Theater
Tadashi Suzuki’s La Dame aux Camelias opens the Taiwan International Festival of Arts (2011台灣國際藝術節), whose theater-heavy program runs through March 27. The renowned Japanese director has transformed French novelist Alexandre Dumas’ novel into a musical of 14 Taiwanese and Mandarin pop songs, including When Will You Come Again (何日君再來). The production will be performed in Chinese with English subtitles. For more information about the festival, visit the event’s bilingual Web site at tifa.ntch.edu.tw. [See story on Page 13.]
■ National Theater, Taipei City
Photo Courtesy of Becker Violin
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$600 and NT$3,600, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw.
Renowned circus troupe Cirque du Soleil returns to Taipei with Varekai, a spectacular show based on the Greek myth of Icarus, who falls to his death from the sky because he flew too close to the Sun. In Cirques’ version of the story, Icarus lands in a world populated with exotic beings and falls in love with a beautiful nymph.
Photo: Taipei Times
■ Parking lot next to Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall (台北世界貿易中心南港展覽館), Ln 105 Jingmao 2nd Rd, Taipei City (台北市經貿二路105巷)
■ Today, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 3:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 1pm and 5pm
■ Tickets are NT$2,900 to NT$7,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Photo: Taipei Times
The National Guoguang Opera Company (國立國光劇團) tomorrow presents a program of Beijing opera classics including Picking Up the Jade Bracelet (拾玉鐲) and Full of Gold (黃金滿台).
■ Guoguang Theater (國光劇場), 8-1, Ln 66, Muzha Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市木柵路三段66巷8號之1)
■ Tomorrow at 2:30pm
Photo Courtesy of Kham
■ Tickets are NT$200 and NT$300, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
Inspired by the work of Taiwanese illustrator Jimmy Liao (幾米), NX Theatre’s debut production, One More Day With You (走向春天的下午), tells the story of a sentimental boy who meets a girl whose best friend has just passed away. The group combines magic tricks with other performing arts.
■ Plum Wine Factory (烏梅酒廠), Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Today, Monday and Thursday at 3:30pm and 7:30pm, tomorrow at 10:30am, 3:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 10:30am, 2:30pm and 5:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$600, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Bad Neighbor Yiyi (惡鄰依依), Comedians Workshop’s (相聲瓦舍) newest Mandarin stand-up production, begins with two guys realizing they have dated the same woman, named Yiyi. The cast is led by veteran comedians Feng Yi-kang (馮翊綱) and Sung Shao-ching (宋少卿).
■ 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)
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,200, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw.
Classical music
2011 TCSB New Year’s Concert (市民管樂團 — 民國100年新年音樂會) presents the Taipei Civic Symphonic Band (市民管樂團) performing a varied program that includes Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasie Violin Concerto, Philip Sparke’s Clarinet Concerto, George Gershwin’s An American in Paris, Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmila Overture and Rossini’s La Danza. The orchestra will be conducted by Ho Kang-kuo (何康國), who will also perform as clarinet soloist, and Lin Tien-chi (林天吉), who will also perform as violin soloist.
■ Today at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com
Walter van Hauwe Solo Taiwan (木笛傳奇華特凡豪華演奏會) presents the famous Dutch flautist performing a program of solo pieces including works by Bassano, Telemann, Stravinski and Janssen Voetnoot.
■ Monday at 7:30pm
■ National Recital Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$800 and NT$1,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com
Janet, Jean and Mariell (絕美狂愛 — 四大首席瘋台灣) sees Fun Taiwan star Janet Hsieh (謝怡芬) playing the violin with four of the country’s foremost principal violinists. The music will be given physical expression through the performance of two dancers. Classical music with occasional bursts of rock sensibility and the “fun” that has made Hsieh a pop icon are the themes of this concert. The soloists will be supported by the Taipei Chamber Orchestra (台北室內樂團).
■ Tomorrow and Sunday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$3,500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com. Also available through ibon, FamiPort and Life-ET kiosks
Contemporary
Legacy Taipei (傳音樂展演空間), located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Tonight’s program, titled Band-Aid, features bands playing genres such as riot grrl, pop-rock, punk and ska. Groups include Braces (牙套), P!SCO, Slimo and Duct Tape (大力膠) and Mary Bites Kerry (瑪莉咬凱利). Henry Tseng (曾昱嘉), a champion singer from the Super Idol (超級偶像) TV talent show, takes to the stage tomorrow.
