The National Theater Concert Hall (NTCH) seems to have struck the right note with this year’s World View Series, which focuses on Spain and Portugal. Half of the programs sold out weeks ago.
A total of six artists, groups and troupes will be performing starting next week and running through early November as part of the Hola, Ole series. If you haven’t already bought tickets for the Ballet Nacional de Espana’s La Leyenda in the National Theater, Spanish theater group Atalaya Teatro’s Divinas Palabras in the Experimental Theater, or the Romeros Guitar Quartet in the Concert Hall, then you are out of luck.
The shows that still have seats, however, offer a diverse array of talent and an intriguing introduction to cultures of the Iberian Peninsula.
Photo Courtesy of National Theater Concert Hall
The rather unusually named Madrid theater company Animalario — or Animal Research Facility — will open the series on Thursday night at the National Theater with a four-performance run of Urtain.
The play by Juan Cavestany is a retelling of the legend of Spanish boxer Jose Manuel Ibar Azpiazu, better known by his nickname, Urtain. He was one of 10 children and lived a hard-scrabble life before becoming Spain’s rock-lifting champion at age 14, a title he held for 11 years before taking up the gloves as a professional boxer at age 25. He won his first 30 fights with knockouts and became a national hero. Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco was reportedly his No. 1 fan. Urtain retired in 1977 and tried for a comeback in 1986, but was deemed too old by Spanish boxing authorities. He died on July 21, 1992, at age 49, just four days before the start of the Barcelona Olympics, reportedly a suicide.
The entire 110-minute play takes place inside a boxing ring, although it is not all punching and dialogue; there is a bit of music and flamenco added to the mix.
Photo Courtesy of National Theater Concert Hall
Just like the audience at any boxing match, the playgoers will sit around the ring, which means they will be on stage. The National Theater is warning ticket holders that latecomers will not be admitted, there is no intermission, and that some of the material may be sexually suggestive. The play will be performed in Spanish, with Chinese subtitles.
There will also be a pre-show lecture (in Mandarin) 30 minutes before each performance in the main lobby of the theater and a post-show discussion after the final performance on Sept. 25.
The other shows in the series that still have tickets available will be held in the National Concert Hall complex.
Photo Courtesy of National Theater Concert Hall
Misia, a Portuguese fado diva, will perform on Oct. 22 at the National Concert Hall. Her need to perform appears to have been genetic — her Spanish mother was a ballet dancer and her grandmother was a music hall star — although Misia was drawn to song. She moved from her hometown of Porto to Barcelona when she was in her 20s and then lived for a while in Madrid before going back to Portugal and settling in Lisbon.
She gained a reputation for mixing traditional fado music with works by contemporary composers and replacing old lyrics with new, specially written poems, including many by Nobel Literature Laureate Jose Saramago — which didn’t always sit well with fado fans at home. She has developed her own unique brand of urban-based fado that crosses cultures and embraces diverse musical traditions and styles. Her breakthrough album, Garras Dos Sentidos, helped make her the first fado artist to tap into the US market.
Misia will be followed by four fellow Portuguese for the final show in the series, a concert at the Recital Hall by Dancas Ocultas, an accordion quartet now in its 22nd year.
Although all four men are classically trained musicians, they were drawn to the accordion and traditional Portuguese folk music. The quartet’s music has grown to encompass a wide variety of influences, from Italian opera and Bach to pop and rock, but its heart and soul remains with its traditional roots. The group’s name translates as the “Dancing Accordions.”
Performance Notes
WHAT: Animalario’s Urtain
WHEN: Thursday to Sept. 24 at 7:30pm, Sept. 25 at 2:30pm
WHERE: National Theater (國家戲劇院), 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City (台北市中山南路21-1號)
ADMISSION: Tickets areNT$800 to NT$2,500, available at the NTCH box office, online at www.artsticket.com.tw or 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
WHAT: Fado Diva Misia Concert
WHEN: Oct. 22 at 7:30pm
WHERE: National Concert Hall (國家音樂廳), 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City (台北市中山南路21-1號)
ADMISSION: Tickets are NT$700 to NT$2,000, available at the NTCH box office, online at www.artsticket.com.tw or 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
WHAT: Dancas Ocultas (Portuguese Accordion Quartet)
WHEN: Nov. 11 and Nov. 12 at 7:30pm
WHERE: National Recital Hall (國家演奏廳), 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City (台北市中山南路21-1號)
ADMISSION: Tickets are NT$800, available at the NTCH box office, online at www.artsticket.com.tw or 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
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