Theater
Taipei Crossover Dance Company’s (台北越界舞團) Spring Tour (春季巡迴) will feature three performances. The first, A Short Life (浮生), is dedicated to the memory of Lo Man-fei (羅曼菲), a founding member of the company who passed away in 2006. To Wait (等待) uses movement to explore the anxiety and anticipation brides and grooms feel before getting married. The third and final instalment of the evening’s three performances, Northern Lights (極光), evokes flickering lights.
▲ Kaohsiung Tsoying Senior High School Dance Hall (高雄左營高中舞蹈劇場), 55 Haigong Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市海功路55號)
▲ Tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$250 and are available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Avenue Q (喜樂社區) by Glorious Theater Company (耀演劇團) is based on the Tony Award-winning musical of the same name. The set and puppets are inspired by the children’s television show Sesame Street, but the themes are adult-oriented and address serious topics such as racism, pornography and homosexuality. The show, geared toward adults, includes full-puppet nudity.
▲ Performing Arts School 36 (表演36房), 156-1, Muxin Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市木新路二段156-1號)
▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm. (Note: Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon performances are sold out)
▲ Tickets are NT$500 and are available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Dubbed the first Broadway-style Hakka musical, My Daughter’s Wedding (福春嫁女) is based on William Shakespeare’s classic, The Taming of the Shrew. It tells the story of a successful career woman who is skeptical of love and fears marriage. No man dares approach her because of her rudeness — except one, who tries to win her heart by unusual means.
▲ Miaoli County Cultural Center Performance Hall (苗栗縣文化局演藝廳), 50 Tzuchih Rd, Miaoli City (苗栗市自治路50號)
▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$900 and are available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Dance Shoe 2008 (2008點子鞋), an annual ballet series by the Kaohsiung City Ballet (高雄城市芭蕾舞團), features Awakening, a new work by Kaohsiung-based choreographer Dominique Yen (顏鳳曦), Winter by Tsai Po-cheng (蔡博丞), Wing (羽翼) by Chang Ya-ting (張雅婷) and Ballet Fantasy (芭蕾狂想) by Kao Hsin-yu (高辛毓).
▲ National Experimental Theater, Taipei City
▲ Tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm. (Note: Tomorrow’s performance is sold out)
▲ Tickets are NT$400 and are available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
Grace Chung 2008 Piano Recital (鍾曉青2008鋼琴獨奏會) showcases the interpretive talents of Grace Chung (鍾曉青), who has won many international piano awards. She will perform a program that includes Berg’s Piano Sonata, Op. 1, Beethoven’s Eroica Variations in E Flat Major, Op.35, Bartok’s Suite, Op. 14, Barber’s Excursions, Op. 20 and Brahms’ Klaviestucke, Op. 119.
▲ Tonight at 7:30pm
▲ National Recital Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$600 and are available through ERA ticketing
Yu Flute Choir Premiere Flute Concert — Beauty and the Beast (游雅慧長笛藝術創團音樂會 — 美女與野獸) sees the emergence of a new musical grouping under the leadership of one of Taiwan’s best-known flautists Yu Ya-hui (游雅慧). In this first major concert since its formation last year, the Yu Flute Choir is joined by Huang Ruei-feng (黃瑞豐) on jazz drums, Sung Fu-ren (宋輔仁) on Latin drums and Lu Sheng-fei (呂聖斐) on keyboard, among others. With the addition of theatrical effects, the musicians will present a new interpretation of the music from Beauty and the Beast, as well as the compositions of Gary Schocker, Mike Mower, Claud Bolling and Raymond Guiot.
▲ Tonight at 7:30pm
▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,500 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Ingolf Turban and the TSO (德意志弦音 — 特本與北市交) sees the celebrated German violinist Ingolf Turban perform with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (TSO) under the baton of Hobart Earle. The program will include Mozart’s Overture to “Le nozze di Figaro,” Beethoven’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64.
