Listings SHOWS Wiener Cello Ensemble 5+1
Date: June 1 — 7:30 pm Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts Price: 100-580 yuan Vienna Philharmonic 5+1 Cellists is an untraditional cello ensemble founded in 2008. Members of the ensemble includes five men and one woman of different generations forming an intrinsic tension between the performers. Concert dress and seating on stage varies according to the program. Each artist plays a soloist as well as an accompanying role. Each artist must therefore also function as an actor, thus demanding theatrical as well as musical talent from the artists. The repertoire ranges widely from Bach to the Beatles to music of the present day. Contact: 010-6655-0000
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Date: May 30-31 — 7:30 pm Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts Price: 200-1,200 yuan The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the pre-eminent orchestras in the world, renowned for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for a legacy of imagination and innovation on and off the concert stage. Yannick Nézet-Séguin is now in his fifth season as the eighth artistic leader of The Philadelphia Orchestra. He joins a remarkable list that covers the Orchestra’s 116 seasons: music directors Fritz Scheel, Carl Pohlig, Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Christoph Eschenbach, and Charles Dutoit, who served as Chief Conductor from 2008 to 2012. Under such superb guidance, The Philadelphia Orchestra has served as an unwavering standard of excellence in the world of classical music — and it continues to do so today. Contact: 010-6655-0000
Beijing Kunqu Opera — The Peony Pavilion
Date: June 4 — 7:30 pm Venue: Zhengyici Theater Price: 280-880 yuan It is a play written by Tang Xianzu in the Ming Dynasty and first performed in 1598 at the Pavilion of Prince Teng. One of Tang’s “Four Dreams”, it has traditionally been performed as a Kunqu opera, but Chuan and Gan opera versions also exist. It is by far the most popular play of the Ming Dynasty, and is the primary showcase of the guimendan role type. All Kun theater troupes include it in their repertoire. Recent adaptations have sought to inject new life into one of China’s best-loved classical operas, though such efforts have met with opposition from the Kun opera traditionalists. Contact: 400-610-3721
The Taming of the Shrew
Date: May 27-28 — 7:30 pm Venue: Beijing Comedy Theater Price: 80-300 yuan This is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and popular comedies. The story follows the fortunes of the beastly Petruchio as he attempts to tame the wild beauty of Kate and claim not just her hand in marriage but a slice of her foolish father’s gold. Meanwhile Kate’s young sister is chased by a string of would-be husbands who will resort to any trick, or adopt any disguise, to claim their pretty prize. TNT Theatre Britain was founded in 1980 by Paul Stebbings, who has won awards at the Munich Biennale, the Edinburgh Festival, Teheran Festival and from the government of Singapore. Spanning the disciplines of theater, music and dance, its productions always include a specially commissioned score by a leading composer. Contact: 010-6655-0000
Multimedia Dance — Fly Trap Date: May 27-28 — 7:30 Venue: Shanghai Children Art Theatre
Price: 100-480 yuan Fly Trap is a “feel good” performance for the whole family. This multimedia performance creates a magical and surreal world of aerial dance and video animations with two heroines facing adventure together. In this show full of flying, dance, acrobatics and spatial illusions, Fly Trap reminds both children and adults that our mind has the power to change our reality and overcome almost any obstacle. Contact:
2017 CoCo 18 World Tour
Date: June 24 — 7:30 pm Venue: Shanghai Expo Culture Center Price: 380-1,680 yuan Coco Lee is a Hong Kong-born American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actress. Lee’s career began in Hong Kong and then expanded to Taiwan. Her single, “Do You Want My Love” also entered the US music charts. Her first full-length English language album was Just No Other Way. As a Chinese American, Lee is the first and only person of Chinese ethnicity to perform at the Oscars; she performed the Best Original Song nominated, “A Love Before Time” from the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Contact: 010-6655-0000
NCPA Drama Returning Home on a Snowy Night
Date: June 1-11 — 7 pm Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts Price: 180-680 yuan This drama is named after a line from the poem Staying at a Cottage of Mt. Hibiscus on a Night of Snow of the Tang Dynasty: “When the mountains lurk dim in the pale dark, the cottage of shabby looks stands lone in twilight. By the wattle gate now I hear dogs loudly bark, the master has come home in the snow of night.” Wu Zuguang, the playwright, described the joys and sorrows of the famous actor named Wei Liansheng in the historical context where people were swaying in the midst of a raging storm. He has experienced both the prosperity of being popular in early years and hard times of despair. The love story between him and Yuchun, a concubine of the bureaucrat named Su Hongji is just a sad melody that costs their lives. Contact: 400-610-3721
Frieda & Mandarine
Date: May 30 — 2:30/7:30 pm Venue: Beijing Comedy Theater Price: 80-400 yuan The musical is adapted from the eponymous German children’s picture book Frieda & Mandarine. By employing contemporary theater techniques and elements such as music, props, body movements and visual imagery, the musical relates the story of understanding, trust, respect, companionship and love between a little girl named Mandarine who has been emotionally neglected by her parents and the old dog Frieda who has always held on to her dream. Contact: 010-6655-0000
Bonjour Tristesse
