Entertainment in Asia
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Kabuki-Za (Kabuki Theatre)
Performances and times vary from month to month at Kabuki-za so check with the TIC (Tourist Information Center; ) or the theatre for programme information. Be sure to rent a headset for blow-by-blow explanations in English, and pick up a bentō downstairs. A full kabuki performance comprises three or four acts (usually from different plays) over an afternoon or an evening (typically 11:00 to 15:30 or 16:30 to 21:00), with long intervals between the acts.
If four-plus hours sounds too long, you can purchase last-minute tickets for a single act, although seats are only on the highest balcony. Since some acts tend to be more popular than others, inquire ahead as to which to…
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Club Football Center
With its wall-to-wall football memorabilia, live English premiership action, big screens and yelping punters at the bar, this is the most genuine British pub in town. A must for anyone obsessed with the beautiful game, beer (around Y10 for a bottle of Tsingdao) or pool and darts. There's a solid menu of pub food favourites. This is the focal point of Běijīng's amateur football scene and the place to come if you're looking for a team to join.
If you sign up for the free membership, you'll get emails of forthcoming matches and events. It's an adjunct of the Red House Hotel and reception will direct you there. Or you can enter directly by going up the alley to the side of…
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Eje Bar
The self-styled (and probably accurate) 'hardest-to-find bar in Běijīng' is well worth the effort, but pack a compass. Tucked away behind the rear wall of the Confucius Temple, this cultured courtyard bar is sedately arranged with sofas and set to the chirruping of grasshoppers. Away from even the remotest action, it's well worth a detour.
Arriving at night is like reaching the light at the end of a tunnel: from Yonghegong Dajie follow Guanshuyuan Hutong round the corner, take the first right and you will see the Confucius Temple ahead on your left. Follow the road round to your right, take the first left and it's opposite the temple's rear wall (check the bar website…
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People 7
Getting into this superstylish bar/restaurant is an achievement in itself. That’s not because there’s a door policy, rather it’s because the shiny steel doors will only open if you insert your hand (twice) into one of the nine holes set into the wall (we’re not saying which one). Once inside, there’s a backlit, long steel bar on which to rest the oddly shaped glass your cocktail will arrive in. With white armchairs scattered throughout the darkly lit interior and bathrooms that are even harder to work out than the front door, this place could be oppressively trendy. But it isn’t. They do affordable minimalist fusion food (Y35 to Y60) too.
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Shimbashi Embujō Theatre
While Ginza’s storied Kabuki-za Theatre is being rebuilt until 2013, corporate owner Shōchiku will mainly stage the plays at its Embujō Theatre, which also puts on super kabuki, a rocking subgenre that incorporates modern stagecraft. A full performance of traditional kabuki comprises three or four acts (usually from different plays) over an afternoon or an evening (typically 11am to 3.30pm or 4.30pm to 9pm), with long intervals between the acts. If four-plus hours sounds too long, you can usually purchase last-minute tickets for a single act. Since some acts tend to be more popular than others, enquire ahead as to which to catch, and arrive well in advance.
reviewed
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Luna
With all of KL's towering skyscrapers, it would be unthinkable for there not to be some bars to enjoy the sky-high views from. Some of KL's most exclusive nightspots are perched on top of cloud-busting towers, offering dizzy views over the whole of the city. Topping the bill is Luna, which lords it over the city from the top floor of the Pacific Regency Suites.
This is KL at its most chic - the bar coils around a swimming pool, and features giant, soft furnishings, screens of crystal beads and chill-out booths with glass walls and views that plummet to street level. Things can get very busy at weekends. Enter via the elevator on the 7th floor of the hotel.
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Pyongyang Circus
The nature of visiting North Korea is that the most mundane everyday things become instantly fascinating. Given that contact with locals is kept to a minimum, while in Pyongyang you should take advantage of the relatively wide choice of evening entertainment to see how locals like to relax. Of course, what you will and won't be able to do depends on your guides, and so let them know any requests as early on as possible, and of course, try to stay in their good books.
The Pyongyang Circus gets glowing reviews from visitors. It is mainly a human circus, and you may hear vicious rumours that during the famine many of the animals ended up on plates.
