Theater
Body Expression Dance Theater’s (體相舞蹈劇場) The Bubbles (泡氣球) creates a feast for the eyes with dancers performing and interacting with colorful balloons and installation pieces while taking a sober look at today’s high-pressure society. [See story on the right.]
■ Experimental Theater, Taipei City
Illustration: Blake Carter, Taipei Times
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Windmill Fantasia 2 (紙風車幻想曲), Paper Windmill Theater Troupe’s (紙風車劇團) latest production for children, mixes classical music, painting and light effects to tell a story about the mysterious disappearance of students at the School of Magic.
Photo courtesy of Body Expression Dance Theater
■ National Theater, Taipei City
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 10:30am and 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Master of Chinese cross-talk (相聲) Wu Jau-nan (吳兆南) leads a cast of comedians including veteran Ann Lang (郎祖筠) and new talent Chi Tien-yu (姬天語) on a romp through the Republic of China’s past 100 years of history.
■ Taipei Zhongshan Hall (台北中山堂), 98 Yanping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號)
■ Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,200, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Godot Theatre Company’s (果陀劇場) A Handbook for Love (新神鵰瞎侶求愛攻略) is a romantic comedy that mixes fantasy with martial arts to dramatize four men and women’s search for true love. The production is helmed by the troupe’s founder and artistic director Liang Chih-min (梁志民) and features a cast of pop stars including Xiao Man (小蠻) and model-turned-actor Lance Yu (余秉諺).
■ Eslite Bookstore Xinyi Branch Performance Hall (誠品信義店展演廳), 6F, 11 Songgao Rd, Taipei City (台北市松高路11號6樓)
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm, Sunday at 1:30pm and 4:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$700 and NT$1,999, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Circus in Camouflage (迷彩馬戲團) by Representation Theatre (再現劇團) presents a contemporary fable in which soldiers find that there is no escape from their military base.
■ Representation Theatre’s Arts Factory (再現劇團藝術工場), B1, 43, Nanchang Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市南昌路一段43號B1)
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Admission by donation
Classical music
A Feast of Summer Music (夏日音樂饗宴) presents a program of music performed by pianist Eric Chen (陳冠宇) and the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (長榮交響樂團) under the baton of Chuang Wen-chen (莊文貞). The program includes Strauss’ Fledermaus Overture, Anderson’s Bugler’s Holiday, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 1 and No. 5, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and works by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ Taichung Tun District Art Center (台中市立屯區藝文中心), 201 Dasing Rd, Taiping Dist, Greater Taichung (台中市太平區大興路201號)
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$2,000, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
Piano and Trumpet Concerto (小號與鋼琴協奏曲之夜) features pianist Yang Chien-ying (楊千瑩) and trumpet virtuoso Kaoru Sugiki performing with the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (長榮交響樂團) under the baton of Gernot Schmalfuss in a program that includes Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony, Shostakovich’s Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Trumpet and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, “Scottish.”
■ Thursday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,500, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
NSO 25 — The 25th Season Opening Concert (開季音樂會：昂首‧領航) opens the National Symphony Orchestra (國家交響樂團) season with a performance by visiting soloist Liu Meng-chieh (劉孟捷), Italy-based soprano Chu Tai-li (朱苔麗) and the NSO performing under the baton of Lu Shao-chia (呂紹嘉). The program includes Chiang Wen-yeh’s (江文也) Sketches of the Old Capital (北京點點), Taiwanese Dance (台灣舞曲) and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68, as well as arias from Adriana Lecouvreur, Manon Lescaut and La Forza del Destino.
■ Today at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Legendary Year 1911 (風雲1911) celebrates two works that had their premiere in 1911, also the year of the founding of the Republic of China. The two works are Stravinsky’s Petrushka (the revised 1947 version will be performed), and Strauss’ Suite of Der Rosenkavalier. These will be performed by the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra (國立台灣交響樂團) under artistic director Lan Shui (水藍) with Chen Sa (陳薩) on piano. The program includes Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat Major, Op. 10.
■ Today at 7:30pm (Tainan) and tomorrow at 7:30pm (Taichung)
■ Tainan Municipal Cultural Center Performance Hall (台南市立文化中心演藝廳), 332 Jhonghua E Rd Sec 3, Greater Tainan (台南市中華東路三段332號) and Chunghsing Concert Hall, Greater Taichung (台中市中興堂), 291-3 Chingwu Rd, Greater Taichung (大台中精武路291之3號)
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,000 at both venues, available through NTCH ticketing or online at
www.artsticket.com.tw
Varga and Jian Wang — Rococo and Planets (洛可可行星) is a performance by the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (台北市立交響樂團) that includes Martucci’s Notturno, Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme in A Major, Op. 33 and Holst’s The Planets. The orchestra will be joined by guest conductor Gilbert Varga and feature cellist Wang Jian (王健).
■ Sunday at 2:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,500, 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. Hong Kong crooner Anthony Wong (黃耀明) takes to the stage tonight. Tomorrow Olivia Ong (王儷婷), known for her sultry take on pop and jazz, performs in a sold-out show. On Sunday it’s Hong Kong actress and singer Josie Ho (何超儀) and her band The Uni Boys. Macau pop duo Soler performs on Wednesday, and their concert features a guest appearance by Taiwanese pop legend Lo Ta-yu (羅大佑).
