Theater
Bai Xiang Lan (白香蘭) by Sun Hope Taiwanese Opera Troupe (尚和歌仔戲劇團) is a Hoklo-language (commonly known as Taiwanese) musical about the life of a female cabaret performer in 1950s Taiwan. Featuring classical songs by Taiwanese composer Yang San-lang (楊三郎), the production is a joint effort by many talents, including theater director Yang Shih-ping (楊士平), members of the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra (高雄市國樂團), and the troupe’s operatic performers and musicians.
■ National Theater, Taipei City
Photo Courtesy of Sun Hope Taiwanese Opera Troupe
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$600 to NT$3,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
To celebrate its fifth anniversary, Chamber Ballet Taipei (台北室內芭蕾舞團) is staging a contemporary rendition of Giselle. The piece is choreographed by Allen Yu (余能盛) and stars soloists Julie Gardette of the Finnish National Ballet as well as Michal Stipa and Alexandre Katsapov from the Czech National Ballet Theatre. [See story on page 13.]
■ 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, Sunday at 3pm
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
2011 New Taipei City Riverside Art Festival (新北市水岸藝術節) is scheduled to continue this weekend, but look out for weather delays. Invited groups and artists include Latin music band Montunos, Semilla Flamenco Dance (賽米亞佛拉明哥舞團) and Artist Chamber Orchestra (亞堤斯特大眾管弦樂). For more information, visit www.ntpcriverside.com.tw.
■ East Plaza at Bitan, Sindian District, New Taipei City (新店區碧潭東岸廣場)
■ The festival runs through Aug. 28
■ Free admission
Ku & Dancers (古舞團) demonstrates its brand of improvisatory dance this weekend with Dance in Kaohsiung (無動不舞2011舞遠弗界:愛舞在高).
■ Wei Wu Ying Center for the Arts (衛武營藝術文化中心), 449-1 Nanjing Rd, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市南京路449-1號)
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$100, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Tuesdays With Morrie, Godot Theatre’s (果陀劇場) newest production, is the stage adaptation of US author Mitch Albom’s 1997 memoir. In the best-selling work, Albom recounts the lessons he learned from visiting his former professor Morrie Schwartz, who was dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a terminal disease caused by the degeneration of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. The cast is led by actor Chin Shih-chieh (金士傑) in the role of Morrie.
■ Tainan Municipal Cultural Center (台南市立文化中心), 332, Jhonghua E Rd Sec 3, Greater Tainan (台南市中華東路三段332號)
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
Nuance Chamber Ensemble 2011 Concert (微分音室內樂集2011) is the 10th anniversary concert of the Nuance Chamber Ensemble trio, which is comprised of Lin Wen-hsuan (林文宣) on violin, Chen Ho-yi (陳禾宜) on piano and Hsieh Meng-jung (謝孟容) on cello. They will perform a program that includes Shostakovitch’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 67, Schoenfield’s Cafe Music and Brahms’ Piano Trio N.1 in B Major, Op. 8.
■ Today at 7:30pm (Hsinchu) and Monday at 7:30pm (Taipei)
■ Hsinchu City Performance Hall of Bureau of Cultural Affairs (新竹市文化局演藝廳), 17, Dongda Rd Sec 2, Hsinchu City (新竹市東大路二段17號) and National Recital Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$100 for Hsinchu and NT$300 to NT$500 for Taipei, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.tickets.com.tw
Chenggong High School Choir Concert (拉縴之聲2011音樂會︰喚醒童年的夢) brings the Chenggong High School Choir (成功高中合唱團) to the National Concert Hall to perform a program that includes John Rutter’s Mass of the Children. The choir has a history of over 50 years and in 2008 won the best male youth choir award at the Hong Kong International Youth and Children’s Choir Festival (香港國際青少年合唱藝術節). It will be joined by the choirs of the Taipei Municipal Dazhi Senior High School (大直高中) and Kuang Jen Catholic High School (光仁高中). The program also includes Otieno’s Sigalagala, Jaakko Manty Jarvi’s El Hambo and Budi Susanto Yohanes’ Janger.
■ Monday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,200, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com
Contemporary
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. No shows are scheduled for tonight as of press time. Tomorrow’s show with Malaysian Mando-pop star Michael Wong (王光良) is sold out, as are Crowd Lu’s (盧廣仲) concerts on Sunday and Monday. On Thursday, Japanese rock group Takayukidan (多火油機) takes to the stage, sharing the bill with comedic nakashi rockers The Clippers (夾子電動大樂隊) and high-energy garage rockers 88 Balaz (88顆芭樂籽).
