Theater
Communicating Doors (開錯門中門), by the English playwright Alan Ayckbourn has been part of the Godot Theater's repertoire since 1996 and has long been popular for its screwball humor and opportunities for improvization. Adapted for a local cast, and staring many well-known figures from the entertainment industry, Communicating Doors follows on from Godot Theater's Irma La Douce, which the troupe has recently completed a island-wide tour.
- Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, 505, Renai Rd, Sec 4, Taipei (台北市仁愛路四段505號)
- Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,000
- Aug. 10, Aug. 11 at 7:30pm, Aug. 12 at 2:30pm
Traces (痕跡) a new production by internationally acclaimed Canadian group Les 7 doigts de la main presents its combination of physical theater, drama and circus.
- Metropolitan Hall (台北城市舞台), 25 Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市八德路三段25號)
- Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,000
- Aug. 9 to Aug. 11 at 7:30pm and Aug. 12 at 2:30pm
Marvelous Journey (兒童的奇異之旅) by the Rondo Ballet Theater (羅德芭蕾舞蹈團) has created ballet for children, with delightful characters and beautiful sets, so that even the little ones can appreciate the delights of dance.
- Monday 7:30pm at the Tainan Cultural Bureau Performance Hall (台南縣政府文化局音樂廳) and Thursday at the Pingtung Cultural Bureau Performance Hall (屏東縣政府文化局藝術館)
- Tickets are NT$200 for both performances
Prince Ice World (王子冰上世界), a display of figure skating by champion athlete Shizuka Arakawa (荒川靜香).
- Today to Sunday at 3pm and 7pm
- Taipei Arena (台北巨蛋) ice skating rink, 2 Nanjing East Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市南京東路四段2號)
- Tickets are NT$1,000 to NT$4,000, available through ERA Ticket
Events
2007 IDSF Taipei International Open (2007世界運動舞蹈台灣公開賽) will present dazzlingly athletic dance and fierce competition among an international field of competitors drawn from Portugal, Finland, Italy, Japan and South Korea.
- Sunday at 9am
- Taipei Athletics Stadium (台北市立體育館), 10 Nanjing E Rd, Taipei (臺北市南京東路四段10號)
- Tickets are NT$500 to NT$3,000, available through ERA Ticket
Every Thursday for the next few months, On Tap will be showing both classic and contemporary British and Irish Comedy on the big screen upstairs. The shows will include The Office, Extras, Peep Show, Phoenix Nights, Father Ted and Fawlty Towers. Wednesdays it's Underdog, when happy hour lasts until 11pm and Shorty and Geezer Foo spin funk, acid jazz and house from 10pm until 4am. (See Vinyl Word on Page 15 for more information).
- 5pm to 4am Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, and 5pm to 6am Friday and Saturday. Kitchen closes at 1am
- Address: 49, Ln 308, Guangfu S Rd, Taipei (台北市光復南路308巷49號) Call (02)2741-5365
- 5pm to 4am Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, and 5pm to 6am Friday and Saturday
- 49, Ln 308, Guangfu S Rd, Taipei (台北市光復南路308巷49號), Call (02) 2741-5365
Classical Music
A Night of Piano Trio 2007 (2007三重奏之夜). Organized by violinist Chang Ya-ching (張雅晴), the concert will be performed by Chang, cellist Ouyang Ling-yi (歐陽伶宜), and pianist Yu Ru-huei (游如慧). The program will include Chopin's Trio for violin, cello, and piano, Op.8 and Dvorak's Trio for violin, cello, and piano "Dumky," Op.90.
- At the Chih-Shan Hall, Kaohsiung Cultural Center (高雄文化中心至善廳), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號)
- All tickets cost NT$100 and are available through ERA ticketing
- Tonight at 7:30pm
Tone Shine Festival 2007 – Night of Solos and Chamber Music and Night of Symphonies (同想樂樂節 – 獨奏與室內樂之夜與交響之夜). Two different lecture-concerts for the whole family will be held in Taipei tonight and Sunday. For the Night of Solos and Chamber Music tonight, the program will include Sarasate's brilliant fantasy Zigeunerweisen, Schubert's String Quintet in C Major, D. 956, Beethoven's Piano Trio No.5 in D Major, Op.70/1, and others. For the Night of Symphonies on Sunday, the program will include Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Serenade in G Major, K525 and Beethoven's Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92 .
