Theater
Taiwan Drama Performance’s (台灣戲劇表演家) Dream of Independence (三口組—建國大夢) begins a countrywide tour this week at the Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival (高雄春天藝術節, w4.khcc.gov.tw/ksaf2011). The theatrical production fuses Chinese stand-up comedy with anime to tell a story about three detectives.
■ Kaohsiung Cultural Center’s Chih-teh Hall (高雄市文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市五福一路67號)
Photo courtesy of Guoguang Opera Company
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw.
St Petersburg Ballet Theatre brings to Taipei five shows of Swan Lake starring prima ballerina Irina Kolesnikova. The company was founded in 1994 by Konstantin Tachkin and while it is based in the heart of Russian ballet tradition, St Petersburg, it is primarily a touring company appearing outside of Russia for months at a time.
Photo courtesy of FuBar and Grill
■ National Theater, Taipei City
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$800 to NT$6,600, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe (原舞者) pays tribute to late Puyuma tribe musician BaLiwakes, who is better known by his Chinese name Lu Sen-bao (陸森寶), in Memories Under the Mango Tree (芒果樹下的回憶), in which Lu’s life is recounted through 43 songs from his oeuvre.
■ Plum Wine Factory (烏梅酒廠), Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), 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$500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw.
Chinese opera diva Wei Hai-min (魏海敏) stars in One Hundred Years on Stage (百年戲樓), an original piece by the Guoguang Opera Company (國光劇團) that looks at the history of Chinese opera through a web of love, lust and hatred among operatic performers/characters on and off the stage.
■ Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台), 25, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段25號)
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,000, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
In Re/turn, theatrical actor-turned-director Tsai Pao-chang (蔡柏璋) weaves together tales of romance, friendship and parental love among three friends, two lovers and a mother and her daughter.
■ Eslite Bookstore Xinyi Branch Performance Hall (誠品信義店展演廳), 11 Songgao Rd, Taipei City (台北市松高路11號)
■ Tonight, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$650, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
The Queen of Percussion — Evelyn Glennie (擊樂天后 — 依芙琳.葛蘭妮), part of the National Symphony Orchestra’s (國家交響樂團) Master and New Frontier Series, presents percussion virtuoso Evelyn Glennie, who will perform with the NSO under the baton of guest conductor Nicholas Milton. Glennie, who has been deaf since she was 12 years old, has carved out a career in music by teaching herself to literally “feel the music,” and has collaborated with artists ranging from Bjork to Julian Lloyd Webber. In 2004 she was selected Best Live and Best Studio Percussionist by Rhythm Magazine and last year was awarded an honorary doctorate of music from Cambridge University. The program includes Sibelius’ En Saga, Milhaud’s Marimba and Vibraphone Concerto, Op. 278, and Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. [See story at top of page.]
■ Today 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
John Boyd and the Taiwan Wind Ensemble (John Boyd與台灣管樂團) sees conductor John Boyd take the rostrum as guest conductor of the Taiwan Wind Ensemble (台灣管樂團) in two concerts that feature the world premiere of Chiang Chia-yin’s (江佳穎) A Chasing After the Wind (捕風). Other items on the program include Bernstein’s Candide Overture, Reed’s Armenian Dances and Husa’s Les Couleurs Fauves.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm (New Taipei City) and Sunday 2:30pm (Greater Taichung)
■ Lujhou Branch of KHS Musical Co Music Hall (蘆洲功學社音樂廳), 162 Jhongshan 2nd Rd, Lujhou Dist, New Taipei City (新北市蘆洲區中山二路162號) and Chunghsing Concert Hall, Taichung (台中中興堂), 291-3 Jingwu Rd, Greater Taichung (大台中精武路291之3號)
■ Tickets are NT$500 and NT$800 for New Taipei City and NT$200 and NT$300 for Greater Taichung
Events
The Sixth Annual Soho Street Chili Cookoff — originally scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at the FuBar and Grill sports bar in Taichung — has been postponed, with a new date yet to be announced. For information about a new date, call organizer Keiron Hogg at 0920-504-724.
Taipei Discussion and Learning meets every Sunday at Cafe Bastille to hear 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 titled Pseudo-Science, Scientific Denialism and Skepticism. [See story on Page 14.]
