Theater
Lan Chi-yeah Super Hot (藍祈雅‧啵棒) tells the story of the fictional Lan Chi-yeah, a radical activist who disappeared in 2004. Seven years later, a rumor circulates on the Internet suggesting that the iconic figure will soon reappear on Facebook. The production is the first of Great Jet Lag of a Fictional Flight Through Our Happy Days (青春時差), an ongoing series by Mr Wing Theater Company (人力飛行劇團) that invites artists of different generations to explore the theme of youth.
■ Guling Street Avant-Garde Theatre (牯嶺街小劇場), 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei City (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號)
Photo Courtesy of Mr Wing Theater
■ Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday at 8pm
■ Tickets are NT$400, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Taiwanese artist Lin Jia-jen (林嘉貞) presents two performances as part of a seven-week long interdisciplinary arts event at the Taipei Artist Village involving artists from Taiwan, Japan, France and the US. In Revolutionary Theory, Lin uses images, sounds and improvisation to explore the relationship between nature and the metropolis, while for Eighteen Sweeter, she teams up with three artists to reinterpret her sculptures. For more information, visit www.artistvillage.org or call (02) 3393-7377 X107.
Illustration: Blake Carter
■ Barry Room, Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村百里廳)
■ Tomorrow and Sunday at 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$200 at the door
Just Play It! (彈琴說愛) is the product of a collaboration between theater director Ismene Ting (丁乃箏) of Performance Workshop Theatre (表演工作坊), musician Hsu Che-cheng (許哲誠) and American pianist John Vaughan. The popular show toured Taiwan and China after premiering in April last year.
■ Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台), 25, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段25號)
■ Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Initiated by ResCen of Middlesex University and the Beijing Dance Academy (北京舞蹈學院) in 2009 and joined by the Taipei National University of the Arts (國立臺北藝術大學) this year, dance program ArtCross — DansCross invites 10 celebrated choreographers to choose young dancers to participate in a three-week workshop. The results will be staged at the university this weekend.
■ Experimental Theatre, Taipei National University of the Arts (國立臺北藝術大學展演中心戲劇廳), 1 Xueyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市學園路1號)
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$350, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Tuesdays With Morrie, Godot Theatre Company’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.
■ Hsinchu County Performance Hall of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (新竹縣文化局演藝廳), 146 Sianjheng 9th Road, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County (新竹縣竹北市縣政九路146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
Apotheosis of Dance (舞蹈的神化), part of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra’s (國立台灣交響樂團) Beethoven Series, features guest conductor Christopher Seaman and concert pianist Menahem Pressler. The program includes Beethoven’s Overture to “Die Geschopfe des Prometheus,” Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58, and Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ Chunghsing Concert Hall, Taichung (台中中興堂), 291-3 Jingwu Rd, Greater Taichung (台中市精武路291之3號)
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Jeannie Cheng 2011 Piano Recital (極致浪漫:鄭怡君鋼琴獨奏會) presents Cheng performing a program that includes Schubert’s Moments Musicals, Op. 94, Chopin’s Piano Sonata, No. 2, Op. 35, Brahms’ Klavierstucke, Op. 118, and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata, No. 2, Op. 36.
■ Sunday at 7:30pm
■ National Recital Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$800, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Contemporary
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Tonight is a party titled An Evening of Golden Melodies in Chinese Languages (華語金曲之夜), with DJs spinning tunes sung in Mandarin, Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), Hakka and Aboriginal languages. Tomorrow and Sunday’s shows featuring geek-chic rocker Crowd Lu (盧廣仲) are sold out.
■ 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 9pm tonight and 8pm tomorrow and Sunday
■ NT$800 tonight, sold out tomorrow and Sunday. 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 The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists, hosts Australian group The Rumours, with local garage rock band The White Eyes (白目樂團) as the opening act. Tomorrow’s show featuring indie-pop stars Tizzy Bac is sold out. Indie rock bands Slimo (黏菌樂團), Posh Inverse (優雅逆轉) and upbeat punks Punkhoo(胖虎樂團) take to the stage on Sunday. On Wednesday, it’s a dance rock party featuring The White Eyes, The Shine and Shine and Shine and Shine (閃閃閃閃) and Unfamiliar Friends Party (不熟的朋友派對).