- At the Center-City Methodist Pastoral Charge (衛理公會城中牧區), 4, Ln 9, Ningpo E St, Taipei (台北市寧波東街9巷4號)
- Free admission. For more information, please call (02) 2393-0705
- Tonight and Sunday at 7:30pm
Taipei Chamber Choir 2007 World Window Series - Natural Sound (台北室內合唱團2007世界之窗系列 – 自然之聲). Conducted by Chen Yun-hung (陳雲紅) and accompanied by pianist Shao Yu-fan (邵瑀凡), the choir will sing a program of works, including Stephen Leek's Ngana (鯊魚) and Wirindji (食人女妖), Matthew Orlovich's Tides of Ocean, Nancy Telfer's The Blue Eye of God, and Iain Grandage's Three Australian Bush Songs.
- At the Novel Hall (新舞臺), 3-1 Sungshou Rd, Taipei (台北市松壽路3-1號)
- As of press time, NT$800 tickets are sold out, but NT$300 to NT$500 seats are still available through NTCH ticketing
- Tuesday at 7:30pm
Lan-In Winnie Yang Piano Recital (楊嵐茵鋼琴獨奏會). US-based pianist and composer Yang will return to Taiwan to give a recital in Kaohsiung. She will play a program of works, including Schumann's Carnaval, Op.9, Barber's Sonata for Piano, Op.26, Lutoslawski's Folk Melodies for Solo Piano, and her own composition Sonata for Piano.
- At the Chih-Shan Hall, Kaohsiung Cultural Center (高雄文化中心至善廳), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號)
- Tickets range from NT$200 to NT$300 and are available through ERA ticketing
- Tomorrow at 7:30pm
A Dialogue Between Troubadour and Six-String Guitar (吟遊詩人與六弦琴的對話). Canada-based countertenor D. Kai Ma (馬稚凱) was born in Taiwan and began his musical performance in both piano and voice at the age of 11. He is a chorister and soloist in the Cantata Singers of Ottawa and Ottawa Bach Choir where he is currently the only male alto, and the Chorus of Opera Lyra, which often sings opera and oratorios at the National Arts Center of Canada. He has also sung as a countertenor soloist in several oratorio concerts in Canada. In 2006, he was selected as a countertenor soloist in the Christ Church Cathedral of Ottawa under Matthew Larkin. With guitarist Su Meng-feng (蘇孟風), he will return to Taiwan to give three concerts of troubadour songs.
- Thursday at the National Tainan University Recital Hall (台南大學雅音樓), 33 Shulin St Sec 2, Tainan City (台南市樹林街二段33號) and Aug. 11 at the 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)
- All tickets are sold out for the Taipei concert. For the Tainan concert, NT$1,000 tickets are sold out, but NT$250 seats are still available through NTCH ticketing
- Thursday and 11 at 7:30pm
Contemporary
At Bliss tonight singer/songwriter Moulann, the Pan Africana Cultural Troupe performs tomorrow.
- The music starts around 10pm
- Entrance to the bar is free. Cover for the shows upstairs is NT$200
- Address: 148 Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市信義路四段148號). Call Bliss at (02) 2702-1855 or log on at www.bliss-taipei.com
Underworld (地下社會) presents Flying Blue (青鳥) and Tonic (主音) tonight. Tomorrow is a great night for Brit-pop fans, with local act performing along with Japanese band Quizmaster and Takashi Hasegawa (長谷川俊). On Wednesday, its Tomo and Masa (兩神湯) and Lo-Fi (低傳真).