▲ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$200 to NT$800 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Luminous Moments — NSO Tchaikovsky Cycle 7 (NSO 發現柴科夫斯基7 — 邁向光明) will see Russian conductor and composer Rudolf Barshai take the helm in conducting the National Symphony Orchestra in a program that headlines with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64 and includes a chamber symphony that is Barshai’s own adaptation of a work of Beethoven’s.
▲ Sunday at 2:30pm
▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,500 and are available through NTCH ticketing
UniCum Laude (崇敬之聲), a performance by the six-part male choir from Hungary will present a program of Renaissance music, European folk songs and contemporary New Music songs. The performance is part of the 2008 Spring Vocal Festival (2008春唱) organized by the Taiwan Choral Music Center (台灣合唱音樂中心).
▲ Tonight at 7:30pm (Changhua) and Wednesday 7:30pm (Taipei)
▲ Changhua County Performance Hall (彰化縣員林演藝廳) at 99, Ln 2, Chungcheng Rd, Yuanlin Township (員林鎮中正路2巷99號) and Taipei Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號)
▲ Tickets are NT$100 in Changhua and NT$200 to NT$800 in Taipei
Contemporary
Tonight at The Wall (這牆), it’s punk-rock-turned-post-rock five-piece and Golden Melody Award-winners the Chairman (董事長), with special guest Chiang Chin-hsing (蔣進興), son of the late Amis singer Difang who gained global recognition for a song that German group Enigma sampled — without obtaining his prior consent — for its hit Return to Innocence. Tomorrow is a night with Golden Melody Award-winning indie-folk band Sodagreen (蘇打綠). MySpace phenomenon Colbie Caillat, stage name Coco, brings her upbeat R ’n’ B-tinged, Fleetwood Mac-influenced tunes to The Wall early on Sunday afternoon. The California singer/songwriter’s single Bubbly reached the top five on Billboard’s download chart last year and has sold several hundred thousand copies. Sodagreen takes the stage again on the Sunday evening. Canadian indie-rock supergroup Broken Social Scene plays on Tuesday (see story on Page 15). It’s Sodagreen again on Wednesday. Singer/songwriter Peggy Hsu (許哲珮) performs on Thursday.
▲ 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 log on at www.the-wall.com.tw for more information
▲ Shows start at 8pm, except for the Sodagreen shows, which all start at 7:30pm, and Sunday’s Coco concert, which starts at 1:30pm
▲ NT$400 tonight, tomorrow and on Thursday; and NT$2,800 on Tuesday. Admission includes one drink. The Sodagreen shows are all sold out. For admission to Coco’s concert, call Universal Music at (02) 2502-4546
Human Brutality, which plays death-metal-core, and hardcore act Beyond Cure (病入膏肓) crank up the volume tonight at Underworld (地下社會). Metal core/emo band 831 (八三夭) appears tomorrow, along with metal act Triple Six (666). The Astronuts and Sonic Deadhorse, a one-man electro-rock band, play on Wednesday.
▲ 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
▲ Bands start playing after 9pm. The bar is open from 8pm daily, except Mondays
▲ Entrance for shows is NT$300 and includes one drink. On Tuesdays, drinks are buy-one-get-one-free before midnight
House regular RAY Band (雷樂隊), which plays power rock originals and covers rock, blues and country greats like Deep Purple, Bad Company, Jeff Beck, The Beatles and Stevie Wonder, takes to the stage tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Coach (刺客), a funk/nu-metal band that puts on a great live show, plays tomorrow night. Golden Melody Award-winning Puyuma musicians Hao-en (吳昊恩) and Chi Jia-ying (紀家瑩), known as Hao-en and Jia-jia (家家與昊恩), perform on Sunday, along with Passiwali (巴西瓦里). Monday is open-jam night. Indie bands Red Flower (紅花) and Punk Hoo (胖虎) play on Tuesday. Singer Debbie Hsiao (蕭賀碩) performs on Wednesday, followed by singer Bibi Chao (趙之璧) and her band. Then on Thursday, it’s String and String: The Dialogue of an Encounter (弦與弦，在對話路上相遇), with Tokyo-based acoustic guitar virtuoso Ken Ohtake and pipa player Chung Yu-feng (鍾玉鳳).
