Listings

War Horse in Shanghai

Date: Dec 12-Jan 17－7:15 pm

Venue: Shanghai Culture Square

Price: 80-880 yuan

War Horse is a play based on the book of the same name by children's writer Michael Morpurgo, adapted for stage by Nick Stafford. Originally Morpurgo thought "they must be mad" to try to make a play from his best-selling 1982 novel; nonetheless, the play was a success. The play's West End and Broadway productions are directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris; it features life-size horse puppets by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa, with "horse choreography" by Toby Sedgwick. The Guardian's Michael Billington wrote in his review: Elliott and Morris recreate the kaleidoscopic horror of war through bold imagery, including the remorseless advance of a manually operated tank, and through the line-drawings of Rae Smith projected on to a suspended screen. Admittedly the performers are somewhat eclipsed by the action... The joy of the evening, however, lies in the skilled recreation of equine life and in its unshaken belief that mankind is ennobled by its love of the horse. The Wall Street Journal's Terry Teachout praised the puppetry, but gave mixed reactions to the play: "The fundamental flaw of 'War Horse' is that Nick Stafford, who wrote the script 'in association' (that's how the credit reads) with South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, has taken a book that was written for children and tried to give it the expressive weight of a play for adults. Not surprisingly, Mr. Morpurgo's plot can't stand the strain. Dramatic situations that work perfectly well in the context of the book play like Hollywood cliches onstage. In the first act, the craftsmanship is so exquisite that this doesn't matter-much-but things go downhill fast after intermission. The really big problem is the last scene, about which, once again, the drama critics' code commands silence. This much must be said, though: A play that is so forthright about the horrors of war owes its audience a more honest ending."

Contact: 400-610-3721

Xandria 2015 China Tour

Date: Dec 18－8:30 pm

Venue: Tango, Beijing

Price: 230-470 yuan

Xandria is a German symphonic metal band, founded by Marco Heubaum in 1994. The band's music combines elements of symphonic metal with light electronic elements. After various demos and great success on different MP3 portals, they released their first album in 2003, entitled Kill the Sun, which reached No 98 on the German music charts. The follow-up album, Ravenheart (2004), stayed on the charts for seven weeks, reaching No 36. In 2005 they released their third album, India, which reached No. 30 on the German charts. Xandria began recording their fourth album, Salome－The Seventh Veil, on Dec 14, 2006. It was released on May 25, 2007 and reached No 41 on the German charts. Lisa Middelhauve resigned on April 30, 2008 citing personal reasons and discomfort in being the band's frontwoman. The band found a new singer in February 2009, Kerstin Bischof a.k.a. Lakonia, best known for her collaborations with the band Axxis. However, after just one year Kerstin Bischof decided to leave the band to concentrate on a different career, and Middelhauve replaced her for a series of concerts in Summer 2010. On Dec 19, 2010, Xandria announced the addition of 29-year-old female singer Manuela Kraller to the group's ranks. Manuela Kraller made her live debut at the "Classic Meets Pop" event on Jan 7, 2011 at the Seidensticker Halle in Bielefeld, Germany. On Feb 5 the band announced on their website and Facebook page their new bass player Steven Wussow, along with the message that they will enter the studio again for their next studio album the same year. Neverworld's End was released on Feb 24, 2012. As of Oct 25, 2013, the band announced on their website that Manuela Kraller had left the band to pursue a different career and announced Dutch Ex Libris singer Dianne van Giersbergen as their new vocalist.

Contact: 400-610-3721