Theater
The Mhy-Huang Taiwanese Opera Troupe (明華園黃字戲劇團), Ming Hwa Yuan Gezai Opera Company (明華園戲劇團), Shiu-Kim Taiwanese Opera Troupe (秀琴歌劇團), Ming-Ju Taiwanese Opera Troupe (明珠女子歌劇團) and Holo Opera Troupe (河洛歌子戲劇團) team up to celebrate the Lunar New Year with a series of traditional gezai operas (歌仔戲).
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Fengshan Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (高雄鳳山國父紀念館), 228 Guangyuan Rd, Fengshan City, Kaohsiung County (高雄縣鳳山市光遠路228號)
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Tomorrow and Monday at 2:30pm and Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30pm
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Tickets are NT$200 to NT$600, available through NTCH ticketing
Tickets for Godot Theater Company’s (果陀劇場) much-anticipated Chinese-language production of Shakespeare’s Othello (針鋒對決) are running out fast. The production features accomplished Taiwanese stage actors Lee Li-chun (李立群) and Chin Shih-chieh (金士傑). [See Page 14 of the Sept. 19, 2008, edition of the Taipei Times for a review of the production.]
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Tainan Municipal Cultural Center
(台南市立文化中心), 332, Jhonghua E Rd Sec 3, Tainan City
(台南市中華東路三段332號)
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Jan. 30 at 7:30pm
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Tickets are NT$500 to NT$4,000, available through NTCH ticketing
Classical music
2009 Ma Yo-yo New Year Concert (2009馬友友新年音樂會) will see the superstar cellist perform two concerts, the first in Taipei on Wednesday and the second next Friday. The program includes Bach’s Suite for Violin Cello Solo Nos. 1, 2 and 3, Ahmed Adnan Saygun’s Partita, Zhao Jiping’s (趙季平) Summer in the High Grassland and O’Connor’s Appalachia Waltz.
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Wednesday (Tainan) and Jan. 30 (Taipei) at 7:30pm
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Tainan Municipal Cultural Center Performance Hall (台南市立文化中心演藝廳), 332, Jhonghua E Rd Sec 3, Tainan City (台南市中華東路三段332號); National Concert Hall, Taipei City
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Tickets are NT$1,200 to NT$4,800 for the Tainan concert and NT$1,800 to NT$6,000 for the Taipei Concert, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
Bravo Super Bass (陳維哲低音提琴幫創團音樂會) sees the creation of a new musical ensemble by Chen Wei-tse (陳維哲), the principle cellist of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. The opening concert includes Bizet’s Carmen Fantaisie, Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance, Bach’s Chaconne, Strauss’ Pizzicato Polka, Offenbach’s Can-Can Norris’ Cool and Cake Walk, all arranged for cello.
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Feb. 3 at 7:30pm
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National Recital Hall, Taipei City
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Tickets are NT$300 and NT$450, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Contemporary
The Wall (這牆) and Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) are closed from today through next week for Lunar New Year. Both venues re-open Feb. 6.
Tomorrow night at VU Live House Tranquility Bass Productions presents Lunar Phase, an evening of drum ’n’ bass with DJs Rich, Mixter T, Coffeepot and Shaman.
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B1, 77, Wuchang St Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市武昌街二段77號B1).
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Tel: (02) 2314-1868
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Begins at 11pm tonight
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NT$350 admission, includes one drink
Bearbabes (熊寶貝樂團), whose sparse, atmospheric sound showcases the ethereal voice of female singer and bassist Cookie (餅乾), perform tonight at Witch House (女巫店). The venue is closed from Saturday to Wednesday for the Lunar New Year holiday. On Thursday, Puyuma guitarist and singer Hao-en (昊恩) performs a solo set.
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7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號).
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For more information, call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org
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Performances 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
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Entrance fee for music shows is NT$300, includes one drink
Jazz Your Mind performs tonight at Sappho de Base, while Waka and Yo, a Japanese duo who play tabla and sitar, perform a set of Indian fusion music. The venue is closed on Monday and Tuesday. The Mr Ed Trio performs jazz on Wednesday.
