Theater
U-Theatre brings its six-part ode to its Laoquanshan (老泉山) home, The Mountain Dawn (入夜山嵐), to the National Theater tonight for four performances. It’s a softer, gentler production that reflects the quietness of the land [see Diane Baker’s preview at www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2009/03/13/2003438369].Tonight’s show is sold out but tickets remain for the other performances.
▲Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm, matinees tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲National Theater (國家戲劇院), 21-1, Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City (台北市中山南路21-1號)
▲NT$700 to NT$2,500; available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw. Wide-range of seats still available for the two matinees, limited seats for tomorrow night.
Young dancers and choreographers from Focus Dance Company (焦點舞團) fuse together elements from modern dance, tai chi, ballet and traditional Chinese dance in the group’s latest production, Focus (聚焦). Works by Lin Hwai-min (林懷民) and Zhang Xiao-xiong (張曉雄) will also be performed.
▲Taipei National University of the Arts — Dance Theater (國立台北藝術大學舞蹈廳), 1, Xueyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市學園路1號).
▲Today at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$350, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
The Two Gentlemen of Verona is the latest installment of Tainaner Ensemble’s (台南人劇團) Shakespeare series, which started with Romeo and Juliet, followed by Hamlet and Macbeth. The troupe is following the same approach that has proven successful in previous productions, updating the bard’s centuries-old scripts and localizing them to appeal to contemporary Taiwanese audiences.
▲Tainan Human Theater Factory (台南人戲工場), 3F, Baida Education and Cultural Center (百達文教中心3樓), 85 Shengli Rd, Tainan City (台南市勝利路85號)
▲Today at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$450, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical
Katia and Marielle Labeque (拉貝克姐妹雙鋼琴音樂會) presents the Labeque sisters, who have been praised as being “the best piano duo in front of an audience today” by the New York Times, performing a program that includes Mozart’s Sonata in D-Major, Schubert’s Fantaisie in F-Minor, and Revel’s Mother Goose and Rhapsodie Espagnole.
▲Monday (Taichung) and Tuesday (Taipei) at 7:30pm
▲Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中市中山堂), 98 Syueshi Rd, Taichung City (台中市學士路98號); National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲Tickets are NT$500 to NT$5,000, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
AMA Principal Soloists Series — Andrei Yeh (亞藝首席獨奏家系列 — 葉孟儒鋼琴獨奏會) sees Taiwan-born, Russian-trained pianist Andrei Yeh (葉孟儒) perform a series of concerts around Taiwan. The series opens tomorrow with a free performance in Taoyuan County. Yeh will perform a program that includes Debussy’s Preludes and Rachmaninoff’s Prelude Op. 23.
▲Tomorrow (Taoyuan) and Wednesday (Hsinchu) at 7:30pm
▲Performing Arts Hall of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taoyuan County Government (桃園縣政府文化局演藝廳), 21 Sianfu Rd, Taoyuan County (桃園市縣府路21號) and Performing Arts Center of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Hsinchu County (新竹縣文化中心演藝廳), 146 Sianjheng 9th Rd, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County (新竹縣竹北市縣政九路146號)
▲Free admission for the Taoyuan concert, NT$150 to NT$400 for Hsinchu; available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
NSO Forever Tales — The Mice War (NSO 永遠的童話 — 鼠際大戰) brings together the Shiny Shoes Children’s Theater (鞋子兒童實驗劇團) and the NSO Soloists (NSO獨奏家群) for the Asian premiere of The Mice War, a children’s opera by American jazz composer David Chesky, who is currently a composer in residence at the NSO. The story is about two mice clans who go to war over a dispute concerning cheese. The orchestra will be conducted by Chang Yin-fang (張尹芳).