■ 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)
■ 8pm tonight and tomorrow
■ NT$500 tonight, NT$700 to NT$900 tomorrow, depending on seating area. 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 at The Wall (這牆) until Feb. 19.
■ 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
Tonight, electronica group Telephone Booth (電話亭) and expat indie rock band Roxymoron perform at Revolver, a bar and live music venue formerly known as The Source. The live shows are followed with sets from DJs Dizzy, Veeeky and Sylvain.
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678
■ Show starts at 10pm
■ Entrance tonight is NT$350, includes two drinks
Bradley Tindall of the Rising Hedons, an expat rock band from Taichung, plays tonight at Witch House (女巫店), which regularly hosts shows from both indie rock bands and folk artists in a coffeehouse setting. Tomorrow, it’s acoustic indie rock outfit Silverbus (銀巴士), which has just released a new album. On Thursday, the venue hosts a pair of Taitung folk rock musicians, Balai (巴賴) and Chia Mu-lang (嘉木朗).
■ 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
Penguinbear Likes to Eat Chicken Ball and psychedelic alt-rock band Flat Club (假文藝青年俱樂部) perform tonight at Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club in Taipei. Tomorrow is metal night with Selfish Sucker and Ashen and on Wednesday the venue hosts garage rockers The White Eyes (白目樂隊) and Unfamiliar Friends Party (不熟的朋友派對).
■ 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 9:30pm to 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays. 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, and NT$100 on Wednesdays
No shows are scheduled for tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) as of press time. Tomorrow, Mando-pop singer Alex Lee (李崗霖) and Mercenary Soldier (傭兵樂團) take to the stage. On Sunday, it’s TV show host and pop singer Ado (阿洛). Monday is the venue’s weekly open jam, which follows a short Valentine’s Day concert by Freya (林凡).
■ 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
■ Tomorrow and Sunday’s shows start at 9pm. Monday’s show with Freya runs from 8pm to 9pm. For a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site
■ NT$400 tomorrow and Monday, NT$350 Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Expat blues and surf rock band Blues Vibrations play tonight at Sappho de Base, a late night lounge bar that hosts mostly live jazz and blues performances. Tomorrow, the Earl Hines II Jazztet takes to the stage. On Tuesday, it’s the MaJam Jazz Quartet (麻將爵士樂團) and on Wednesday Misterioso performs guitar-based jazz.
■ 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, NT$150 tomorrow, free 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, and acclaimed Taiwanese Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君), who performs on Thursday.
■ 211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號), tel: (02) 2738-3995. On the Net: 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
Soul jazz singer Djavan performs on Friday nights at Italian restaurant Capone’s. Tomorrow, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號)
■ 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
Taipei Swing holds dance socials on Friday nights at The Tavern. Dancers of all levels are welcome, and a short beginner’s lesson is offered.
■ 415, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段415號), tel: (02) 8789-0892. On the Net: www.tavern.com.tw
■ 9:30pm to midnight
■ Entrance is free
A group of DJs and MCs are throwing a party titled Rumble tonight at Pipe, an Italian restaurant located near the riverside section of Taipei Water Park (台北自來水園區) in Gongguan (公館). DJs include Subtle, Lai and Rich, with MC performances from Stoppa and Shaman (玄武). The party is dedicated to the memory of Mark Bennett, a British expat who died in a traffic accident in Taipei last month.
■ 1 Siyuan St, Taipei City (台北市思源街1號)
■ Show starts at 10pm
■ Entry is NT$350, includes one drink
Mando-pop singer-songwriter ic Huang (荒山亮) takes to the stage tonight at Riverside Live House. Pop singer Victor Wong (品冠) performs a Valentine’s Day show tomorrow and rock guitar shredder Marty Young is putting on a show with a romantic theme on Sunday.
■ 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
■ Entrance is NT$450 tonight, NT$500 tomorrow and NT$600 on Sunday (NT$500 in advance). Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
89k, Taichung’s long-established spot for local indie bands, hosts Moss, The Ever So Friendlies and The Silence tonight. Tomorrow is a Dirty Dancing Valentine’s party featuring DJs Anti Hero and Colour Wolf [see the Vinyl Word]. On Sunday night, it’s 1970s soul and R ’n’ B favorites with expat group Sexual Chocolate.
