Theater
As part of the ongoing 2011 Kuandu Arts Festival (關渡藝術節), La Casa de Benarda Alba by Nottle Theatre Company from South Korea is based on Spanish dramatist and theater director Federico Garcia Lorca’s 1936 play of the same name, and explores the themes of tradition, oppression and the influence of patriarchy through a tale about a household of women in mourning. For more information about the festival, visit kdarts.tnua.edu.tw/festival.
■ Taipei National University of the Arts Theater (國立臺北藝術大學展演藝術中心戲劇廳), 1 Xueyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市學園路1號)
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Apart from the theatrical performance above, the Kuandu Arts Festival has invited young dancers from Dance Art Hong Kong, who aim to build a face-to-face conversation with audiences through the motions of their bodies, to perform. The festival features a lineup of theatrical and musical performances, dances, interdisciplinary shows and film screenings and runs through Oct. 30.
■ Huang Shan Theater (荒山劇場) at Taipei National University of the Arts (國立臺北藝術大學), 1 Xueyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市學園路1號)
■ Tomorrow and Sunday at 3:30pm
■ Free admission
Blushing Diva’s (紅綾金粉劇團) More Than Just an Oh-So-Perfect Doll, I Swear! (你從不知道我想做的不只是芭比女孩) is a drag queen extravaganza starring Queen Blue (real name Lin Li-chung, 林立中), a veteran queen who returns to the stage after a decade of working a nine-to-five job at a bank.
■ Nanhai Gallery (南海藝廊), 3, Ln 19, Chongqing S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市重慶南路二段19巷3號)
■ Tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm, Sunday at 2pm and 8pm
■ Tickets are NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Love on the Air 2: I Am Drama Queen (愛情放映中2:我是女主角) by A Good Company (好劇團) is a black comedy about a 30-year-old woman who embarks on a road trip to locate five ex-lovers in the hope of finding a father for her unborn baby. [See story on the right.]
■ Wenshan Theater (文山劇場), 32 Jingwen St, Taipei City (台北市景文街32號)
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$600, available through NTCH ticketing, online at www.artsticket.com.tw and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Creative Society (創作社劇團) is reviving its 2004 Who-Ga-Sha-Ga (嬉戲:Who-Ga-Sha-Ga), a sci-fi political satire that imagines Taipei plunging into anarchy after the 319 shooting incident, an alleged assassination attempt against former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) in Tainan in 2004.
■ 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$600, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
A concert production of Fidelio, part of the NTSO International Music Festival (NTSO 國際音樂節), is being staged with a host of international stars. The production of Beethoven’s opera features tenor Stuart Skelton, soprano Janice Watson and basses Carsten Wittmoser and Simon Neal. They will be supported by The Schleswig-Holstein Festival Choir and the NTSO Festival Chorus. The production is directed by Chen Szu-chao (陳思照) and the orchestra will be conducted by the NTSO’s artistic director Lan Shui (水藍).
■ Today at 7:30pm (Taichung) and tomorrow at 7:30pm (Sun Moon Lake)
■ Chunghsing Concert Hall, Taichung (台中中興堂), 291-3 Chingwu Rd, Greater Taichung (大台中精武路291之3號) and the Sun Moon Lake Chunghsing Parking Lot (日月潭國家風景區:中興停車場), 136 Chongsing Rd, Sun Moon Lake, Shueichih Township, Nantou County (南投縣魚池鄉日月潭中興路136號)
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,000 (Taichung), available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw. Admission to the Sun Moon Lake concert is free
Christelle Sery and Forum Music brings the French guitar soloist to Taipei in a musical production that combines Sery’s unique sound and Forum Music’s percussion. The program includes many contemporary pieces, including George Crumb’s Mundus Canis — Five Humoresques for Guitar and Percussion, Carlos Sandoval’s Petenera and Liao Lin-ni’s (琳妮廖) Le Train de la Vie II, Doris.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ Forum Auditorium (十方樂集音樂劇場演奏廳), 4, Ln 187, Minzu W Rd, Taipei City (台北市民族西路187巷4號)
■ Tickets are NT$400, 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 shows are scheduled tonight as of press time, but tomorrow the venue hosts the peppy garage rock band Mary See the Future. On Sunday, celebrated composer and songwriter Chen Chien-chi (陳建騏) teams up with pop chanteuse Sandee Chan (陳珊妮) as 19 (19音樂系). Also on the bill is the veteran indie-pop group 1976. On Wednesday, it’s electronica group Frande and folk rocker Yoyo Sham (岑寧兒).