- The bar opens at 8pm and bands start playing at 9pm
- Entrance is NT$300
- B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.underworld-taipei.blogspot.com for more information
1976, Quizmaster and Takashi Hasegawa also have a show at The Wall (這牆) tonight. Latin-tinged acoustic duo Echo GS (艾可菊斯) perform tomorrow, along with 18-year-old Huang Chien-wei (黃建為) whose folk debut Over the Way earned him the Best Newcomer gong at this year's Golden Melody Awards. On Sunday the venue becomes a dance club, with DJ Deth spinning progressive trance and Crystal Dancer (舞璃) laying down a mix of electronic melodic metal, psychedelic trance and new breakbeats. Wednesday features the Blue Velvets (藍絲絨), Black Faith With Sonic Pace and To a God Unknown, and on Thursday it's Hades, Bazooka and Crusher.
- Entrance today and tomorrow is NT$400. Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday is NT$300
- Bands take the stage at 8pm Monday and 7pm Thursday
- B1, 200 Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei
(台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or visit www.the-wall.com.tw
The Living Room (小客廳) hosts Crossroad tonight and Chen Hao (陳浩) tomorrow.
- Tonight's performance runs from 10pm to midnight. Tomorrow's is 9pm to 10pm
- Entrance is NT$300 plus a two-drink minimum
- 3F, 8 Nanjing E Rd Sec 5, Taipei (台北市南京東路五段8號3樓). Call (02) 8787-4154 or visit www.livingroomtaipei.com
South African artist Andre van Rensburg plays experimental jazz tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Tomorrow it's Hong Kong's At 17. OK Bomb and Da Bones (滑翔翼) play Sunday. There's a Chet Lam (林一峰) mini concert on Monday. Prog-rock band Microcosmos (小宇宙) and MOS play Tuesday. Pa Pang (怕胖) and Braces (牙套) perform Wednesday. And on Thursday it's Japanese band Soinja.
- Shows start at 9:30pm
- Entrance tonight, Sunday and Thursday is NT$350. Tomorrow and Monday is NT$400. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday is NT$300
- B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1). Call (02) 2368-7310, or visit www.riverside.com.tw
Friday night is Salsa Night at Grooveyard in Taichung. Following the salsa there will be live music from Les Chats Noirs. Tomorrow might be your last chance to see the David Foster Syndicate. Guitarist Russell Rogers plays blues, jazz, Middle Eastern- and African-influenced music on Wednesday. Thursday is Taiwan Exposed open-mic night. Over at Groovecity, it's Aboriginal singers Eagle Lin and Gu La Pau tonight and tomorrow.
- At Grooveyard, tonight's salsa lasts from 8pm to 10:30pm (the venue is smoke-free during this time). Les Chat Noirs play from 10pm to midnight, as do David Foster and Russell Rogers. Thursday's open-mic starts at 9pm. At Groovecity, the music runs from 6:30pm to 8:30pm both tonight and tomorrow.
- Grooveyard cover is NT$200 tonight and tomorrow. There's no cover on Wednesday and Thursday. There is no cover at Groovecity
- Groovecity is inside Tiger City (台中老虎城旁停車場) at 120 Henan Rd Sec 3, Taichung (台中市河南路三段120號老虎城). Grooveyard is located at 2F, 105 Huamei W Rd, Taichung (台中市華美西街105號二樓). Visit www.grooveyardtaiwan.com or call 0939-574-737 for more information
Exhibition
Not a Thing: 2007 Chang Nai-wen Solo Exhibition (不是東西:張乃文個展). Roaming between minimalist abstractionism to more concrete styles, sculptor Chang finds inspiration from Chinese Buddhist classics to develop a modern sculpture vocabulary that is both diverse and subtle. In the exhibition, Chang creates a series of sculptures that assimilate images of both Buddha and demon, eliminating the boundary between human beings and monsters, good and evil, normal and abnormal and narrating a kind of ambiguous heterodoxy to subvert the traditional duality between Yin and Yang in Chinese philosophy.
- Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館), 181 Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm. Call (02)2595-7656
- Until Sept 16
Sui Jianguo's Video Exhibition (隋建國錄像展). From sculpture, installation to video art, artist Sui is noted for his exploration of new artistic vocabularies. He is a leading figure among China's contemporary artists known for their daring studies of spiritual life in the fast-changing society.