▲Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲National Experimental Theater, Taipei City
▲Tickets are NT$500 (sold out)
Contemporary
The Taipei County Government’s Bitan Music Festival (碧潭音樂節) continues every weekend until March 29 with free outdoor performances at the Bitan riverside area outside of Xindian MRT Station. Tomorrow’s program features Bollo Band, a group formed by Indonesians living in Taiwan, led by singer Lisa, who says their music “eases homesickness” for the Indonesian community in Taiwan. On Sunday it’s Nityalila (妮提阿里拉), an award-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist from the Philippines, and her three-piece backing band.
▲The festival takes place at the Bitan riverside area, just outside of Xindian MRT Station (新店捷運站)
▲Shows go from 3pm to 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays
▲The event is free; for more information and full schedule, visit www.2009bmf.com.tw
VU Live House hosts electro and disco-punk DJs the Sinister Sound Syndicate tomorrow night.
▲B1, 77, Wuchang St Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市武昌街二段77號B1). Tel: (02) 2314-1868
▲Show begins at 11pm
▲Entrance fee tonight is NT$250, includes one drink
The Wall (這牆) hosts some big shows this weekend and next week. Tonight it’s American band Story of the Year, which makes its angst melodic by combining grunge and hardcore metal with emo-style vocals. Japanese band Supe and local emo group Hindsight (光景消逝) open the show. Tomorrow Japan’s The Band Apart appears to perform its clean, upbeat indie-pop songs that often approach jam-band territory. [See story above.] Happening on Sunday is Emerging From the Cocoon, with metal bands Revilement, EFTC, Crusher and Demise (薨). On Wednesday experimental rock band Battles visits from New York City. The group’s music is often called “Math Rock” for its complex layers of sounds and uncommon time signatures. Indie-electronica band Digihai opens the show. [See story on Page 13.] Back to the Future (回到未來) brings popular Chinese indie-rockers Carsick Cars to The Wall on Thursday, along with post-punks Snapline, also from China.
▲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 visit www.thewall.com.tw for more information
▲Starts at 8pm tonight and tomorrow, Sunday’s show begins at 7:30pm, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s shows start at 8pm
▲Entrance fee is NT$1,400 tonight. Tickets for tomorrow’s show are NT$1,000 at the door or NT$900 in advance (available at White Wabbit Records in The Wall’s shopping arcade). Sunday’s show is NT$450, Wednesday’s show is NT$1,000 for advance tickets or NT$1,200 at the door, and Thursday’s show is NT$600 in advance or NT$800 at the door
Peppermint (薄荷葉) plays post-rock tonight at Witch House (女巫店). Tomorrow folk roots outfit The Dana Wylie Band performs a final show in Taipei before returning to the UK. On Thursday it’s Queen Suitcase.
▲7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). For more information, 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 Sundays through Wednesdays; 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays
▲Entrance fee for music shows is NT$300, includes one drink
Appearing tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) is the London Shamisen Club (倫敦三味線俱樂部), a group consisting of a Japanese expat, Tommo, and two local alt-rock musicians, Hsiaoma and Yicheng. Twenty-year-old pop-jazz star Joanna Wang (王若琳), who started playing at the venue’s open mic night at age 15, appears tomorrow night. On Thursday it’s Malaysian singer Lin Jian-hui (林建輝) followed by Puyuma singer Jia-jia (家家).
▲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 for more information
▲Show starts at 9:30pm tonight and tomorrow, 9pm on Thursday
▲Entrance is NT$400 tonight and Thursday and NT$500 tomorrow, includes one drink
Tonight at Riverside Live House (西門紅樓展演館), it’s pop pianist and vocalist Si Han (思涵), followed by the band No Name (醞釀). Tomorrow pop-rock act Color Band and indie-rock outfit Pen Sauce (筆醬) take to the stage.
▲177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號). Call (02) 2370-8805 or visit www.riverside.com.tw for more information
▲Shows start at 8:30pm
▲Entrance is NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, includes one drink
Sea Journey Jazz Combo (海洋知音爵士樂團), a four-piece with vibraphone, bass, drums and guitar, appears tonight at Sappho de Base. Kate’s Jazz Trio plays tomorrow. On Tuesday it’s T and T Jazz Trio, on Wednesday it’s Sappho Jazz Quartet and on Thursday it’s Free Breathing Ensemble (世界軌跡), which features the sounds of tabla, bass, accordion and violin.