■ 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
■ Shows start at 8pm
■ NT$600 tonight, sold out tomorrow, NT$400 (NT$300 in advance) on Wednesday. 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 tucked in a small lane in the National Taiwan University area, hosts singer-songwriter Iris Lin (林綾). Tomorrow AAN (安) plays 1990s-style alt-rock. Jazz guitarist Gin Lin (林華勁) performs with his group on Wednesday and on Thursday, it’s Mando-pop singers Fiona Wu (吳南穎) and AB (白安).
■ 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
Tonight Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club in Taipei, hosts newcomer garage band rockers Vampire Watching Television (吸血鬼看電視) and indie rock band Braces (牙套). Tomorrow, it’s expat synthpop band The Okay Cars and Phantasy of Mirage. On Wednesday, up-and-coming bands Suckman (薩克人) and O Lang Im Gak Sia (黑人音樂社) take to the stage.
■ 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.
Ray Band (雷樂隊), a trio of veteran session musicians, plays power rock originals and covers tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Mando-pop singers Quack Wu (吳忠明) and Kelly Poon (潘嘉麗) take to the stage tomorrow, while the Hands Up Band (分享器樂團) is on Sunday. 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, tomorrow, NT$350 Sunday and NT$150 Monday. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Mando-popper Hsiao Hung-jen (蕭閎仁) performs tonight at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館). Tomorrow it’s electro-rockers The Shine and Shine and Shine and Shine (閃閃閃閃) sharing the bill with indie band Mystery (謎團). On Thursday, Aboriginal rockers SE, who won the battle of the bands at this year’s Ho-Hai-Yan Rock Festival, take to the stage. Also performing is Puyuma songstress Jiajia (家家).
■ 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
■ Shows start at 8:30pm
■ NT$400 tomorrow, Sunday and Thursday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight, rock club Revolver hosts a drum ’n’ bass party featuring DJs Robi Roka, James Ho, Robin Lai and MC Stoppa. Tomorrow it’s Russian Roulette with DJs Zulu, Subtle, Anti-Hero and Radio Rahim.
■ 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$250 tonight and NT$350 tomorrow, includes one drink tonight and two drinks tomorrow
Local ska-meisters Skaraoke play tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts live jazz and blues performances. Tomorrow Groove Base, a seven-piece jazz outfit, takes to the stage. On Tuesday, the house band leads an open jam and on Wednesday, it’s Ka Dao Yin (卡到音即興樂團).
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1), tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappho102.biz
■ Shows start at 10pm. The venue is closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight and tomorrow and Thursday, free on other nights
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights for the week ahead include 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. Music is provided by electric blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). 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 weekend. This weekend is a reggae-themed program, with a triple bill of live bands tonight: Zion Express (錫安特快), Hang in the Air (盪在空中) and Taimaica Sound System (台買加環繞音響). Tomorrow, it’s DJs @llenblow, Shorty, 650, Zo and Selecta Tsunano.
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$250 tonight and NT$350 tomorrow, includes one drink
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Tonight the venue hosts emo-punk group KoOk (庫克樂團) and Mister Mouth (嘴哥樂團). On Sunday, it’s an evening of metal featuring Solemn (恕), Losing Art (漂浮者), Sakeens and Drunkard.
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號). On the Net: pier-2.khcc.gov.tw, www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows start at 7:30pm
■ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Sorrow of Youth (少年維特的煩惱) and Nintendo Generation Blues (任天堂世代憂鬱) take to the stage 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, 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, features live music from the Taipei Latin Soul Band.
■ 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
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