■ 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
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 show featuring pop-chanteuse Waa Wei (魏如萱) is already sold out. Tomorrow, Aboriginal singer Suming (舒米恩) takes to the stage. Malaysian pop/rock singer Yu Heng (宇珩) and up-and-coming Mando-pop singer Liao Wen-chiang (廖文強) are scheduled to perform Wednesday night.
■ 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)
■ All shows start at 8pm, except Wednesday’s, which starts at 8:30pm
■ Sold out tonight, NT$600 tomorrow (NT$500 in advance), NT$600 on Wednesday (NT$500 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 Swedish dream-pop band The Radio Dept tonight. Tomorrow night it’s Japanese rock group Acidman as part of Bursting Core, the second edition of J Rock Day in Taiwan. [See Highlight]. On Sunday, local metal bands Masquerader, Blair Witch, Seed and Bloody Tyrant take to the stage. On Thursday, Japanese post-rock band Mono returns to Taipei as part of its latest Asian tour.
■ 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$1,400 (NT$1,200 in advance) tomorrow, NT$500 on Sunday (NT$400 at the door), NT$1,300 on Thursday (NT$1,100 in advance). Tickets for all shows can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Can’t and electro-rock band Nintendo Generation Blues (任天堂世代憂鬱) perform tonight at Witch House (女巫店), which regularly hosts shows from both indie rock bands and folk artists in a coffeehouse setting. Malaysian pop/rock singer Yu Heng (宇珩) appears tomorrow night, and one-man electro-band Sonic Deadhorse 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
Real Collective Jazz Quartet (爵士四重奏) performs tonight at the Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Tomorrow Mando-pop songstress Meeia (符瓊音) shares the bill with nu-metal rockers Chemical Monkeys (化學猴子). On Sunday, two up-and-coming rock groups, MOI and IPOOD, take to the stage. Monday is the venue’s 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, and on all other nights at 9pm. To see a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site
■ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, NT$350 Sunday and NT$150 Monday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Soler, a Hong Kong pop duo comprising twin brothers Julio and Dino, perform tonight at Riverside Live House. Tomorrow and Sunday, the venue hosts the Hosanna Awards, a gospel music competition. For more information visit www.wpc.org.tw/hosanna. Folk rocker Connie Lu (呂莘) and opening act A-chao (阿超) perform on Thursday.
■ 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
■ Show starts at 8:30pm tonight and Thursday, 7:30pm tomorrow and Sunday
■ Entrance is NT$700 tonight, free tomorrow and Sunday, NT$400 on Thursday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
We Are So Sad (傷心欲絕) and indie rockers The Shine and Shine and Shine (閃閃閃閃) play tonight at Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club in Taipei. You Yue Ding (有樂町) and Sky Face take to the stage tomorrow, followed by a hip-hop party featuring DJs Pigpig Red, Wan Ting (琬婷) and Da Shi Xiong (大師兄).
■ 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. Underworld is open daily from 9pm until late, and is 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
Pianist Hsu Yu-ying (許郁瑛) and her quartet perform tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts mostly live jazz and blues performances. Tomorrow, the venue hosts the Earl Hines II Jazztet, on Tuesday it’s singer/songwriter A-len Yue (余佳倫) and on Wednesday, it’s guitar jazz from Misterioso.
■ 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 NT$150 tomorrow, 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) 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), tel: (02) 2773-3782
■ 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
Under the Moon and garage rock group Celluloid perform 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) that 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
■ Entrance is NT$300, includes one drink
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 grunge rockers Monkey Pilot (猴子飛行員) and pop-punk group The Fen-Fens (紛紛樂團). As of press time, no shows are scheduled for tomorrow.
■ 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 tonight
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
The following three paragraphs are just some of what the local Chinese-language press is reporting on breathlessly and following every twist and turn with the eagerness of a soap opera fan. For many English-language readers, it probably comes across as incomprehensibly opaque, so bear with me briefly dear reader: To the surprise of many, former pop singer and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ex-lawmaker Yu Tien (余天) of the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association (TNCPA) at the last minute dropped out of the running for committee chair of the DPP’s New Taipei City chapter, paving the way for DPP legislator Su