▲ 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
▲ Shows start at 9:30pm, except Thursday’s, which begins at 8:30pm
▲ NT$450 tonight and NT$400 tomorrow, NT$350 on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Admission includes one drink. There is a one-drink minimum on Monday
Italian DJ Funky Farmer mans the decks tonight at Bliss. Tomorrow, alt-country band Johnny Fatstacks and friends will “provide entertainment via a jam session with other willing patrons.”
▲ 148, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段148號), one block east of Dunhua South Road (敦化南路). Call Bliss at (02) 2702-1855 or log on at www.bliss-taipei.com. For more information on live performances at Bliss, go to www.myspace.com/blisslivehouse
▲ Shows start at 10pm. Bar/kitchen open from 7pm daily. Ladies night Fridays; women get one free cocktail of their choice
▲ Entrance to the bar is free. Cover for the live music upstairs is NT$200
Witch House (女巫店) hosts indie singer Huang Pei-yu (黃培育) tonight and indie band Mrs This (這位太太) tomorrow.
▲ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Road Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). 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 Sunday to Wednesday; 11am to 1am Thursday to Saturday
▲ NT$300 entrance includes one drink
Living Room (小客廳) fixture No Name returns tonight to perform his own originals and covers of English- and Chinese-language classics. Tuesday is Tarot Night, with house regular Eiffel (艾菲爾) who promises to give you a glimpse of your future and offer useful advice about your life.
▲ 3F, 8, Nanjing E Rd Sec 5, Taipei City (台北市南京東路五段8號3樓). Call (02) 8787-4154 or visit www.livingroomtaipei.com
▲ 11pm tonight; 7:30pm to 11pm on Tuesday
▲ NT$300 charge and NT$200 suggested donation tonight; NT$1,000 on Tuesday
Exhibition
Architecture and Art Show (建築與藝術展). As a form of spatial art, architecture not only reflects humanity’s adaptation to and experience of the social environment, but combines aesthetic and cultural concerns to become a manifestation of human society. The exhibition features works by celebrated artists and architects.
▲ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm, Saturday until 8:30pm. Call (02) 2595-7656
▲ Until May 25
Human, Body, Memory Series 1 (「人、身體、記憶」四人攝影展系列一). The gallery-cum-coffee shop invited four veteran photographers to share their previous and new works under the title “Human, Body and Memory.” Lin Po-liang (林柏樑) is the first of the group to display his works. The whole exhibition runs until the end of this year.
▲ Cafe Noir (咖啡黑), 29 Siwei Rd, Taipei City (台北市四維路29號). Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30am to 10pm. Call (02) 2325-6886
▲ From tomorrow through April 30
Seeming the Same and Yet So Different — Solo Exhibition by He Wei (雙城記 — 四座城市的翦影). The photos on display were taken in four cities — Hong Kong, Taipei, Berlin and Vienna.
▲ German Cultural Center Taipei (台北德國文化中心), 12F, 20, Hoping W Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市和平西路一段20號12樓). Open Monday to Friday from 10am to 8pm. Call (02) 2365-7294
▲ Until April 11
Solo Exhibition on Wang Huaiqing’s Paintings (王懷慶畫展). A heavyweight painter in China, award-winning artist Wang is known for his innovative studies in oil
painting. Described as standing at the intersection of the tradition and
modern, the abstract and the concrete, Wang has created a style of his own and attempts to decipher the fast changing society through art.
▲ 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 Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Call (02) 2361-0270
▲ Until March 16
The Origin — Tsen Lo’s Solo Exhibition (原形所在—洛貞個展). The title of the exhibition of Lo’s paintings refers to the concepts of essence and humanity that inspire the artist’s diverse artwork. Her work is said to aptly illustrate contemporary aesthetics.
▲ National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung (國立台灣美術館), 2, Wuchuan W Rd Sec 1, Taichung City (台中市五權西路一段2號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Call (04) 2372-3552
▲ Until Sunday
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