Exhibition
Directed by Chin Shih-chieh (金士傑) in 1980, Ho Chu’s New Match (荷珠新配) was a legendary production by Lanling Theatre Workshop (蘭陵劇坊) that mixed Beijing opera with modern theater. In celebration of the troupe’s 30th anniversary, Chin returns to the director’s chair to reprise the comedy about a sex worker attempting to pass as a rich man’s daughter.
▲National Theater, Taipei City
▲Tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$600 to NT$3,600, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
For the 2009 Taiwan Kun Opera Theatre All Stars (蘭谷名華2009崑劇名家匯演), Shanghai Kun Opera Troupe’s (上海崑劇團) Ji Zhenhua (計鎮華), Liang Guyin (梁谷音) and Zhang Mingrong (張銘榮) team up with artists from Taiwan Kunqu Opera Theatre (台灣崑劇團) for revivals of traditional favorites as well as several rarely performed pieces.
▲Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台), 25, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段25號)
▲Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,800, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
A bank robbery takes place in Taiwan Drama Performance’s (台灣戲劇表演家) Sifu (師˙夫). Among the hostages: an award-winning school teacher, a Henan opera star, a martial-arts master, a bakery owner and a pregnant woman. The question: who has the right to decide who should survive?
▲National Tainan Living Art Center (台南生活美學館), 34, Jhonghua W Rd Sec 2, Tainan City (台南市中華西路二段34號)
▲Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$250 to NT$1,200, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
A collaboration between Taiwan’s Taiyuan Puppet Theater Company (台原偶戲團) and Compagnie des Zonzons from France, La Boite is a work of modern puppet theater grounded in tradition, in which two puppet troupes perform a play about two puppet troupes.
▲Pingtung County Art Center (屏東縣藝術館), 427, Heping Rd, Pingtung City (屏東市和平路427號); Chiayi Performing Arts Center (嘉義縣表演藝術中心演藝廳), 265, Jiankuo Rd Sec 2, Minhsiung Township, Chiayi County (嘉義縣民雄鄉建國路二段265號)
▲Tonight (Pingtung) and tomorrow (Chiayi) at 7:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$200 and NT$350 (Pingtung), and NT$250 to
NT$800 (Chiayi), available through NTCH ticketing or online at
www.artsticket.com.tw
Tainaner Ensemble’s (台南人劇團) six-hour long K24 is a humorous play within a play featuring nine actors in more than 70 roles. The “K24 Bureau of Investigation” discovers a plot to assassinate the president’s daughter, who’s been cast in the role of Juliet for a professional theater production.
▲Chunghsing Concert Hall, Taichung (台中中興堂), 291-3 Chingwu Rd, Taichung City (台中市精武路291之3號)
▲Tomorrow at 2pm
▲Tickets are NT$800 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical
AMA Principle Artist Series 12 — Su Shien-ta Violin Recital (亞藝首席獨奏家系列十二 — 蘇顯達小提琴獨奏會), presents a program of classical music on the theme of “the tango,” featuring Tartini-Kreisler’s Devil’s Trill, Smetana’s Aus Der Heimat, Prokofiev’s Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in F-Minor, Op. 80 and Piazolla’s Histoire du Tango. Su will be accompanied by Weng Chung-hua (翁重華) on piano.
▲Tomorrow at 7:30
▲Jhongli Arts Center (中壢藝術館), 16 Jhongmei Rd, Jhongli City (中壢市中美路16號)
▲Tickets are NT$150 to NT$400, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
Karoly Mocsari Piano Recital (莫薩里鋼琴獨奏會) brings the renowned interpreter of Liszt and Bartok to Taipei to perform a program that includes works by Liszt, Schumann and Haydn.
▲Sunday at 3pm
▲National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,500, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
As part of the 2009 Taiwan International Piano Festival (2009台灣國際鋼琴藝術節), the Peter Jablonski 2009 Piano Recital (傑布隆斯基2009鋼琴獨奏會) has the Swedish pianist performing a program that includes Haydn’s Piano Sonata in D Major, Grieg’s Piano Sonata in E Minor, Op. 7, Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 35 and Copland’s El Salon Mexico.
▲Tuesday at 7:30pm
▲National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲Tickets are NT$400 to NT$3,600, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
2009 Asia Pacific SQ Concert in Spring (2009亞太弦樂四重奏春季音樂會) brings violinists Huang Wei-ming (黃維明) and Hsu Hsi-lung (徐錫隆), viola player Chen Rui-hsien (陳瑞賢) and cellist Chen Yi-hsien (連亦先) together to perform a program of music by Bartok and Kodaly.