■ 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
■ Sold out tonight, tomorrow, Sunday and Monday, NT$500 on Thursday (NT$300 in advance). Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw or www.legacy.com.tw or at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Tonight at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists, post-punk group Macbeth (馬克白) and indie pop veterans 1976 take to the stage. [See story above.] Their sets are followed by a party presented by Dance Rock Taipei. DJs include Spykee and Sandoz. Tomorrow it’s Japanese glam rock band Libraian. On Sunday, I Get It (那我懂你意思了), Zhongligou (中離狗) and indie pop group Tipsy take to the stage.
■ 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
■ Show starts at 8pm. Saturday’s dance party starts at 11:30pm
■ NT$500 tonight, NT$400 for dance party afterwards, NT$1,700 tomorrow (NT$1,500 in advance), and NT$400 (NT$300 in advance) on Sunday. Tickets for all shows can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area, hosts Sissey Chao (趙一豪), who sounds like Jim Morrison singing in Mandarin, and his band Double X. Tomorrow it’s Taitung Amis singer Long-ge (龍哥), who is known for his rousing drinking songs. Also appearing is Puyuma pop singer Leo Chen (陳永龍).
■ 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
Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club in Taipei, hosts punk band Random and We Are So Sad (傷心欲絕) tonight. Tomorrow psychedelic rockers Sleaze (湯湯水水) and Slack Tide take to the stage. On Wednesday, it’s Bouncy Metal (包子饅頭) and Northern Comfort (北方安逸).
■ 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
■ Shows run from 9pm to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. 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
Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) hosts Scott Prairie and his band tonight. The co-founder of World Music group A Moving Sound will be presenting original solo material that goes into pop and rock territory. Tomorrow it’s happy-go-lucky indie rock band Relax One (輕鬆玩) and on Sunday, singer Frida Li (利得彙) takes to the stage. Monday is the venue’s weekly open jam.
■ 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
■ Show starts tonight at 9:30pm, 9pm on all other nights. For a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site
■ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, NT$350 Sunday and NT$150 Monday. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight, Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館) indie-pop singer-songwriter Peggy Hsu (許哲珮) performs songs from her new album Le Cirque (馬戲團1號). Tomorrow night it’s Mando-pop singer Shadya (藍又時). On Thursday, Morning Call (輕晨電) and Tong-en (同恩) take to the stage.
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號), tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Show starts at 8:30pm tonight, 8pm tomorrow and 8:30pm on Thursday
■ NT$500 tonight and tomorrow, NT$400 on Thursday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight, rock club Revolver hosts punk bands BB Bomb (BB彈), Okay Cars (二手車), Trash, Young David and Inhuman Species (非人物種). Tomorrow night, it’s Mugen Hoso and rockabilly band Full House, followed by DJs Chicano, Vicar and Twohands [see The Vinyl Word].
■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 usually start after 10pm. Contact venue for precise times
■ Entrance is NT$300 tonight and tomorrow, includes one drink
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. The usual highlights include Mando-pop songstress Julia Peng (彭佳慧) on Tuesday and male crooner Shin Lung (辛龍), who performs every Saturday. Acclaimed Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君) performs on Thursdays.
■ 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
Italian restaurant Capone’s hosts Taipei Swing, which holds its weekly social on Fridays. All are welcome to join and a beginner’s lesson is offered. Electric blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ), which normally plays on Fridays, is on break until next week. Tomorrow, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. On Wednesday nights, it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas and bassist Rick Taira.
■ 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 Village Cafe (村落餐廳), a bar and cafe located at the Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村), hosts live music performances every Saturday. This week features indie rock bands Under the Moon and Nintendo Generation Blues.
■ 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路7號), tel: (02) 3393-7377 X207
■ Tomorrow at 9pm
■ Entrance is NT$300, which includes one drink
Tomorrow, The 3 Baboons Sports Bar & Grill, an expat hangout at the Taimall Shopping Center (台茂購物中心) in Taoyuan, hosts an evening of live rock from Alice and Her Musicians.
■ Taimall Shopping Center (台茂購物中心), 112, Nankan Rd Sec 1, Lujhu Township, Taoyuan County (桃園縣蘆竹鄉南崁路一段112號), tel: (03) 212-2150. On the Net: www.3baboons.com
■ Starts at 8pm
■ Entrance is free
The Lawns (草地人), Low Brightness Period and Mango Green Stone (芒果綠石頭) play tomorrow night at The Mercury (水星酒館), an indie rock club in Kaohsiung.
■ 46 Liwen Rd, Zuoying Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市左營區立文路46號), tel: (07) 550-8617. On the Net: mercurybar.blogspot.com
■ Starts at 9pm
■ Entrance is NT$250, which includes one drink
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
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