■ 21 Daguan Rd, Nantun Dist, Greater Taichung (台中市南屯區大觀路21號)
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Entrance is NT$300 for all shows
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). No shows are scheduled tonight, but tomorrow Bearbabes (熊寶貝樂團) take to the stage. Nu-metal rock band The Hindsight (光景消逝) plays on Sunday.
■ 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 tomorrow and Sunday
■ Entrance is NT$400 tomorrow, NT$300 Sunday
Upcoming
By David Chen
Tickets are selling fast for The Eagles’ Taiwan debut. The group is playing two gigs at the National Taiwan Sport University Gymnasium (國立體育大學體育館), also known as Linkou Stadium (林口體育館), one on Feb. 26, the other on Feb. 27.
Performing the band’s flagship tunes will be a classic lineup of musicians that includes Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit and Don Henley, who, after the group broke up in 1980, famously said that an Eagles reunion would happen when “hell freezes over.”
Hell has frozen over multiple times for the band since 1994, when the Eagles first took Henley’s quip and made it into an album and comeback tour. The band continues to cash in on its radio rock glory with regular blockbuster stadium tours, and the upcoming concerts in Taiwan attest to the band’s enduring popularity. As of press time, only a few seats were remaining for the Feb. 26 show, and the lowest-priced seats for the performance on Feb. 27 are sold out. Tickets start from NT$3,800 and cost up to NT$12,000.
The Eagles live in concert at the National Taiwan Sport University Gymnasium (國立體育大學體育館), also known as Linkou Stadium (林口體育館), 250 Wenhua 1st Road, Gueishan Township, Taoyuan County (桃園縣龜山鄉文化一路250號)
Feb. 26 and Feb. 27. Both concerts start at 7:30pm
Tickets cost from NT$3,800 to NT$12,000, available at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks or through Kham Ticket’s (寬宏藝術) Web site: www.kham.com.tw
Jan. 6 to Jan. 12 Perhaps hoping to gain the blessing of the stone-age hunter-gatherers that dwelt along the east coast 30,000 years ago, visitors to the Baxian Caves (八仙洞) during the 1970s would grab a handful of soil to bring home. In January 1969, the nation was captivated by the excavation of pre-ceramic artifacts and other traces of human habitation in several caves atop a sea cliff in Taitung County. The majority of the unearthed objects were single-faced, unpolished flake tools fashioned from natural pebbles collected by the shore. While archaeologists had found plenty of neolithic (7,000 BC to 1,700
When the weather is too cold to enjoy the white beaches and blue waters of Pingtung County’s Kenting (墾丁), it’s the perfect time to head up into the hills and enjoy a different part of the national park. In the highlands above the bustling beach resorts, a simple set of trails treats visitors to lush forest, rocky peaks, billowing grassland and a spectacular bird’s-eye view of the coast. The rolling hills beyond Hengchun Township (恆春) in Pingtung County offer a two-hour through-hike of sweeping views from the mighty peak of Dajianshih Mountain (大尖石山) to Eluanbi Lighthouse (鵝鑾鼻燈塔) on the coast, or
Famed Chinese demographer Yi Fuxian (易富賢) recently wrote for The Diplomat on the effects of a cross-strait war on demography. He contended that one way to deter the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is by putting the demographic issue front and center — last year total births in the PRC, he said, receded to levels not seen since 1762. Yi observes that Taiwan’s current fertility rate is already lower than Ukraine’s — a nation at war that is refusing to send its young into battle — and that its “demographic crisis suggests that Taiwan’s technological importance will rapidly decline, and
Her greatest fear, dormant for decades, came rushing back in an instant: had she adopted and raised a kidnapped child? Peg Reif’s daughter, adopted from South Korea in the 1980s, had sent her a link to a documentary detailing how the system that made their family was rife with fraud: documents falsified, babies switched, children snatched off the street and sent abroad. Reif wept. She was among more than 120 who contacted The Associated Press this fall, after a series of stories and a documentary made with Frontline exposed how Korea created a baby pipeline, designed to ship children abroad as quickly as
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