Date: June 6-10 — 7:30 pm Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts Price: 180-320 yuan The monodrama Bonjour, Tristesse is an creative attempt to adapt and reconstruct the novel written by the French writer, Francoise Sagan, of the same name. In 1954, a bold 18-year-old girl wrote the so-called “immoral novel”, which unfolded every aspect of one’s youth in a simple language. With the sales record of 84 million books, this novel not only shocked French literary circle, but affected a whole French generation. Because of this novel, Sagan also became a youth icon in her time. MENG Jinghui’s version of Bonjour, Tristesse has unfolded the girl’s sadness from the perspective of avant-garde aesthetics. He amplifies the protagonist’s complex psychological activities in a humorous and grotesque way, striving to reveal the rebellion of youth and the cruelty of love in the original work. Contact:
2017 Elsa Kopf China Tour
Date: May 28 — 7:30 pm Venue: Yuyintang, Shanghai Price: 80-240 yuan In 2011, she shared the most beautiful of her acoustic joys with us in a delectable album in the cross section between folk and jazz. This year, Elsa Kopf is returning with “Marvelously Dangerous”, 11 songs born in the salon-studio of her longtime friend, Pierre Faa. Over the past ten years, Elsa has been a regular visitor to the architect of the trio Peppermoon, sharing the reciprocated desire to write and record a collection of songs together. The only thing left to do was take the plunge. They did this over the summer of 2012, when the two friends decided to share the bill for several concert dates. Contact: 400-610-3721
Kousuke Atari 2017 World Tour in Shenzhen
Date: May 28 — 8 pm Venue: Nanshan Culture Sports Theater, Shenzhen Price: 180-680 yuan Kousuke Atari is a Japanese singer. He is a self-trained musician, and performs in the shimauta (islandsong) style of his hometown. The song “Natsu Yuuzora (Summer Evening Sky)” was used as the ending theme in the Japanese anime adaptation of the manga series Natsume Yuujinchou. He also performed the song, “Kimi no Kakera (Pieces of You)”, which was used in the third season. The single “Tane wo Maku Hibi (The Days When Seeds are Scattered)” was used as the thirteenth ending theme in the anime series Bleach. The single “Koi (Love)” was used as the ending theme in the anime series Genji Monogatari Sennenki.
Contact: 400-610-3721
Christopher Live in Shanghai
Date: May 29 — 8 pm Venue: Bandai Namco Shanghai Base Dream Hall Price: 480-980 yuan Christopher Nissen, the 25-yearold Danish singer, songwriter is making a triumphant comeback to China with his Shanghai debut show on May 29th at Bandai Namco Shanghai Base Dream Hall. With three successful Soundbox touring series having been launched in spring 2017, Live Nation is proud to advance your summer to this May with recordbreaking Danish pop sensation’s Shanghai debut show and his latest album Closer. Soundbox music series — a Live Nation’s Asia touring concept that devotes to bringing cutting-edge talent to Asia to further build performances that define our musical lives. Contact: 400-610-3721
Joyce Jonathan Asia Tour
Date: May 30 — 8 pm Venue: Central Station Exhibition Center Price: 280-680 yuan Joyce Jonathan is a French singer and songwriter. Her first album Sur mes gardes went gold in May 2010 only five months after its release. Less than a year after, the album was certified platinum. January 23, 2011, she received the NRJ Music Awards of the Francophone Breakthrough of the Year. She formerly dated the son of French President François Hollande. Thanks to the internet, Jonathan began recording in 2008 her first album. She later asked for the help of Louis Bertignac. Reputedly impressed by the talent and voice of the young artist, he agreed to work with her on the arrangement of her songs. It was in the Bertignac’s studio that they worked together for a year. Joyce also recorded a duet with Tete, Sur mes gardes. Contact: 400-610-3721
Lithuania Ballet Anna Karenina 2017 in Shanghai
Date: May 27 — 7:15 pm Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center Price: 80-880 yuan Boris Eifman’s ballet Anna Karenina is a true burst of inner psychological energy and is amazingly precise in delivering emotional impact upon its viewers. By setting aside all secondary storylines in Leo Tolstoy’s novel, the choreographer focused on the love triangle “Anna — Karenin — Vronsky”. Using dance language, Boris Eifman in his ballet managed to portray the drama of a woman being reborn. According to the choreographer, it is the love passion, the “basic instinct” which has led the heroine to the breach of the then current norms of social morality, killed motherly love in Anna Karenina and destroyed her inner world. The choreographer says that his ballet speaks not of previous times but of today: the timeless emotional content of the performance and obvious parallels to reality can’t leave the contemporary viewer indifferent. The brilliant technical mastery of the company’s dancers and Boris Eifman’s astounding choreography present to us all the aspects and peripeteias of the Tolstoy’s novel in a remarkably impressive way. Contact: 400-610-3721
ACTIVITIES & NIGHTLIFE From Shakespeare to Sherlock: Treasures of the British Library
Date: May 27-June 21 – 9 am Venue: National Library Price: Free entry The National Library hosts an exhibition in partnership with the British National Library, showcasing rare prints and first editions of classics including the manuscript of Dicken’s Nicolas Nickelby, the revised manuscript of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, a draft of Wordsworth’s poem I Roam Like A Cloud and other important works of literature. Contact: 010-8854-5393/4089
Sanlitun Comedy Mondays
Date: May 29 — 8:30 pm Venue: Groovy Schiller’s Price: Free entry WeiLaugh Comedy Club is taking over Sanlitun on Monday nights! That’s right- come to Schiller’s on bar street, near the police station where Beijing’s funniest will dish out free laughs. It is a Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, so if you want to perform, you get 5 minutes of stage time and a free drink. We also give away free stuff each week like show tickets, booze, food & other swag! Scan the QR code on the poster to see what goodies we are giving out this week. Contact: 010-6413-1587