▲B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1). Call (02) 2700-5411 (after 9pm) or visit www.sappho102.biz for more information
▲Performances begin at 10:30pm on weekends, 10pm on weekdays
▲No admission fee
Every Wednesday night at the Cosmopolitan Grill there’s a blues open mic held by the Blues Society on Taiwan. All are welcome to bring their instruments and sit in on guitar, bass or drums.
▲1F, 218 Changchun Rd, Taipei City (台北市長春路218號1樓). Call (02) 2508-0304 or visit www.cosmo.com.tw for more information
▲8pm to 11pm every Wednesday
▲No admission fee
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights this week include Huang Chung-yuan (黃中原) tomorrow, Julia Peng (彭佳慧), a major draw who appears every Tuesday, and Emily Guan (官靈芝) on Thursday.
▲211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號). Call (02) 2738-3995 or visit www.ez5.com.tw for more information
▲Music shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
▲Entrance (including two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Post-rock band Emily (艾蜜莉) appears tonight at Underworld (地下社會) along with Taimaica Sound System (台買加環繞音效), an outfit that mixes and matches reggae, ska and rocksteady. Tomorrow the sounds begin with metal band Catapult followed by a set of moody, Radiohead-inspired indie rock from Brain Roller. On Wednesday it’s all-female industrial band Go Chic and indie electronica band Space Cake (太空蛋糕).
▲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
▲Shows are from 9:30pm to 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays
▲Entrance is NT$300 tonight and tomorrow and includes one drink, Wednesday’s show is NT$100
Exhibition
The Age of Writing Poems and Indulging in Wine — Calligraphy and Paintings by Chiang I-han (詩酒年華—姜一涵書畫展) is a selection of works by scholar and artist Chiang I-han (姜一涵), a painter steeped in two aesthetic traditions. Chiang’s visual language is a combination of the bold and colorful shapes of high-modernist masters such as Mark Rothko and Joan Miro with traditional ideas and forms of Chinese calligraphy and ink painting.
▲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 daily from 10am to 6pm, closed on Mondays. Tel: (02) 2361-0270. On the Net: www.nmh.gov.tw
▲Until April 5
Lee Tsai-chien’s Solo Exhibition (李再鈐雕塑個展) features 18 metal objects by Taiwan’s preeminent master of geometrical sculpture. Ancient Greek ideal forms and Buddhist and Taoist philosophy inspire Lee’s monumental creations incorporating circles, triangles and squares.
▲Main Trend Gallery (大趨勢畫廊), 209-1, Chengde Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市承德路三段209-1號). Open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2587-3412. On the Net: www.maintrendgallery.com.tw
▲Until April 25
The natural cycle of growth and decay informs The Day I Saw Past and Future Sceneries Playing (那天我看見昨天和明天風景在遊戲), a solo exhibition by Jang Tarng-kuh (張堂庫). Employing a visual aesthetic that harks back to early modern traditions of landscape painting, Jung’s pastoral canvases depict scenes of overgrown gardens, running brooks and mountains shrouded in mist.
▲Metaphysical Art Gallery (形而上畫廊), 7F, 219, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段219號7樓). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6:30pm. Tel: (02) 2711-0055. On the Net: www.artmap.com.tw
▲Saturday until April 8
Explore is a group exhibition that includes works by Hubert Cance, Iskren Semkov and Luiz Cavalli. The artists hailing from France, Bulgaria and Brazil use abstraction, expressionism and realism to “explore” landscape and still life.