▲Tuesday at 7:30pm
▲Hualien Bach Hall (花蓮巴赫廳), 221 Boai St, Hualien City (花蓮市博愛街221號)
▲Tickets are NT$500, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Contemporary
Tonight, highly regarded Japanese hardcore/screamo outfit Envy plays The Wall (這牆). Tomorrow Kaohsiung punks FireEx (滅火器) and Punk Hoo (胖虎) shake the stage.
▲B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or visit www.thewall.com.tw for more information
▲Shows start at 8pm tonight and tomorrow
▲Entrance fee for music shows is NT$1,000 in advance or NT$1,200 at the door for tonight, NT$400 at the door tomorrow
Performing tonight at Witch House (女巫店) is Miss Stocking (絲襪小姐). Taking to the stage tomorrow night is indie-rock band Neon, which boasts a Malaysian female power singer and a coveted Israeli guitarist. The instrumentally diverse Chun Zhi Band (江春枝) performs on Thursday.
▲7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). For more information, call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org
▲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
▲Admission for music shows is NT$300
Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) tonight hosts rock and jazz fusionists Yellow Funky Stuff. Tomorrow rock duo Katncandix2 (棉花糖) and indie artist Lai Ya-yehn (賴雅妍) perform. On Sunday, another double-bill features Engine No. 9 (九號引擎) and Lost and Found (失物招領).
▲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). Call (02) 2368-7310 or visit www.riverside.com.tw for more information
▲Shows starts at 9:30pm tonight, 9pm tomorrow and Sunday
▲Admission is NT$400 tonight, NT$450 tomorrow, NT$400 on Sunday
A Chord (謝和弦) graces the stage tonight at Riverside Live House (西門紅樓展演館). Led by lead singer Wu Bai (伍佰), the Asian chart-topping rock band China Blue rules the venue tomorrow. Tackling center stage on Sunday is Nouvelle Vague, the internationally renowned band recognized for their bossa nova and pop covers of 1980s New Wave songs. On Thursday, JS performs music from its newly released album.
▲177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號). Call (02) 2370-8805 or visit www.riverside.com.tw for more information
▲Sunday’s show starts at 8pm, all others at 8:30pm
▲Entrance fee is NT$450 tonight, NT$900 tomorrow, NT$1,350 on Sunday and NT$450 on Thursday
The quartet Jazz Your Mind plays tonight at Sappho de Base. Tomorrow there’s veteran expat band Blues Vibrations. The venue hosts the 4 Peace Ensemble on Tuesday and Minstrels United on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Beijing Jazz Quartet takes center stage.
▲B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1). Call (02) 2700-5411 (after 9pm) or visit www.sappho102.biz for more information
▲Performances begin at 10:30pm on weekends, 10pm on weekdays
▲No admission fee
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Every Tuesday Julia Peng (彭佳慧) appears on stage and attracts a crowd. Other performers this week include Tsou Nu (鄒女) who performs today, Yu Li-cheng (于立成) playing tomorrow, and Lang Tsu-yun (郎祖筠) and Lin Chun-yi (林俊逸) on Wednesday.
▲211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號). Call (02) 2738-3995 for more information or go to www.ez-5.com to check out the latest monthly lineup
▲Music shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
▲Entrance fee ranges from NT$600 to NT$800, depending on the performer
Every Wednesday night at the Cosmopolitan Grill there’s a blues open mic, held by the Blues Society in Taiwan. Performers from all walks of life are welcome.
▲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
▲8pm to 11pm every Wednesday
▲No admission fee
Rock bands Monkey Pilot (猴子飛行員) [see story on Page 14] and La Petite Nurse (小護士樂團) share
the bill tonight at Underworld (地下社會). Tomorrow music fans can enjoy acts Brit-pop-style bands 1976 and Bitter, and indie rocker Ban Ban (斑斑). Appearing on Wednesday are Happy Circle and Emotion Gate (情緒出口).
▲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
▲Shows are from 9:30pm to 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays
▲Entrance is NT$300 tonight and tomorrow and includes one drink, Wednesday’s show is NT$100
Exhibitions
Legend of Future (未來的傳說) is a group exhibition featuring 11 of Asia’s top artists working in the mediums of sculpture and painting. The show includes South Korea’s Kown Ki Soo, Japan’s Yoshitomo Nara and Yoshitaka Amano, and Taiwan’s Yang Mao-lin (楊茂林) and Hung Yi (洪易). The works on display are inspired by the aesthetics of anime and manga.
