Theater
Legend Opera II — B.Box of Brother and Sister II (B.Box 兄妹串戲II — 那一年,我們都挨打) is another production in Contemporary Legend Theater’s (當代傳奇劇場) Legenary Classic Drama Series. This daring mix of Beijing opera and contemporary slapstick aims to show that operatic skills are as pertinent to making good contemporary theater as entertaining as it ever was.
■ Saturday at 2:30pm; Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm
■ Auditorium of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, 21 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City (台北市中山南路21號)
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,500; available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
The Prince of Night (夜王子) is a gezai opera by the Chun Mei Taiwanese Opera Troupe (春美歌劇團) that is produced by and starring Kuo Chun-mei (郭春美), the company’s founder.
■ Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台), 25 Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段25號)
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,500; available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artstictet.com.tw
The Stage (舞│台) by Sun-Shier Dance Theatre (三十舞蹈劇場) is a fusion of contemporary dance and multimedia that explores the relationship between life and theater in a production created in response to the death of the iconic choreographer Pina Bausch.
■ Today at 7:30pm and tomorrow at 2:30pm
■ Tsoying Boy’s High School dance theater (高雄左營高中舞蹈班劇場), 55 Haikung Rd, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市左營區海公路55號)
■ Tickets are NT$300; available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artstictet.com.tw
2012 Collecting Button: New Choreographer (2012鈕扣 New Choreographer 計劃) is a showcase of young local choreographers who have been cutting their teeth in foreign companies and are back home to show what they have learned.
■ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Eslite Bookstore Xinyi Branch Performance Hall (誠品信義店展演廳), 6F, 11 Songgao Rd, Taipei City (台北市松高路11號6樓)
■ Tickets are NT$650; available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artstictet.com.tw
Classical music
The National Symphony Orchestra opens its fall season with violinist Sergey Khachatryan, a first-prize winner at the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition and the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition and past collaborator with the Berlin Philharmonic and London Symphony orchestra. The program, titled “Oh Romeo,” includes Ligeti’s Concert Romanesc and Sergey Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. The orchestra will be led by conductor Lu Shao-chia (呂紹嘉).
■ Tonight at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,500, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical/crossover pop singer Katherine Jenkins will perform with the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra at the National Concert Hall on Saturday and Kaohsiung Cultural Center’s Chih-teh Hall on Sunday. Anthony Inglis will serve as conductor and the program is a mixture of pop and opera pieces, including Adagio, La Vie en Rose and Amazing Grace.
■ Tomorrow, 7:30pm at the National Concert Hall, Taipei City and Sunday at 7:30pm, at Kaohsiung Cultural Center’s Chihteh 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)
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$3,000, available through NTCH ticketing and 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. Tonight the venue features Hong Kong Mando-pop singer Sandy Lam (林憶蓮). No other shows are scheduled this coming week until Wednesday, which is a concert by emo-punks Pa Pang (怕胖團) and Random (隨性樂團).
■ 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$1,800 tonight and NT$500 on Wednesday. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw, www.legacy.com.tw and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Tonight is metal night at The Wall
(這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists, with a lineup that includes Side Effect (賽德費), Greasy Jelly For Mercy Killing and Flesh Juicer (血肉果汁機). Tomorrow Mando-pop singer-songwriter No Name (余荃斌) takes the stage. Japanese indie rock band tricot headlines a bill on Sunday with supporting acts Orangegrass (澄草) and Low Brightness Period (低明度時期).
■ 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, except Saturday’s dance party, which starts at 11:30pm
■ NT$600 tonight, NT$500 tomorrow and NT$1,000 on Sunday. 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 solo artists Rebecca Liu (叡慈) and ukulele player/vocalist George Folk (艸執法). Tomorrow the venue hosts another set of solo sets from folk rockers John Lo (羅崇漢) and Finn, and on Thursday, it’s Kui Band (奎樂團) and female-led rock band The Forest (森林樂園).
■ 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
Psychedelic rockers Sleaze (湯湯水水) and The White Eyes (白目樂隊) perform tonight at Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club in Taipei. Blue Blooded Bruder (藍血人) and F.L.A.T Club (假文藝青年俱樂部) take the stage tomorrow. On Wednesday, it’s upstart bands Elephant Gym (大象體操) and Naughty Yorker (濃甜約克).
■ 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
■ Today and tomorrow from 9pm to 11pm. 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
Tonight Revolver hosts “Bass Kitchen” featuring DJs MiniJay, Like Mambert, BB, Al Burro and Databass, among others. Tomorrow it’s a “drums and bass special” with DJs James Ho and Robin Lai, among other, and MC Stoppa. On Wednesday, it’s live music from ATW Girl (逆風少女) and Miss Banana (香蕉小姐), while on Thursday there will be live sets from Okay Cars and Wild Deer (野鹿).