▲X-Power Gallery, 98, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段98號). Open Mondays to Thursdays from 11am to 6pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 8pm. Tel: (02) 2708-0929. On the Net: www.xpgallery.com.tw
▲Until March 31
The Yingge Ceramics Museum investigates the human form in Passionate Beings: Contemporary Ceramics of Museum Collection (多情.人—當代陶藝典藏展), an exhibit of 35 sculptures from its permanent collection.
▲Yingge Ceramics Museum (鶯歌陶瓷博物館), 200 Wenhua Rd, Yinge Township, Taipei County (台北縣鶯歌鎮文化路200號). Open Tuesdays to Fridays from 9:30am to 5pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 8677-2727. On the Net: www.ceramics.tpc.gov.tw
▲Until April 19
Ancient Pottery of the Paiwan Tribe in Taiwan (祖靈的居所—台灣排灣族古陶壺特展) shows how ceramics are closely associated with the legends of the Paiwan tribe’s origins, and how pottery helps to perpetuate the tribe’s social hierarchy.
▲National Museum of Natural Science (國立自然科學博物館), 1, Kuanchien Rd, Taichung City (台中市館前路1號). Open daily from 9am to 5pm, closed Mondays. On the Net: www.nmns.edu.tw
▲Until May 17
The God of Earth in Taiwan (台灣土地公特展) explains the origins of the Earth God (土地公) and why it continues to play an important role in folk worship throughout the country.
▲National Museum of Natural Science (國立自然科學博物館), 1, Kuanchien Rd, Taichung City (台中市館前路1號). Open daily from 9am to 5pm, closed Mondays. On the Net: www.nmns.edu.tw
▲Until May 31
Madden Reality: Post-Taipei Art Group (叛離異象:後台北畫派) brings together 72 works by eight of Taiwan’s most well-respected contemporary artists.
▲Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9:30am to 5:30pm, closes at 8:30pm on Saturdays. Tel: (02) 2595-7656. On the Net: www.tfam.museum
▲Until April 5
Nov. 11 to Nov. 17 People may call Taipei a “living hell for pedestrians,” but back in the 1960s and 1970s, citizens were even discouraged from crossing major roads on foot. And there weren’t crosswalks or pedestrian signals at busy intersections. A 1978 editorial in the China Times (中國時報) reflected the government’s car-centric attitude: “Pedestrians too often risk their lives to compete with vehicles over road use instead of using an overpass. If they get hit by a car, who can they blame?” Taipei’s car traffic was growing exponentially during the 1960s, and along with it the frequency of accidents. The policy
Hourglass-shaped sex toys casually glide along a conveyor belt through an airy new store in Tokyo, the latest attempt by Japanese manufacturer Tenga to sell adult products without the shame that is often attached. At first glance it’s not even obvious that the sleek, colorful products on display are Japan’s favorite sex toys for men, but the store has drawn a stream of couples and tourists since opening this year. “Its openness surprised me,” said customer Masafumi Kawasaki, 45, “and made me a bit embarrassed that I’d had a ‘naughty’ image” of the company. I might have thought this was some kind
What first caught my eye when I entered the 921 Earthquake Museum was a yellow band running at an angle across the floor toward a pile of exposed soil. This marks the line where, in the early morning hours of Sept. 21, 1999, a massive magnitude 7.3 earthquake raised the earth over two meters along one side of the Chelungpu Fault (車籠埔斷層). The museum’s first gallery, named after this fault, takes visitors on a journey along its length, from the spot right in front of them, where the uplift is visible in the exposed soil, all the way to the farthest
The room glows vibrant pink, the floor flooded with hundreds of tiny pink marbles. As I approach the two chairs and a plush baroque sofa of matching fuchsia, what at first appears to be a scene of domestic bliss reveals itself to be anything but as gnarled metal nails and sharp spikes protrude from the cushions. An eerie cutout of a woman recoils into the armrest. This mixed-media installation captures generations of female anguish in Yun Suknam’s native South Korea, reflecting her observations and lived experience of the subjugated and serviceable housewife. The marbles are the mother’s sweat and tears,
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