14 發光的城市 A R O U N D T O W N FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2008 • TAIPEI TIMES ince 1988, the National Theater has things it has to offer modern theater. played host to the New Idea Theater But how to repackage it for audiences SFestival (新點子劇展), which features who lack a detailed knowledge of a selection of the best local experimental Chinese history and legend, or the theater. The 2008 incarnation of this patience to sit through three-hour epics, event opens today with a production of has proved a challenge. Liou Ching-ti’s Hell (劉青提的地獄) by the Tonight’s premiere of Liou Ching- Taiwan Bangzi Company (台灣豫劇團), ti’s Hell brings together Henan directed by Malaysian-born Fu Hung- opera performers with the veteran Stanley Huang is Taiwan’s reigning bad boy. cheng (符宏征). This will establish the experimental theater director Fu PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES theme of the festival, which runs to Dec. Hung-cheng. It is based on the popular 28 and includes two other productions Buddhist tale Mu Lien Saves His Mother The fallout from paparazzi even more, that are also experiments based on (目蓮救母). According to Fu, the current actress Annie Yi’s (伊能 however, was how much the traditional opera styles. production departs from tradition in 靜) reported affair with son’s mother, Joan Lin (林 This theme of variations on tradition focusing on the psychological factors fellow thespian and hot 鳳嬌), has aged. Lin married is highly appropriate for a year that has that led Mu Lien’s mother, the Liou stud Laurence Huang (黃 Jackie Chan some 20 years seen an almost unprecedented number Ching-ti of the title, to deserve the 維德) continued this week, ago when her career as a of large-scale productions that sought terrible fate of being dragged by demons when Eastern Media Group’s movie superstar was at its to give new life to traditional theater to the very deepest levels of Hell. The Shopping Channel (東森購 peak, then promptly retired with an infusion of contemporary or story incorporates elements from other 物) terminated its contract from public life. Western blood. famous stories of women embittered with the disgraced star and Judging from a snapshot “In the last two or three years, we by the oppressiveness of society, and demanded NT$16 million taken on Wednesday and have hoped that groups can find a path through the device of the double stage from her in compensation. printed in the magazine, that leads from the traditional arts to incorporates modern scenes in which The channel’s spokes- Lin looks exactly like your something new,” said Liu Chiung-shu (劉 the “hell on Earth” that Liou created person said the company’s typical 55-year-old housewife, 瓊淑), artistic director of the CKS Cultural for herself before her descent into Hell public image had been rather than an aging celebrity Center (國立中正文化中心). Tonight’s can be juxtaposed against dilemmas in damaged by Yi’s alleged who relies on Botox to main- performance is based on Henan opera, modern society. transgression, namely, the tain her looks. also called bangzi (梆子). The second “We have kept the beautiful singing tarnishing of her image as the Speaking of bad boys, production in the series draws from the of Henan opera and also many of 南管 devoted wife of singer Harlem American-born Taiwanese traditions of nanguan ( ) and beiguan the movements,” Fu said, “but this is 北管 Yu (庾澄慶) and loving mother singer Stanley Huang (黃立 ( ), and the final production takes qun integrated with many techniques of of their six-year-old son, 行) beat out Hong Kong’s (崑) opera as its point of departure. contemporary experimental theater. We which were the main reasons Edison Chen (陳冠希) for The transfusion of new elements into hope in this way to bring new audiences why the company chose the title of hottest bad-boy a centuries-old tradition is a dangerous to traditional opera.” her to endorse its skin-care singer, according to the poll business, and over the last few years The second production in the series, products in the first place. conducted by Yahoo Taiwan several very high-profile productions The Drought Goddess (大神魃) by Ethan The message, it seems, at tw.music.yahoo.com/poll/ have barely survived the operation. With Chen Production House (野墨坊), runs is that while it might be list.html. Gossip-mongers such bold experimentation it is often from Dec. 19 through Dec. 21. Li Ling, OK for male celebrities to attribute the heartthrob’s advisable to start small and, if nothing the Abandoned Hero (半世英雄 — 李陵) play away, monogamy is success in this area to his else, the shorter running times of these by 1/2Q Theater, is the third production the