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678
■ Shows start at 9:30pm
■ Entrance is NT$250 tonight, NT$300 tomorrow, NT$150 on Wednesday and NT$200 on Thursday. Admission includes one free drink
Funk-rock/nu-metal band Coach (教練) performs tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) Tomorrow Amis Aboriginal singer-songwriter Suming (舒米恩) takes the stage and on Sunday, it’s Semi-Uke, a band whose instrumentalists are mainly ukulele players.
■ 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 9pm
■ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow and NT$350 Sunday, NT$400 all other nights. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Tomorrow Sappho de Base, a late-night jazz/lounge bar, hosts vibraphonist Su Yu-han (蘇郁涵). The Sappho House Band hosts on open jam on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, it’s the JT 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 tomorrow; free all other nights
Acclaimed Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君) performs every Thursday at EZ5 Live House, which hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night.
■ 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
Tomorrow, Bobwundaye, a small pub on Heping East Road (和平東路) in Taipei, hosts funk/reggae/soul band The Shiznits (this show was incorrectly listed as taking place last weekend; The Taipei Times regrets the error). The venue holds an open mic every Wednesday.
■ 77, Hoping E Rd, Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市和平東路三段77號)
■ Shows start at 9:30pm
■ NT$200 on Saturday
On Fridays at Italian restaurant Capone’s, Taipei Swing holds dance socials with live music from electric blues band Taipei blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). On Saturday, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. Iris sings “romantic chansons” Sunday nights and on Wednesdays, it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas. Duo Blurrs Bros perform blues and American songbook tunes on Thursdays.
■ 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.
The TAV Cafe (村落餐廳), a bar and cafe located at the Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村), hosts jazz accordionist Vincent Tsai tonight. On Sunday, the venue hosts the ninth annual Blues Bash, which features over a dozen acts from Taiwan and abroad.
■ 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路7號), tel: (02) 3393-7377, ext 207
■ Shows start at 9pm; Sunday’s event starts at 1pm
■ Entrance is free on Thursday, NT$350 on weekends. Admission 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 features Hakka rock band Zenkwun (神棍樂團) and New Sunglasses (新墨鏡). Tomorrow it’s post-rock band selfkill and indie folk group Hush!.
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號). On the Net: pierer-2.khcc.gov.tw, www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows start at 7:30pm
■ NT$300 tonight and NT$400 tomorrow
A few weeks ago I found myself at a Family Mart talking with the morning shift worker there, who has become my coffee guy. Both of us were in a funk over the “unseasonable” warm weather, a state of mind known as “solastalgia” — distress produced by environmental change. In fact, the weather was not that out of the ordinary in boiling Central Taiwan, and likely cooler than the temperatures we will experience in the near-future. According to the Taiwan Adaptation Platform, between 1957 and 2006, summer lengthened by 27.8 days, while winter shrunk by 29.7 days. Winter is not
A sultry sea mist blankets New Taipei City as I pedal from Tamsui District (淡水) up the coast. This might not be ideal beach weather but it’s fine weather for riding –– the cloud cover sheltering arms and legs from the scourge of the subtropical sun. The dedicated bikeway that connects downtown Taipei with the west coast of New Taipei City ends just past Fisherman’s Wharf (漁人碼頭) so I’m not the only cyclist jostling for space among the SUVs and scooters on National Highway No. 2. Many Lycra-clad enthusiasts are racing north on stealthy Giants and Meridas, rounding “the crown coast”
March 25 to March 31 A 56-year-old Wu Li Yu-ke (吳李玉哥) was straightening out her artist son’s piles of drawings when she inadvertently flipped one over, revealing the blank backside of the paper. Absent-mindedly, she picked up a pencil and recalled how she used to sketch embroidery designs for her clothing business. Without clients and budget or labor constraints to worry about, Wu Li drew freely whatever image came to her mind. With much more free time now that her son had found a job, she found herself missing her home village in China, where she
In recent years, Slovakia has been seen as a highly democratic and Western-oriented Central European country. This image was reinforced by the election of the country’s first female president in 2019, efforts to provide extensive assistance to Ukraine and the strengthening of relations with Taiwan, all of which strengthened Slovakia’s position within the European Union. However, the latest developments in the country suggest that the situation is changing rapidly. As such, the presidential elections to be held on March 23 will be an indicator of whether Slovakia remains in the Western sphere of influence or moves eastward, notably towards Russia and