■ 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
■ NT$1,500 tonight, sold out tomorrow, NT$900 on Sunday (NT$700 in advance), NT$1,000 on Thursday (NT$800 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
No shows are scheduled this weekend at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists. On Wednesday, three top-shelf bands take to the stage: electro-rockers Salamander (沙羅曼蛇), new wave revivalists Macbeth (馬克白) and dance rock mavens Go Chic. On Thursday, it’s punk groups The Lawns (草地人), Low Brightness Period and Contrast (衝突效應)
■ 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$500 on Wednesday (NT$400 in advance), NT$400 on Thursday (NT$300 in advance). 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 vicinity of National Taiwan University, hosts indie rock singer-songwriter Moonteg and alt-rock band the Silent Toads (啾吉惦惦). Garage rockers Bowztiger (包子虎樂團) and solo act Easy take to the stage tomorrow, and on Thursday, it’s indie acts Paper Girl (紙片女孩) and I Get It (那我懂你意思了).
■ 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 AAN (安), which plays 1990s-style alt-rock. The band shares the bill with hardcore punk bands Fucking Need Not Reasons (幹不需要理由) and The Deposers (罷黜者). Tomorrow it’s a ska party with Skaraoke and Japanese ska-punk group Pez Stomp. On Wednesday, the venue hosts indie upstarts New Sunglasses (新墨鏡) and Wind Evasion (風迷藏).
■ 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
New England Spirit, a trio of Berklee College of Music graduates, performs jazz tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Tomorrow it’s garage rock band Mary See the Future. On Sunday garage rockers Trash and Taiwan Soul Band (台灣爽) take 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
Pop-rock group Thirty Plus plays tonight at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館). Tomorrow the venue hosts pop singer Victor Wong (品冠), and on Sunday it’s jazz vocalist Tammy Tang (唐么玫). On Thursday Astro Bunny (原子邦妮) and dance rock group P!SCO 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
■ Shows start at 8:30pm
■ NT$300 tonight and NT$400 tomorrow and Thursday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
The Nomads Ensemble performs European jazz and folk tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts live jazz and blues performances. Tomorrow Plan W takes to the stage. On Tuesday, the venue’s house band leads an open jam. On Wednesday, it’s disco funk and acid jazz from Electric Mess Age (電子混亂世代) and on Thursday it’s DD Fusion.
■ 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, free other nights
Tonight indie rock club Revolver hosts NightZoo with DJs James Ho, Fion, C-Type and AMstereo and Rikki Radge. Tomorrow night indie rockers Touming Magazine (透明雜誌) share the bill with two Japanese groups, Subterraneans and GroundCover. After the bands, DJs Inn, MadBrain, Lai and Neker spin music until the early morning. On Sunday, the venue hosts a ska party with Japanese bands Cream Cheese Cookie and Pez Stomp. Local favorites Skaraoke and 88 Balaz (88顆芭樂籽) are also on the bill. On Thursday, noise rock group She Bang-a (死蚊子) and electro-rockers Sunset Rollercoaster take to the stage.
■ 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. Tomorrow’s bands perform from 9pm to 11pm
■ Entrance is NT$250 tonight, NT$300 tomorrow for the bands and NT$300 for the DJ party, NT$300 on Sunday, and NT$200 on Thursday. All prices include one drink
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’s 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 Saturday. Taking to the stage tomorrow are soul group OTA Soul and garage rock band My Skin Against Your Skin.
■ 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, 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 Latin music from Taipei Latin Soul.
■ 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 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-rockers The Looking Glass and The Angles (角落). Tomorrow it’s Mystery, nu-metal band Wavelight (波光折返) and post-rock-ish group Sun of Morning (晨曦光廊).
■ 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$300 tonight and tomorrow.
Tomorrow The Mercury (水星酒館), an indie rock club in Kaohsiung, hosts expat bands Roxymoron and The Okay Cars.
■ 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$200, includes one drink
In 2020, a labor attache from the Philippines in Taipei sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding that a Filipina worker accused of “cyber-libel” against then-president Rodrigo Duterte be deported. A press release from the Philippines office from the attache accused the woman of “using several social media accounts” to “discredit and malign the President and destabilize the government.” The attache also claimed that the woman had broken Taiwan’s laws. The government responded that she had broken no laws, and that all foreign workers were treated the same as Taiwan citizens and that “their rights are protected,
March 16 to March 22 In just a year, Liu Ching-hsiang (劉清香) went from Taiwanese opera performer to arguably Taiwan’s first pop superstar, pumping out hits that captivated the Japanese colony under the moniker Chun-chun (純純). Last week’s Taiwan in Time explored how the Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) theme song for the Chinese silent movie The Peach Girl (桃花泣血記) unexpectedly became the first smash hit after the film’s Taipei premiere in March 1932, in part due to aggressive promotion on the streets. Seeing an opportunity, Columbia Records’ (affiliated with the US entity) Taiwan director Shojiro Kashino asked Liu, who had
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