I can't sing" is something you'll rarely hear a Taiwanese person say. Before the days of KTV, there was the golden era Taiwanese opera, go-a-hi (
Though Taiwanese opera no longer dominates the airwaves like it used to, it is by no means gone from the entertainment scene. This weekend, fans and first-timers alike can enjoy two very different manifestations of the genre: Eternal Love (
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS
Xu Ya-fen was born into Taiwanese opera. A passionate proponent and scholar of the genre, she operates her own theater -- Xu Ya-fen Fine Arts Opera (
Tomorrow's and Sunday's performances feature two more recently composed pieces -- the satirical tragicomedy Travesty of the Emperor (馬賢伏龍) and the story of Taiwan's Robin Hood, The Legend of Liao Tian-ding (廖俠添丁). While the cadence of Xu's singing voice may strike some as reminiscent of the famously acquired taste of Peking opera, the tempo and accompaniment are more lively and refreshing. Clips of Xu's music can be listened to at www.yafen.com.tw.
Though a distinct resemblance can be seen, Taiwanese opera is more accessible and folksy than its older cousin from Beijing. As Taiwanese opera developed, it appropriated the movement style, instruments, props and stage sets used in Peking opera. However, while the majority of Peking opera today remains true to the classical style,Taiwanese opera took in its stride the changes brought by modernization.
The 1960s were the golden era of Taiwanese opera radio broadcast, and later, in the early 1970s, televised Taiwanese opera began to dominate the home-entertainment scene. The rapid growth of Taiwan's commercial economy in the 1970s lead to a revolution in entertainment, opening the doors to foreign music, movies and TV.
"The thing about Taiwanese opera is that it has always been able to incorporate new elements," said Wang Rong-yu (王榮裕), the director of the "new" Taiwanese opera Tianlai and Yumei, when asked if his show could be considered as within the genre.
Tianlai and Yumei is a lighthearted Taiwanese version of West Side Story, where the Jets are Taiwanese-speaking drifters and strip-club owners and the Sharks are Chinese mobsters. Tianlai, a drifter, and Yumei, the favorite younger sister of a Chinese gangster are the two star-crossed lovers.
In outrageous costumes made of brilliantly colored Chinese silk, sequins, lace and pleather, the characters dance, spar and sing around the stage. This energetic production is sure to come across even to the viewer who understands neither Taiwanese nor Mandarin.
Performance notes:
What: Eternal Love
Where: Novel Hall, 3-1, Songshou Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei
When: Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday at 7:30pm
Tickets: NT$500 to NT$2,000, available online at www.yafen.com.tw or call (02)8787 8770.
What: Yumei and Tianlai
Where: National Taiwan Arts Education Center, 47, Nanhai Rd, Taipei (國立台灣藝術教育館,南海路47號)
When: Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm.
Tickets: NT$450 to NT$600, available online at www.artsticket.com.tw or by phone: 02-2623-7097
March 10 to March 16 Although it failed to become popular, March of the Black Cats (烏貓進行曲) was the first Taiwanese record to have “pop song” printed on the label. Released in March 1929 under Eagle Records, a subsidiary of the Japanese-owned Columbia Records, the Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) lyrics followed the traditional seven characters per verse of Taiwanese opera, but the instrumentation was Western, performed by Eagle’s in-house orchestra. The singer was entertainer Chiu-chan (秋蟾). In fact, a cover of a Xiamen folk song by Chiu-chan released around the same time, Plum Widow Missing Her Husband (雪梅思君), enjoyed more
Last week Elbridge Colby, US President Donald Trump’s nominee for under secretary of defense for policy, a key advisory position, said in his Senate confirmation hearing that Taiwan defense spending should be 10 percent of GDP “at least something in that ballpark, really focused on their defense.” He added: “So we need to properly incentivize them.” Much commentary focused on the 10 percent figure, and rightly so. Colby is not wrong in one respect — Taiwan does need to spend more. But the steady escalation in the proportion of GDP from 3 percent to 5 percent to 10 percent that advocates
A series of dramatic news items dropped last month that shed light on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attitudes towards three candidates for last year’s presidential election: Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Terry Gou (郭台銘), founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). It also revealed deep blue support for Ko and Gou from inside the KMT, how they interacted with the CCP and alleged election interference involving NT$100 million (US$3.05 million) or more raised by the
More than 100,000 people were killed in a single night 80 years ago yesterday in the US firebombing of Tokyo, the Japanese capital. The attack, made with conventional bombs, destroyed downtown Tokyo and filled the streets with heaps of charred bodies. The damage was comparable to the atomic bombings a few months later in August 1945, but unlike those attacks, the Japanese government has not provided aid to victims and the events of that day have largely been ignored or forgotten. Elderly survivors are making a last-ditch effort to tell their stories and push for financial assistance and recognition. Some are speaking
RSS