Best bets
John Le gend: Darkness and Light Tour Live in Shanghai
Date: March 8 - 8 pm
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena
Price: 380-1,280 yuan
Long before earning a famous reputation as a multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, John Legend was born John Roger Stephens on Dec 28, 1978 in Springfield, Ohio. A child prodigy, Legend's grandmother taught him how to play the piano, and he grew up singing in the church choir. He went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he directed a cappella group. Legend became an in-demand session musician and songwriter, working with such artists as Alicia Keys, Twista and Janet Jackson. He was soon introduced to up-and-coming hip-hop artist Kanye West, and the two musicians collaborated on one another's demos.
The xx - I See You 2018
Date: Feb 3 - 7:30 pm
Venue: Beijing Exhibition Theater
Price: 480-1,680 yuan
The xx are RomyMadley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass, vocals) and Jamie Smith (beats, MPC, production), also known as Jamie xx. Their latest Mercury prize nominated release I See You (out now through Young Turks) incorporates all three members' talents into a new version of their sound, one true to their roots but richer and more varied. Icy synthesizers meld with distorted guitars, creating an advanced electro-pop experiment mixed with indie rock and R&B. Praise and accolades for the new album add to the momentum already created by their earlier work. Their 2009 debut xx was met with critical and commercial acclaim, appearing on countless critics' lists of the year's best albums, including NME, Uncut, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. xx won the prestigious Mercury Music Prize in 2010 and was certified platinum in the UK and Gold in Australia. Sophomore LP Coexist (2012) saw The xx strip their already-naked sound, with so few elements to each song that manage to deepen without intruding.
Drama The Lady from the Sea Starring Chen Shu
Date: Jan 31- Feb 3 - 7:30 pm
Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts
Price: 200-880 yuan
Ellida was a lighthouse guardian's daughter. She had grown up by the sea ever since childhood. After her father passed away, she married Doctor Wangel. He was much older than her, and she became the stepmother of his two daughters. Ellida moved to reside in the fjord area together with her husband. Many years later, however she still struggled to adapt to the inland. She missed the sea so much, which gradually turned into nostalgia with her innermost thoughts that kept churning her mind nonstop, day and night. In the summer, a large ship sailed into the fjord along the meandering sea channel, which not only carried a large number of noisy tourists, but brought along a strange man. Then the mystery of Ellida's history was unraveled.
Riverdance in Shenzhen
Date: Feb 1-2 - 8 pm
Venue: Shenzhen Poly Theater
Price: 280-1,280 yuan
The international Irish dance phenomenon is back by popular demand in Riverdance - The 20th Anniversary World Tour. Drawing on Irish traditions, the combined talents of the performers propel Irish dancing and music into the present day, capturing the imagination of audiences across all ages and cultures in an innovative and exciting blend of dance, music and song. Of all the performances to emerge from Ireland - in rock, music, theater and film - nothing has carried the energy, the sensuality and the spectacle of Riverdance.
Shanghai Opera House: Giacomo Puccini's Turandot in Shanghai
Date: Jan 24-26 - 7:15 pm
Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater Lyric Theater
Price: 180-880 yuan
In Ancient Peking, the beautiful, icy Princess Turandot announced that she would marry the man who can solve her three riddles, but gravely punished those who could not. Heads rolled until the arrival of a clever prince who was determined to win over the princess or die to try. He solved her trio of challenges and then offered Turandot his life if she could solve the riddle of his name. Will true love be enough to soften the vengeful princess' heart? Turandot is Puccini's final opera (unfinished at his death) and perhaps as a result, it is by far and away his most musically adventurous.
Dai Jian's Dance Work Mo in Beijing
Date: Jan 25 - 7:30 pm
Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts
Price: 120-240 yuan
Dai Jian graduated from Beijing Dance Academy and Bennington College in the United States successively. He ever worked for Trisha Brown Dance Company and Shen Wei Dance Arts, etc. Currently, he serves as the art director of MaiOui Dance in France. He has been commissioned at Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Arts, Making Moves Dance Festival, and Les Subsistances, Lyon, France. His sculpture works Tired 1, 2, 3 were displayed at 2015 The New State Taiyuan International Sculpture Biennale. He was also invited by 2017 Up-On International Live Art Festival.
(China Daily 01/20/2018 page19)