■ 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
■NT$600 tomorrow (NT$500 in advance), NT$900 on Sunday (NT$700 in advance), NT$600 (NT$500 in advance) on Wednesday. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw or www.legacy.com.tw and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks.
Tonight is an evening of female-led punk and post-punk bands at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists. Taking to the stage are My Skin Against Your Skin, BB Bomb (BB彈) and Hotpink. Tomorrow local post-rock heroes Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅號) take to the stage with indie band upstarts Doodle opening the show. On Wednesday, veteran alt-rock band The Chairman (董事長) performs in support of a new compilation album that the group contributed to, titled Open Taiwan.
■ 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
■ All shows start at 8pm, except Wednesday’s, which starts at 7:30pm
■ NT$500 tonight, NT$500 tomorrow and Wednesday (NT$400 in advance for each show). Tickets for all shows can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area, hosts mellow acoustic folk duo Jeez and A-san and Eric, a duo that performs on acoustic guitar and cajon. Indie pop duo Yi-Cheng and Yi-Ching (依錚依靜) take to the stage tomorrow, and on Thursday it’s indie bands Gayyung (假勇) and AB (白安).
■ 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
Indie-electronica outfit Heartones (心電樂) and garage rock group Bowztiger (包子虎) perform tonight at Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club in Taipei. Tomorrow it’s Posh Inverse (優雅逆轉) and post-rock group Selfkill. On Wednesday, the club hosts indie rockers Pure (飄耳) and NajasH.
■ 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, 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. Entrance for Wednesday shows is NT$100
Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) tonight hosts singer Bing Wang (王治平) and RAY Band (雷樂隊), a trio of pop session musicians. Pop-rock band Candy Wine (糖果酒) and retro-rock and indie pop group Queen Suitcase (皇后皮箱) perrform tomorrow. On Sunday, it’s New Vibes, a jazz band led by vibraphone player Su Yu-han (蘇郁涵). 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, 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 and tomorrow, NT$350 Sunday and NT$150 Monday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Mando-pop singer Hsiao Hung-jen (蕭閎仁) performs tonight at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館). Tomorrow the venue hosts a showcase that includes Aboriginal singer-songwriter Suming (舒米恩), jazz musician Paige Su (蘇珮卿) and Mando-pop group Every Planet (美味星球). On Sunday, it’s jazz bassist Eddie Gomez and his quintet.
■ 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
■ NT$400 tonight, NT$250 tomorrow and NT$1,500 to NT$4,000 on Sunday (call venue for details). Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse and tickets.books.com.tw
Polish Gangster Jazz performs tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts live jazz and blues performances. Tomorrow it’s Trio D’en Bas, an experimental jazz group from France. Singer/songwriter A-len Yue (余佳倫) performs on Tuesday, the JT Trio is on Wednesday and on Thursday, jazz pianist Hsu Yu-ying (許郁瑛) takes to the stage with her 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 10pm. The venue is closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight, NT$300 tomorrow, free other nights
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights for the week ahead include male crooner Shin Lung (辛龍), who performs every Saturday. 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
Italian restaurant Capone’s hosts Taipei Swing’s weekly social on Fridays. All are welcome to join and a beginner’s lesson is offered. Music is provided by electric blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). Tomorrow, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. On Wednesday nights, it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas and bassist Rick Taira.
■ 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
Tomorrow, The 3 Baboons Sports Bar & Grill, an expat hangout at the Taimall Shopping Center (台茂購物中心) in Taoyuan, hosts an evening of live Latin music from Taipei Latin Soul.
■ Taimall Shopping Center (台茂購物中心), 112, Nankan Rd Sec 1, Lujhu Township, Taoyuan County (桃園縣蘆竹鄉南崁路一段112號), tel: (03) 212-2150. On the Net: www.3baboons.com
■ Starts at 8pm
■ Entrance is free
The Village Cafe (村落餐廳), a bar and cafe located at the Taipei Artists Village (台北國際藝術村), hosts live music performances every Saturday. New wave rockers Northern Comfort (北方安逸) and Astro Bunny (原子邦妮) take to the stage tomorrow.
■ 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路7號), tel: (02) 3393-7377 X207
■ Tomorrow and Sunday at 7pm
■ Entrance is NT$400 each day, NT$700 for two days, price includes all-you-can eat barbecue food
The Mercury (水星酒館), an indie rock club in Kaohsiung, tomorrow hosts veteran Tainan rock group Charlie Swiggs Band and blues rock duo MudBros.
■ 46 Liwen Rd, Zuoying Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市左營區立文路46號), tel: (07) 550-8617. On the Net: mercurybar.blogspot.com
■ Starts tomorrow at 9pm
■ Entrance is NT$200, includes one drink
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