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Stadium
The big daddy of Jakarta’s scene, this club has the heritage (established in 1997), the reputation (DJs including Sasha and Dave Seaman have spun here), the capacity (around 4000), the sound system and the crowd. There are four levels, but the main room is where the prime dance-floor action is – a dark, cavernous space of pounding beats full of clubbers in sunglasses. This ain’t no disco – alcohol is not the drug of choice, and Stadium has a distinctly underground vibe. Its weekend session is totally hardcore – beginning on Thursday evening and running until Monday morning.
reviewed
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Brauhaus Restaurant & Pub
The brick walls and dark wooden furniture in this basement pub, a hidden favourite for over 20 years, give it a distinctly Teutonic vibe. But what really makes the Brauhaus a slice of basement Bavaria is the vast selection of beers from all over the world, 150-plus including obscure names like Old Peculiar Stout, König Ludwig and Strong Suffolk Vintage Ale. Easily the most well-stocked beer house in the area, Brauhaus also boasts live bands from Monday to Saturday from about 8pm until 2am. It also boasts an outdoor pool table and a good menu featuring continental fare.
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Gingko
A slightly schizophrenic blend of a bar, cafe, restaurant and live-music venue, this place is clearly anxious to cover all the bases. It works best as a bar and cafe – the coffee is good – but it’s also a nice, intimate location to hear the bands and musicians of all varieties that take to the small stage a couple of times a week. There’s Guinness and a reasonable selection of wine, as well as a far more impressive range of snacks – from croquettes to mussels, paninis and pizzas – than is usual in a Běijīng bar.
reviewed
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Impressions Liú Sānjiě
The top show in town is directed by moviemaker Zhang Yimou, the man who also directed the opening ceremony at the Běijīng Olympics. Six hundred performers, including local fishermen, take to the Lí River each night. Twelve surrounding karst peaks are illuminated as part of the show, which gets rave reviews from many travellers. Book at your hostel or hotel: hotels often arrange slight discounts.
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Red Pavilion Theatre
The Red Pavilion Theatre is one of Taipei's older buildings. The wooden, octagonal structure was originally a public market, then a theatre for Chinese opera as well as a second-run cinema. Since beginning life anew as a multipurpose centre for vocal and visual arts it has hosted a variety of performers and performances, such as Taiwan-based world music group A Moving Sound and the Taipei run of the Vagina Monologues.
Exhibits and performances change frequently, but even if you come just to check it out (or have a coffee), it's worth the time.
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Marronnier Park
This free performance area in Daehangno usually has something happening on warm weekend afternoons. Student artists draw portraits in one corner while rappers rap, B-boys break-dance and high-school rock bands crank it up on the outdoor stage. A samullori troupe bangs their drums and gongs while dancing around under the chestnut trees. ‘Mr Guitar’, a musician and comedian, regularly performs in front of a large and appreciative audience. Couples play badminton, people in wheelchairs play basketball, and yo-yo geeks spin their toys.
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Patpong
Possibly one of the most famous red-light districts in the world, today any ‘charm’ that the area used to possess has been eroded by modern tourism, and fake Rolexes and Diesel T-shirts are more ubiquitous than flesh. There is, of course, a considerable amount of naughtiness going on, although much of it takes place upstairs and behind closed doors. If you must, be sure to agree to the price of entry and drinks before taking a seat at one of Patpong’s ‘pussy shows’, otherwise you’re likely to receive an astronomical bill.
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Constellation
The bow-tied staff at the Japanese-run Constellation (or, as the original name translates, ‘Constellations in a pool of liquor’) take their drinks seriously – you’re not going to get any watered-down cocktails here. A choice selection of whiskies (including a samurai-helmeted Nikka), Van Gogh prints on the walls and overhead black lights make this a classy yet appealingly weird place. Its small size necessitated the opening of Constellation 2 (33 Yongjia Rd; 永嘉路 33 号 ).
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Siam Niramit
A cultural theme park, this enchanted kingdom transports visitors to a Disneyfied version of ancient Siam with a technicoloured stage show of traditional performance depicting the Lanna Kingdom, the Buddhist heaven and Thai festivals. Elaborate costumes and sets are guaranteed to be spectacular both in their grandness and their indigenous interpretation.
The show is predominately popular with tour groups, but if you’re visiting independently, a free shuttle-bus service is available at Thailand Cultural Centre MRT station every 15 minutes from 6pm to 7.45pm.