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B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1).
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Call (02) 2700-5411 (after 9pm) or visit www.sappho102.biz for more information
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Performances begin at 10:30pm on weekends, 10pm on weekdays;
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No admission fee
Tonight at Underworld (地下社會) it’s the Funky Brothers (放克兄弟的大計畫) and pop-rock act New Yorker (紐約客). Taking to the stage tomorrow are Penguin Bear Likes to Eat Chicken Balls (企鵝熊愛吃雞肉球) and nu-metal band RJ45 (石頭果醬). The venue is closed from Sunday to next Friday.
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B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.upsaid.com/underworld for more information
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Music shows are from 9:30pm to 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays. Bar open daily from 9pm, except Mondays
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Entrance is NT$300 tonight and tomorrow, includes one drink
Tonight at Tone 56 Live Bar Rubber Band plays rock, pop and dance music. Adoga, which plays rock and pop covers, appears tomorrow. On Sunday there’s an open acoustic jam.
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1F, 56, Minquan E Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市民權東路三段56號1樓), near the corner of Fuxing North (復興北) and Minquan East (民權東) roads.
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Tel: (02) 2517-3869
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Music shows go from 9:30pm to 12:30am tonight and tomorrow, and 7:30pm to 9:30pm on Sundays
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No admission fee
Tonight at Bliss High Tide fills the room with live reggae along with rockers Johnny Fatstacks. [See story on Page 14.] Tomorrow Taichung’s beloved funk and soul band, The Money Shot Horns, visit town for a pre-Lunar New Year’s show.
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148, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段148號), one block east of Dunhua South Road (敦化南路). Call Bliss at (02) 2702-1855 or log on at www.bliss-taipei.com. For more information on live performances at Bliss, visit www.myspace.com/ blisslivehouse
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Music shows are tonight and tomorrow at 10pm. Bar/kitchen open from 7pm daily. Ladies night Fridays; women get a free cocktail of their choice
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Admission for the music shows is NT$200 tonight and tomorrow
Every Wednesday night at the Cosmopolitan Grill there’s a blues open mic held by the Blues Society on Taiwan. All are welcome to bring their instruments and sit in on guitar, bass or drums.
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1F, 218 Changchun Rd, Taipei City (台北市長春路218號1樓). Call (02) 2508-0304 or visit www.cosmo.com.tw for more information
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8pm to 11pm every Wednesday
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No admission fee
Both established and aspiring Taiwanese pop musicians perform regularly at the EZ5 Live House, with three different singers appearing every night. EZ5 is closed on Sunday for Lunar New Year’s Eve. Highlights this week include A-ta (阿達) on Monday, and Hsiu-ching (秀璟) and Liu Wei-zen (劉偉仁) on Wednesday.
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211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號). Call (02) 2738-3995 or visit www.ez5.com.tw
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Music shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
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Entrance fees vary from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer. Cover charge includes two drinks
Exhibitions
You Are My Flowers (你是我的花朵 — 名家花卉小品展). Capital Art Center celebrates the New Year with an exhibition on flowers that includes watercolors, oil paintings and multimedia works in impressionistic, expressionistic and post-modern styles by renowned artists including Max Liu (劉其偉) and Chang Yi-hsiung (張義雄).
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Capital Art Center (首都藝術中心), 2F, 343, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段343號2樓). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 7pm.
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Tel: (02) 2775-5268
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Ends tomorrow
For Special Recipe of Galerie Grand Siecle (私房菜), the gallery has invited multimedia and performance artist Chen Yung-hsien (陳永賢) and digital artists Kuo I-chen (郭奕臣) and Wang Ya-Hui (王雅慧) to celebrate its 10th birthday. The six works on display consist of the trio’s rarely seen video, installation and digital pieces, which were made between 2002 and 2007.
