Theater
The Goodbye Girl (再見女郎) is an adaptation of the Neil Simon play of the same name by Taiwan’s Godot Theater Company (果陀劇場), which specializes in bringing major works of western drama to the Chinese stage. Starring seasoned performers Sam Tseng (曾國城) and Megan Lai (賴雅妍) in the parts of Elliot Garfield and Paula McFadden, roles immortalized by Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason in the 1977 film.
■ Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (台北國父紀念館), 505, Renai Rd, Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段505號2樓)
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$3,000; available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
An Italian Straw Hat (帽似真愛) is a sparkling comedy of errors adapted by the well-known Taiwanese playwright Wang Yu-hui (王友輝) from the 19th century French classic Un Chapeau de Paille d’Italie. The production, developed and performed by members of Theatre de la Sardine (沙丁龐客劇團), incorporates elements of commedia dell’arte, mime, acrobatics and clowning.
■ Tomorrow and Saturday at 7:30pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台), 25 Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段25號)
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,800; available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
The Evergreen Symphony Orchestra performs its summer concert tonight at the National Concert Hall. The program includes Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 in D Major, Elgar’s Cello Concerto OP. 85 in E Minor and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.
■ Tonight at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,500, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, who won a Gramophone Award in 2011 for his recordings of works by Debussy and Ravel with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Yan Pascal Tortelier, performs tomorrow night in Taipei. His recital will cover mostly Debussy pieces, including Ballade, Nocturne, Tarentelle and Clair de Lune.
■ Tomorrow at 7pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Contemporary
Grammy-winning veteran jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano and his group Us Five are one of the most anticipated performances of the National Concert Hall’s Summer Jazz concert series.
■ Sunday at 2:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Boy-band Magic Power (魔幻力量) plays a sold-out show tomorrow night. Tomorrow Macau pop-rock duo Soler takes the stage, and on Wednesday it’s a night of classic Taiwanese folk and pop artists, with a roster of a half dozen artists that includes Ric Huang (荒山亮) and Chen Ming-chang (陳明章).
■ 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
■ Sold out tonight, NT$800 Saturday (NT$600 in advance), NT$800 Sunday (NT$700 in advance). Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw, www.legacy.com.tw and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Japanese post-rock group Mono plays tomorrow at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists. Starting on Saturday afternoon and continuing through the evening, the venue co-hosts a free event with the Green Citizens’ Action Alliance (台灣綠色公民行動聯盟), entitled the No Nukes Concert. Performers includes both folk and indie rock artists, including 1976, LTK Commune (濁水溪公社), 1976, Panai (巴奈) and Lin Sheng-xiang (林生祥). Sunday is for metal heads, with a roster that includes Alien Avenge (異族亡魂), Flesh Juicer (血肉果汁機), Burning Island (火燒島) and Greedy Black Hole.
■ 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, except Saturday’s event, which starts at 4pm
■ NT$1,400 tomorrow (NT$1,200 in advance), free on Saturday and NT$200 on Sunday. Tickets for all shows can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area, hosts punk band Damnkidz and solo singer-songwriter Wang Shun (王舜). Tomorrow acoustic pop band Pia takes the stage, and on Saturday solo folk rocker Birdman (日京江羽人).
■ 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 it’s hard rock and metal night at Revolver with live music from guitarist Steve Williams, Dronetonic and thrashers ChiYa (熾牙). Tomorrow, the venue hosts powerpop band Moon To The Fifth (月的五次方), grunge band HiJack and punk groups Destroyers (擊沈女孩) and Inhuman (非人物種). On Saturday, it’s DJs Geometer, Fion and James Ho. Wednesday is free admission night with ska group Mary Bites Kerry and folk-rocker Mike Mudd.
■ 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 start at 9:30pm
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight, NT$300 tomorrow and NT$250 Saturday, and free on Wednesday. Admission includes one free drink.
Solo folk rocker Birdman (日京江羽人) is the main attraction tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Fusion jazz group Huh?! plays tomorrow, and on Saturday it’s pop-ska group Pops Candy (跳跳糖). Singer-songwriter Europa Huang (黃建為) takes the stage on Sunday.
■ 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
■ Shows start at 9pm
■ NT$350 tonight, NT$400 all other nights. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Hong Kong Mandopop singer Joey Yung (容祖兒) appears tomorrow at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館). On Saturday, rock fusion guitarist Trevor X (林振益) and Hsieh Hua-chou (謝華洲) are on the bill for a guitar-themed evening. Mandopop singer Jing Chang (張芸京) takes the stage 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
■ Price for tomorrow’s show not available; contact venue for details. NT$400 on Saturday and NT$500 on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
Tomorrow Sappho de Base, a late-night jazz/lounge bar, hosts an evening of Tango with the Four Seasons Music Group (四季室內樂團). On Saturday Ash and Friends play standards, and on Tuesday it’s NES Jazz, a guitar-violin and bass trio.
■ 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 tomorrow and Saturday; free all other nights
Acclaimed Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君) performs tonight and every Thursday at EZ5 Live House, which hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night.
■ 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
Duo Blurrs Bros perform blues and American songbook tunes tonight at at Italian restaurant Capone’s. On Fridays, Taipei Swing holds dance socials with live music from electric blues band Taipei blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). On Saturday, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. Iris sings “romantic chansons” Sunday nights and on Wednesdays, it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas.
■ 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 TAV Cafe (村落餐廳), a bar and cafe located at the Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村), hosts an open jam led by jazz saxophonist Terry Hsieh (謝明諺). Matt Fullen’s East West Collective takes the stage tomorrow, and on Saturday, it’s an evening of swing blues and jug band music from The Muddy Basin Ramblers.
■ 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路7號), tel: (02) 3393-7377, ext 207
■ Shows start at 9pm
■ Entrance is free on Thursday, NT$350 on Friday and Saturday. Admission includes one drink
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Tomorrow Japanese post-rock band #Mono# takes the stage.
■ 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$1,100 tomorrow (NT$900 in advance).
The Mercury (水星酒館), an indie rock club in Kaohsiung, hosts live music every Saturday. This weekend, it’s retro-pop/indie rock veterans Won Fu (旺福).
■ 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$250, includes one drink
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
RSS