The 5 best events this week
May 19-27: Chinese Theatre Works: Tiger Tales (Shadow Play)
Tiger Tales is an artful fusion of traditional Chinese and contemporary Western shadow theater techniques. The performance is presented by the NYC-based Chinese Theatre Works, which has won the highest honor in U.S. puppetry and featured at many festivals and conferences around the world. "Tiger Tales” also won three awards at the Shanghai International Art Festival, including Best Directing and Best Puppet Design.
May 19-20 & 26-27, 10.30am or 3pm; RMB180. Ciro's Performing Arts Theater. See event listing. Book tickets here.
May 25-26: Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Punchline Comedy brings back the always rib-tickling talents of Whose Line Is It Anyway? to Shanghai on May 25 and 26. Expect plenty of improv hijinks as the UK’s Andy Smart, Stephen Frost and Niall Ashdown, and Irishman Ian Coppinger build the show based on audience suggestions.
Fri May 25, 8pm, RMB290, Cages Bar and Sports; Sat May 26, 8pm, RMB290, Blossoms, Kerry Hotel Pudong. See event listing. Book tickets here.
May 25-27: What is My Name?
What is my name? is performed by production company DA.TE Danza from Granada, Spain. Founded in 1999 by artistic director and choreographer Omar Meza, they deliver contemporary dance performances that engage a child's mind to think about the possibilities in life. This particular piece focuses on the message of your true self. No matter what labels are placed on you, your true essence is always there, and this will guide you to make choices that determine who you really are.
Fri May 25, 7pm; May 26-27, 10am or 2pm; RMB180-220. Shanghai International Dance Center. See event listing.
All Month: Indoor Rock Climbing Experience
Rock climbing can be an extreme sport. It can keep you fit, train your brain and build your self-confidence. Enter the premier rock pavilion in Shanghai: Park Climbing Gym. It boasts the highest indoor artificial rock wall in China, the longest roof in Asia and a panoramic sunroof on the ceiling to make sure you’re getting in all that natural light. It’s an excellent place for you to experience what it feels like to be Spider-Man.
10am-10pm; RMB110. Park Climbing Gym. Book tickets here.
All Month: From Bologna to the World - Masters & New Voices of Illustration (1967-2017)
Half a century ago, the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition was first held as a benchmark for anyone involved or interested in the production of children’s books. Over the years, it has grown as an internationally acknowledged window for excellence and innovation in the field of illustration. Extremely diverse in themes and techniques, the exhibition opens a bridge between picture book illustration and contemporary art and is visually stimulating for both adult and young visitors.
10am-6pm; RMB98 (adults); RMB78 (kids). Duo Yun Xuan Art Museum. See event listing.
The 5 best upcoming events
Jun 3: Family Comedy Show: ¡Muu!2
¡Muu!2 is a satire about the world of bullfighting including the sense of honor, macho posturing, bravery, motherland, national festival and animal cruelty. These are all wrapped up in the sacred, invincible values which, well into the 21st century, pits man against beast in the manner of the Roman circus.
Sun Jun 3, 10.30am or 4.30pm; RMB144-304. Daguan Theater. See event listing. Book tickets here.
Jun 9: The Way We Love: Caring x Sharing x Giving
For the benefit of children with congenital heart diseases, Shanghai Children's Health Foundation joins hands with Beacon of Love to present this meaningful Children's Day event. Here you can not only have a tasty buffet lunch, but also enjoy storytelling, kids' etiquette lessons, a craft workshop, family dancing and music, parenting salon, family photo booth and more.
Sat Jun 9, 10am-2pm; RMB150-200 (free for children under 3 years). Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao. See event listing. Book tickets here.
Jun 12-14: Theatre de la Feuille: Papa
Founded by Ata Wong Chun Tat in 2010 in Paris, Théâtre de la Feuille is a physical theatre which creates with Western methodology from Jacques Lecoq along with Eastern artistic traditions. The show centers the concept of family. It is about old and young; forgetting and remembering; encounter and departure. It is a sketch of the family that will bring you home for dinner.
7.30pm; RMB180-280. Huangpu Theatre. See event listing. Book tickets here.
July 5-8: Dora the Explorer Live - Search for the City of Lost Toys
Everyone's favorite explorer is embarking on a live musical adventure in Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer LIVE! Search for the City of Lost Toys. Dora the Explorer has lost her teddy bear Osito, and the search is on to retrieve him. Dora the Explorer fans will delight in the story, which invites them to think, sing and play along.
English version: Thu Jul 5, 7.30pm; Sat Jul 7, 10.30am; Sun Jul 8, 3.30pm. Chinese versions: Fri-Sat July 6-7, 3.30pm & 7.30pm; Sun July 8, 10.30am & 7.30pm. RMB180-480. Shanghai Children's Art Theatre. See event listing. Book tickets here.
Aug 16-19: Matthew Bourne's Cinderella
This summer, Shanghai Culture Square will present you with the dance production Cinderella. Unlike the classic fairy tale we are familiar with, the show was set in London during the Second World War. Directed by UK's most popular and successful choreographer and director, it has been a hit ever since its premiere in 1997. If you haven’t planned anything that week, grab your little ones and expect a thrilling and evocative war-time romance.
Aug 16-17, 7.30pm; Aug 18-19, 2pm & 7.30pm; RMB180-880. Shanghai Culture Square. See event listing. Book tickets here.
