteh Hall (高雄市立文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Greater Kaohsiung, (高雄市五福一路67號)
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Wildner and Giuffredi (英雄與情人的驚奇邂逅) showcases the talents of trumpeter Andrea Guiffredi, who will be performing with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (台北市立交響樂團) under guest conductor Johannes Wildner. The program includes Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra Overture, Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenieben, Op. 40 and a trumpet medley of music ranging from Rossini’s La Cenerentola to Nina Rota’s theme music from The Godfather.
■ Wednesday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com
Contemporary
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Tonight’s concert featuring actress and singer Wan Fang (萬芳) is sold out, as is tomorrow’s show with Bobby Chen (陳昇). On Sunday, singer-songwriter Fran Healy of the Scottish band Travis takes to the stage.
■ 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)
■ Shows start at 8pm
■ Sold out tonight and tomorrow, NT$1,600 on Sunday (NT$1,400 in advance). Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw or www.legacy.com.tw or at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists, hosts British singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt tonight [see Highlight]. Tomorrow night it’s an electro-rock dance party featuring female DJ duo Bounce Girlz and British DJ Mark Pritchard. On Wednesday, the venue hosts an evening of drum ‘n’ bass with Chip ‘n’ Dale and experimental electronica stalwarts KbN (凱比鳥).
■ 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
■ NT$1,400 tonight (NT$1,200 in advance), NT$300 tomorrow, NT$400 on Wednesday (NT$300 in advance). Tickets for all shows can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Sizhukong (絲竹空), which fuses modern jazz and traditional Chinese music, appears tonight at Witch House (女巫店), which regularly hosts shows from both indie rock bands and folk artists in a coffeehouse setting. Tomorrow, it’s folk-rock singer Europa Huang (黃建為) and Pumpkin Li (李南瓜). Indie rock group Yoz Tiger (包子虎) takes to the stage 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
■ Shows 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
Golden Age Dawn, a group led by American session musicians who played in former Kiss drummer Peter Criss’ band, performs tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Tomorrow off-the-wall pop rocker R.Chord (謝和弦) takes to the stage in a show that’s already sold out. Pop rockers Soundboss (騷包) and folk rock group The Red Cliff play on Sunday, and on Monday the venue hosts its weekly open jam.
■ 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
■ Show starts tonight at 9:30pm, 9pm on all other nights. For a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site
■ NT$400 tonight, sold out tomorrow, NT$350 on Sunday and NT$150 Monday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight Riverside Live House hosts Mando-pop singer Queenie (方宥心) and One Million Star (超級星光大道) alumnus Queen (魏如昀). Taking to the stage tomorrow is Henry Tseng (曾昱嘉), a champion singer from the Super Idol (超級偶像) TV talent show [see story on Page 14]. The venue hosts veteran Mando-pop producer and songwriter Lee Cheng-fan (李正帆) and his new group Indylegonza on Sunday.
■ 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$400 tonight, NT$700 tomorrow (advance tickets NT$600) and NT$400 on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
Expat indie rockers Roxymoron and Varo, the electronica and experimental rock project of former Ladybug member Wan Ting (琬婷), are on the bill tonight at Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club in Taipei. Tomorrow it’s Plastic Frenzy and one-man electro-rock band Sonic Deadhorse. On Wednesday, the venue hosts upstart bands AAN (安) and ScienMIMI (科幻小米米).
■ 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 9pm to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 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
The Kenyatta Quartet plays rock and New Orleans funk tonight at Sappho de Base, a late night lounge bar that hosts mostly live jazz and blues performances. Tomorrow, it’s a group called The Yellow Lighter Dogma. On Tuesday, the venue hosts DD Fusion, and on Wednesday Timeless Fusion Party (無限融合黨), a jazz fusion band led by pianist Fred Lu (呂聖斐) and Tony Tung (董舜文), takes to the stage. Flaneur Daguerre, a quartet that plays everything from free jazz and Balkan folk to classical and rock ‘n’ roll, performs 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. The venue is closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight and tomorrow, free on Tuesday, NT$100 on Wednesday and NT$200 on Thursday
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) on Tuesday, and male crooner Shin Lung (辛龍), who performs every Saturday. Acclaimed Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君) performs on Thursdays.
■ 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 (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Taipei Swing holds dance socials on Friday nights at Italian restaurant Capone’s, with live music from electric blues band Taipei blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). Dancers of all levels welcome. Tomorrow, 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
■ On Fridays, minimum charge of one drink. On Saturdays, minimum charge is NT$300
Electro-rockers Sunset Rollercoaster (落日飛車) and emo band Pipeloyd (管洛依德) perform tomorrow at The Village Cafe (村落餐廳), a bar and cafe located at the Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村), which hosts shows every Saturday night.
■ 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路7號), tel: (02) 3393-7377 X207
■ Tomorrow at 9pm
■ Entry is NT$300, which includes one drink
Tonight 89k, Taichung’s long-established spot for local indie bands, hosts Kaohsiung electro-rock band Squids tonight. Expat rock group The Dolittles reunite for a show tomorrow night.
■ 21 Daguan Rd, Nantun Dist, Greater Taichung (台中市南屯區大觀路21號)
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Entrance is NT$300 for all shows
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Tomorrow night it’s a triple bill consisting of emo/grunge outfit The Last Chance, metal band GunPowder and rock group Losing Art (漂浮者).
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (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 tomorrow.
Events
TEDxMonga, a local version of the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conferences held annually in California, holds it second conference tomorrow in Taipei at the Nangang Software Incubator (南港軟體育成中心). Following TED’s popular TED Talks format, 10 speakers will each present lectures on topics covering technology, education and culture at the all-day event. There will also be games and a buffet lunch.
■ Nangang Software Incubator (南港軟體育成中心), Nangang Software Park (南港軟體園區), 4F, Block E, 19-11 Sanchong Rd, Taipei City (台北市三重路19-11號E4樓)
■ Tomorrow, from 10am to 6pm
■ Tickets are NT$2,990, available from tedxmonga.com
Taipei Discussion and Learning meets every Sunday at Cafe Bastille to listen to lectures and discuss topics such as philosophy, science, anthropology, globalization and alternative medicine. All discussions and lectures are conducted in English. This Sunday’s topic is “Monolithic Stone Builders in Ancient Civilizations.”
■ Cafe Bastille, 7 Wenzhou St, Taipei City (台北市溫州街7號), tel: (02) 2362-9981
■ 7:45pm, every Sunday
■ Entrance is free. For more information visit www.taipeidiscussionandlearning.blogspot.com
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
A fossil jawbone found by a British girl and her father on a beach in Somerset, England belongs to a gigantic marine reptile dating to 202 million years ago that appears to have been among the largest animals ever on Earth. Researchers said on Wednesday the bone, called a surangular, was from a type of ocean-going reptile called an ichthyosaur. Based on its dimensions compared to the same bone in closely related ichthyosaurs, the researchers estimated that the Triassic Period creature, which they named Ichthyotitan severnensis, was between 22-26 meters long. That would make it perhaps the largest-known marine reptile and would