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Wine Network
Tucked away in the Dempsey Rd furniture and antiques ghetto, this is a real find. A small, intimate bar with rough wooden floors and crumbling brick walls lined with wine bottles, where the wine is as cheap or expensive as you like (bottles start at $18, or it’s $7 a glass). Sit inside, or enjoy the sight of the semiderelict colonial barracks and the sound of twittering birds on the deck. Pizzas, German sausages and cheese platters fight off hunger. Get off the bus at stop B03 on Holland Rd; from here it’s a 10-minute walk.
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Paseo
Not so much a nightclub as a night precinct, Paseo is a vast semi-outdoor space fronted by a market area and bordered by 20 independently owned bars all competing for attention. See how far you can crawl your way around in a single night, but don’t forget to write the name of your hotel on the back of your hand. On Friday nights the party heats up at 10pm; on Saturdays it kicks off as early as 8pm. Get there earlier for cheap eats – most of the bars have short-order kitchens. A taxi from uptown will cost about P60 and take 15 minutes.
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Warm-Up
The hippest joint in own, and a perennial favourite for the young and beautiful, Warm-Up is one of Chiang Mai's best dance houses. Hip-hop is spun by DJs in the main room, the electronic beat of house reverberates in the lounge and bands playing rock/indie music can be found in the garden. Young hipsters arrive in their coolest duds: tight jeans, spiked wolf hair-dos, sparkly shirt dresses and pointy heels. But ever youthful fa·ràng join the crowd as well.
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East Shore Jazz Café
Cui Jian’s saxophonist, whose quartet play here, opened this chilled venue just off Di’anmenwai Dajie and next to Qianhai Lake. It’s a place to hear the best local jazz bands, with live performances from Thursdays to Sundays, in a less precious atmosphere than the CD Jazz Café. There’s a small roof terrace open in summer with a nice view of the lake and it‘s worth booking a table here on weekends, when it gets busy. There’s no cover charge and the drinks are reasonably priced.
reviewed
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Happy Valley Sports Ground
Hong Kong has a fairly lively amateur soccer league. Games are played at the Happy Valley Sports Ground, a group of pitches inside the Happy Valley Racecourse, and at Mong Kok Stadium. For match schedules and venues, check the sports sections of the English-language newspapers or contact the Hong Kong Football Association (2712 9122; www.hkfa.com). The big football event of the year is the Lunar New Year Cup, which is held on the first and fourth days of the Chinese New Year (late January/early February).
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Mong Kok Stadium
Hong Kong has a fairly lively amateur soccer league. Games are played at the Happy Valley Sports Ground, a group of pitches inside the Happy Valley Racecourse, and at Mong Kok Stadium. For match schedules and venues, check the sports sections of the English-language newspapers or contact the Hong Kong Football Association (2712 9122; www.hkfa.com). The big football event of the year is the Lunar New Year Cup, which is held on the first and fourth days of the Chinese New Year (late January/early February).
reviewed
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180° Lounge
Macau Tower, at 338m, is the 10th-tallest freestanding structure in the world; it stands on the narrow isthmus of land southeast of Avenida da República. The squat building at its base is the Macau Convention & Entertainment Centre. The tower houses observation decks (adult/child 3-12 & senior over 85 MOP$90/45) on the 58th and 61st floors, and restaurants and bars such as the revolving 360° Café (11.30am-3pm, 3.30-4.15pm & 6-11pm) on the 60th floor, and the 180° Lounge one floor below it.
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Ilkhom Theatre
Tashkent's other main cultural highlight is the progressive Ilkhom Theatre, which stages productions in Russian but occasionally has English subtitles. Known for bucking trends, its productions often touch on gay themes and racial subjects, putting off some locals but thrilling Tashkent's expat community, many of whom are big supporters of the theatre. You'll see such oddities as Shakespeare plays entwined with Beatles music.
The theatre also stages occasional jazz concerts as well as art exhibitions in its lobby.
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Traditional Thai Puppet Theatre
The ancient art of Thai puppetry (lákhawn lék) was rescued by the late Sakorn Yangkhiawsod, more popularly known as Joe Louis, in 1985. Joe’s children now carry on the tradition. His creations are controlled by three puppeteers and can strike many humanlike poses. Modelled after the characters in the epics Ramayana and Phra Aphaimani, the puppets perform nightly at this air-conditioned theatre, conveniently located in the Suan Lum Night Bazaar, as well as at the King Power Theater.
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