- Chi-Wne Gallery, 3F, 19, Ln 252, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市敦化南路一段252巷19號3樓). Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 8771-3372
- Until Sept. 15
Fragments of a Midsummer's Afternoon – a Solo Exhibition by Wu Tung-lung (夏日午後的片段 – 吳東龍個展). Clean, bright and brisk like a breezy summer afternoon on the beach, Wu's series of geometrical abstract paintings is a lyrical reflection of the world outside the canvas, dwelling upon the realm between the concrete and the poetic.
- IT Park Gallery (伊通公園), 2-3F, 41, Yitong St, Taipei (台北市伊通街41號2/3樓). Open Tuesday to Saturday from 1pm to 10pm. Call (02) 2507-7243
- Until Aug. 18
Assimilation and Alienation – Wang Da-jen Solo Exhibition (關於異化與同化的臆想 – 王達人2007個展). Drawing inspiration from Karl Marx's theory of alienation, Wang's installation series of clothing made from petrochemical materials points to the estranged relation between human beings and nature through the effects of consumerism.
- Shin Leh Yuan Art Space (新樂園藝術空間), 15-2, Ln 11, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 2, Taipei (中山北路二段11巷15-2號). Open Wednesday to Sunday from 1pm to 8pm. Call (02) 2561-1548
- Until Aug. 12
Discovering the Other – International Film Installations at the National Palace Museum (發現彼此 – 國際電影裝置展). With film installation work exhibited at Exhibition Hall II and film programs shown at the Auditorium, the event invites artists and filmmakers such as Edgar Honetschlager and Ella Raidel from Austria, Merilyn Fairskye of Australia and Taiwan's Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮) to share their process of discovering other worlds and cultures on the globe where any place can be a nowhere and anywhere and the self can be very much the other.
- National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院), 221 Zhishan Rd Sec 2, Taipei (台北市至善路二段221號). Open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 3pm. Call (02) 2881-2021
- Until Aug. 19
The slashing of the government’s proposed budget by the two China-aligned parties in the legislature, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), has apparently resulted in blowback from the US. On the recent junket to US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, KMT legislators reported that they were confronted by US officials and congressmen angered at the cuts to the defense budget. The United Daily News (UDN), the longtime KMT party paper, now KMT-aligned media, responded to US anger by blaming the foreign media. Its regular column, the Cold Eye Collection (冷眼集), attacked the international media last month in
On a misty evening in August 1990, two men hiking on the moors surrounding Calvine, a pretty hamlet in Perth and Kinross, claimed to have seen a giant diamond-shaped aircraft flying above them. It apparently had no clear means of propulsion and left no smoke plume; it was silent and static, as if frozen in time. Terrified, they hit the ground and scrambled for cover behind a tree. Then a Harrier fighter jet roared into view, circling the diamond as if sizing it up for a scuffle. One of the men snapped a series of photographs just before the bizarre
Feb. 10 to Feb. 16 More than three decades after penning the iconic High Green Mountains (高山青), a frail Teng Yu-ping (鄧禹平) finally visited the verdant peaks and blue streams of Alishan described in the lyrics. Often mistaken as an indigenous folk song, it was actually created in 1949 by Chinese filmmakers while shooting a scene for the movie Happenings in Alishan (阿里山風雲) in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), recounts director Chang Ying (張英) in the 1999 book, Chang Ying’s Contributions to Taiwanese Cinema and Theater (打鑼三響包得行: 張英對台灣影劇的貢獻). The team was meant to return to China after filming, but
Power struggles are never pretty. Fortunately, Taiwan is a democracy so there is no blood in the streets, but there are volunteers collecting signatures to recall nearly half of the legislature. With the exceptions of the “September Strife” in 2013 and the Sunflower movement occupation of the Legislative Yuan and the aftermath in 2014, for 16 years the legislative and executive branches of government were relatively at peace because the ruling party also controlled the legislature. Now they are at war. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds the presidency and the Executive Yuan and the pan-blue coalition led by the