only option for female album We All Lay Down productions, which are to be staged in and plays from Dec. 25 through Dec. 28. stars who want to safeguard in the End (最後只好躺下來), the �������������������������������National Theater’s Experimental Tickets for all performances are NT$500 their celebrity status and which was released earlier Theater, will certainly make them more How new is from NTCH ticketing. economic success. this month. Huang’s music easily digestible for audiences. — IAN BARTHOLOMEW Following in the footsteps is regarded as a fine piece A string of directors, producers and of his action hero father Jackie of sultry work and is loaded actors interviewed in recent years have Ethan Chen Production House’s The Drought Goddess puts Chan (成龍), Jaycee Chan (房 with suggestive lyrics such as, all commented on the richness of the a new spin on the nanguan and beiguan performance 祖名 “I want to strip you, exploit Chinese operatic tradition and the many New Idea? traditions. PHOTO COURTESY OF NTCH ) continues to add to his reputation as the Lothario par you, suck you and thrust you. excellence of his generation, I want to torture you.” having been romantically Local actress and associated with celebrity television host Pink Yang (楊 High Tide rides the wave PERFORMANCE NOTES: belles such as pop singers Elva 千霈) is attracting the media’s Hsiao (蕭亞軒), Fish Leong (梁 attention with her debut No one was more taken aback at the WHAT: High Tide with special guests Blood Orange and DJ Saucey 靜茹), Penny Tai (戴佩妮) and on the high society scene. outcome of this year’s ICRT Battle of WHEN: Tomorrow from 8pm Gillian Chung (鍾欣桐). Pictures from Yang’s blog the Bands than the winners themselves: WHERE: VU Livehouse, B1, 77, Wuchang St Sec 2, Taipei City (��市武昌街二段77號B1). Call Next magazine reports show that the 26-year-old “We were really surprised because we (02) 2314-1868 for more information that Junior’s tastes have star spent five days dining, had technical difficulties, our gear broke TICKETS: NT$350 includes one drink and entrance to the Inner City Life Dub party, which changed and that he now sightseeing and debauching on stage …” said Moshe Foster, lead follows at 11pm with DJs Mixter T, Coffeepot, Soul Basic and Juni favors long-legged models in London with Huo Qiren singer for reggae band High Tide, which like Huang Ching-li (黃景 (霍啟人) and his wealthy plays tomorrow night at VU Livehouse tomorrow for the early show at VU, High Tide plays a more modern 俐), whom he was spotted young friends at the end in Ximending. playing between the sets and also doing version of reggae: “Instead of playing with on his birthday on of last month. Huo — who “Shit had a whack attack!” added live dub with the band, adding delays and traditional roots reggae beat, the one- Wednesday at Taipei’s Joyce reportedly had a girlfriend trombone player Andy Francis. “Despite effects to the percussion. Guest artist drop, we might do a 4/4 beat, something From left: Charles McHale, Kader Bellahouel, Jubba van Cafe and, later that evening, — is the 21-year-old scion of that, we engaged the crowd, we had Richie Partridge, formerly of Massive you hear more in dance music,” said Wyk and Tony da Silva Medeiros of Blood Orange. the nightclub Primo. a Hong Kong family worth a little kids up and dancing,” said Bassist Attack, will be jamming with them on Foster. “[We] can go from a dub beat PHOTO: ALITA RICKARDS What surprised the reported NT$80 billion. Mike Tennant. percussion as well. to a dance beat and all the instruments about what a reggae band should look Male members of the Since the win they’ve been getting Also playing is Blood Orange, an sequentially converge on a melody and and sound like. We’re just guys who like Huo clan are known for airtime at ICRT; this week they are being instrumental band that is garnering a a counter-melody. We’ll do that for 15 reggae and love to play it.” their high-profile affairs with played three times a day. small but devoted following. “The basis seconds and dump it all back into a slow “We don’t have dreadlocks, we’re famous women. Big brother “Look at ICRT’s playlist,” said Foster. of the music is punk,” said trumpet dub beat.” not Rastafarians,” Foster said. “Reggae Kenneth Huo (霍啟剛) has “What are the chances of ever hearing player Charles McHale, with elements of Tennant credits Hide Tide’s unique is the old rebel music, playing for the been going steady with top music like that if we hadn’t won? We experimental 1960s jazz and bossanova sound to their experience playing underdog, for the things you believe in, Chinese athlete Guo Jingjing thought we were the underdogs, it’s not interludes.