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Galerie Grand Siecle (新苑藝術), 17, Alley 51, Ln 12, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段12巷51弄17號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1pm to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2578-5630
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Until Feb. 2
Masters’ Collection Exhibition (名家典藏展) is an exhibition of more than 40 paintings by celebrated realist artists from Taiwan, China and Russia. The works include portraits, landscapes and still lifes.
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Cathay United Art Center (國泰世華藝術中心), 7F, 236 Dunhua N Rd, Taipei City (台北市敦化北路236號7樓). Open Mondays to Saturdays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2717-0988
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Until Feb. 6
Cyber-ring (虛鏡迴圈), the latest extension of the “Cyberbeings” series that Laza Wu (吳梓寧) has been working on since 2004 is a fantastical representation of cyber space with a glass floor and 360° projections.
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National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (國立台灣美術館), 2, Wuchuan W Rd Sec 1, Taichung City (台中市五權西路一段2號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9am to 5pm. Tel: (04) 2372-3552
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Until Feb. 8
New Animamix (新動漫) features works by such renowned figures in Asian art as Yoshitaka Amano, from Japan; Kim Don Yoo, Kwon Kisoo, Eddie Kang and Lee Lee Nam from South Korea; China’s Tang Zhigan (唐志岡) and Taiwan’s Liao Yu-an (廖堉安) and Hung Yi (洪易). Also included in the exhibit are works by super-realist, post-pop artist duo Thukral & Tagra, from India. Animamix is an art movement that draws from the aesthetics of anime and comics.
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Metaphysical Art Gallery (形而上畫廊), 7F, 219, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段219號7樓). Open daily from 11am to 6:30pm, closed Mondays. Tel: (02) 2771-3236
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Until Feb. 28
Mind as Passion (激情心靈) explores the ideas behind art that is created using new media technologies such as video as well as two-dimensional and three-dimensional images. The exhibition features work by 17 artists from Japan and Taiwan.
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Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM), 181 Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open daily from 9:30am to 5:30pm, closed Mondays. Tel: (02) 2595-7656
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Until March 29
Nothing like the spectacular, dramatic unraveling of a political party in Taiwan has unfolded before as has hit the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) over recent weeks. The meltdown of the New Power Party (NPP) and the self-implosion of the New Party (NP) were nothing compared to the drama playing out now involving the TPP. This ongoing saga is so interesting, this is the fifth straight column on the subject. To catch up on this train wreck of a story up to Aug. 20, search for “Donovan’s Deep Dives Ko Wen-je” in a search engine. ANN KAO SENTENCED TO PRISON YET AGAIN,
Despite her well-paying tech job, Li Daijing didn’t hesitate when her cousin asked for help running a restaurant in Mexico City. She packed up and left China for the Mexican capital last year, with dreams of a new adventure. The 30-year-old woman from Chengdu, the Sichuan provincial capital, hopes one day to start an online business importing furniture from her home country. “I want more,” Li said. “I want to be a strong woman. I want independence.” Li is among a new wave of Chinese migrants who are leaving their country in search of opportunities, more freedom or better financial prospects at a
When the Dutch began interacting with the indigenous people of Taiwan, they found that their hunters classified deer hide quality for trade using the Portuguese terms for “head,” “belly,” and “foot.” The Portuguese must have stopped here more than once to trade, but those visits have all been lost to history. They already had a colony on Macao, and did not need Taiwan to gain access to southern China or to the trade corridor that connected Japan with Manila. They were, however, the last to look at Taiwan that way. The geostrategic relationship between Taiwan and the Philippines was established
Sept. 9 to Sept. 15 The upgrading of sugarcane processing equipment at Ciaozaitou Sugar Factory (橋仔頭) in 1904 had an unintended but long-lasting impact on Taiwan’s transportation and rural development. The newly imported press machine more than doubled production, leading to an expansion of the factory’s fields beyond what its original handcarts and oxcarts could handle. In 1905, factory manager Tejiro Yamamoto headed to Hawaii to observe how sugarcane transportation was handled there. They had trouble finding something suitable for Taiwan until they discovered a 762mm-gauge “miniature” railroad at a small refinery in the island of Maui. On
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