▲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 Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6:30pm. Tel: (02) 2771-3236
▲Until May 31
Wood and stone carvings and ceramic Buddhist figurines are often decorated with a finishing coat of gold because it symbolizes one of the 32 lakshanas (bodily signs) of a Buddha. Buddhist Statuary in Transition: An Exhibition of Gold and Bronze Statuettes (藏佛觀雲—金銅佛像展) examines the various artistic styles of the different periods in which the religious art was produced.
▲National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館), 49 Nanhai Rd, Taipei City (台北市南海路49號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm.
Tel: (02) 2361-0270. On the Net: www.nmh.gov.tw
▲Until June 21
Headline (頭條新聞) is a joint exhibit by Taiwanese artist Kuo I-chen (郭奕臣) and South Korean artist Kijong Zin. Taking the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as their starting point, the two artists employ video, digital images and sculpture to explore how the mass media create the idea of the hero in contemporary society.
▲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
▲Until May 17
Cloud Gate — Confronting the Ocean Exhibition (雲門特展—面對大海的進行式) is an exhibit that looks at the dance troupe’s history. The display reveals how Cloud Gate has grown and evolved from a small dance company in 1973 to the world-class dance group that it is today, and how it is recovering from last year’s fire that devastated its rehearsal studio.
▲Taipei Story House (台北故事館), 181-1, Zhongshan N Rd, Sec 3 Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181-1號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2587-5565
▲Until June 28
MOCA, Taipei is currently running an installation for the 14 performance art companies and visual artists who were nominated for the Seventh Taishin Art Awards (台新藝術獎).
▲Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (MOCA, Taipei), 39 Changan W Rd, Taipei City (台北市長安西路39號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2552-3721. On the Net: www.mocataipei.org.tw
▲Until May 24
The Deep seeks to reveal the mysteries found in the deepest parts of the world’s oceans, including some of the bizarre creatures that live there.
▲National Taiwan Museum (台灣博物館), 2 Xiangyang Rd, Taipei City (台北市襄陽路2號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 5pm. Tel (02) 2382-2566. On the Net: www.ntm.gov.tw
▲Until July 12
Arcadie features 83 original works by 42 masters, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Joan Miro. The exhibition is co-organized by TFAM and France’s Centre Pompidou.
▲Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM), galleries 1A and 1B, 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9:30am to 5:30pm, closes at 8:30pm on Saturdays. Tel: (02) 2595-7656. On the Net: www.tfam.museum
▲Until July 12
Life, Illusion of Bodies (空身幻影) is a solo exhibition by Taiwanese artist Lee Kuang-yu (李光裕). Lee’s abstract sculptures investigate themes such as the shifting line between the real and unreal, movement and stillness and the visible and the invisible.
▲Taipei National University of Arts — Guandu Museum of Arts (台北藝術大學關渡美術館), 1 Xueyuan Rd, Beitou Dist, Taipei City (台北市北投區學園路1號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 5pm. Tel: (02) 2896-1000 X2432. On the Net: kdmofa.tnua.edu.tw
▲Until June 14
Chang Dai-chien: Memorial Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition (張大千110—書畫紀念特展) displays 96 works by one of the 20th century’s most revered painters working in Chinese art. From his early output, which was firmly rooted in tradition, to his later paintings, which were influenced by modernism, this exhibit provides insight into the painter’s evolution as an artist and the different schools of thought that influenced him.
▲National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館), 49 Nanhai Rd, Taipei City (台北市南海路49號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2361-0270. On the Net: www.nmh.gov.tw
▲Until June 14
Collision Between Taboo and Desire: Hou Chun-ming Works of Print, 1992-2008 (六腳侯氏—衝撞在慾望與禁忌之間的版畫創作1992-2008) displays 13 sets of the artist’s printmaking. Bearing titles such as Erotic Paradise and Paradise Lost for the Heterosexuals, the prints unflinchingly explore religion,
sexual desire and the artist’s own
life experiences.
▲National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung (國立台灣美術館), 2, Wucyuan 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
▲Until May 24
Nine Taiwanese nervously stand on an observation platform at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport. It’s 9:20am on March 27, 1968, and they are awaiting the arrival of Liu Wen-ching (柳文卿), who is about to be deported back to Taiwan where he faces possible execution for his independence activities. As he is removed from a minibus, a tenth activist, Dai Tian-chao (戴天昭), jumps out of his hiding place and attacks the immigration officials — the nine other activists in tow — while urging Liu to make a run for it. But he’s pinned to the ground. Amid the commotion, Liu tries to
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
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
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