I’ve had my eye on the Red House Theater in Ximindeng for a long time. I didn’t even know it was there when I first dropped in on the Red House. For anyone that doesn’t know, the Red House is a beautiful historic building in the Ximending area. As you come out of the Ximen MRT station, you find yourself at a very large and busy intersection. Most people turn down the pedestrian-only lane that leads into the heart of the Ximending shopping area. But if you look across the intersection to the south east corner, you’ll see a very interesting red brick building set back a little ways. That’s the Red House. It was built over a hundred years ago and designed by Japanese architect Kondo Juro. It’s a very unusual building (I’ve read that it is unique in Asia) and reminds me more of a church than anything else.

It’s hard to get a sense of the building’s layout from just looking at it, but it is shaped like a cross with that large octagonal entrance at its base. It was originally a market and only later began to be used as a theater. Throughout its history, it was used for Peking Opera, as a movie theater, for cross-talk, and in many other ways. It’s well worth checking out just for the architecture. There are some exhibits of the building’s history inside as well as a nice tea shop. There is also a tourism counter inside, and they have a large selection of up-to-date brochures and magazines about Taiwan. It’s a good place to go to plan your travels in Taipei. The portion of the building behind the octagonal entrance – the cross portion – is filled with interesting shops on two floors. And beside the Red House there is an open courtyard with a couple of dozen outdoor restaurants and cafes and some shops. It’s a great place to go at night to hang out. There is a very interesting and detailed history of the Red House Theater online here.

The Red House in Ximending

As I said, I wasn’t aware of the history of the Red House when I first visited it, and I had no idea it contained a theater. I just happened to see a wide staircase leading up from the main entrance, and I went up to see where it led. The top was roped off, and I couldn’t go inside, but through a curtain I could see the inside of a very interesting theater. To be honest, in the dark like that, it looked disused to me. It looked quite old and kind of falling apart with piles of boxes and other things here and there.

I filed away this theater in my memory and from time to time thought about seeing if there was a chance to see a performance there. A couple of weeks ago, a co-worker sent me some links to listings for performances at the Red House Theater, and then I happened upon a program at a tourism counter. I flipped through the program and saw a listing for something called “Monkey the Great.” It was being put on by EX-Theater Asia. I did some surfing and this theater group looked interesting. I saw some video footage of them rehearsing “Monkey the Great” and there looked to be a fair amount of singing and dancing and the music had a Bollywood feel to it. Tickets were sold out for the weekend, but there were still some tickets left for the show on Thursday night, and I picked one up for NT$600 at an ArtsTicket.com outlet across from the building where I work.

I overestimated just how much energy I would have after a long day at work on Thursday, but I set off to the Red House Theater pretty excited about the night. Ximending was bustling as always, and I made my way across the busy intersection dodging the various taxis running the red light and veering through three lanes of traffic and pulling sudden U-turns to pick up passengers. People were snapping pictures of the Red House, and I propped up my little camera on a utility box to hold it steady so I could take a picture, too.

The Red House Theater at Night

People were waiting in line at the foot of the stairs to the theater and I joined them. I felt like I was running late, but I was one of the first people to go inside the theater and I had my choice my seats. I often choose seats to the far left or right or even at the back so that I don’t block people’s view. That seemed even more important here since the theater was not slanted in any way. The seats were simply folding chairs with cushions on them and they were sitting on a flat and level floor. Therefore, it would be hard for anyone to see past the heads of taller people in front of them. Still, I thought I’d grab a seat near the front and see how it went.

I was pleased to see that there was a little musicians pit at the front with drums and guitars and other instruments set up. Live music would add something to the performance, I thought.

The theater was slow to fill up, but by the time the lights dimmed and the show began, it was nearly full. I liked the casual air of the theater. The red bricks of the building were exposed on all sides, and there were even large patches of brick right at the front that were crumbling and falling apart. The roof was exposed and you could see all the beam work and other structural elements. A massive red air-conditioning duct circled the roof above matching the octagonal shape of the building. A complex network of lights hung from every available space. It was a very pleasing combination of the rough and ready nature of a 100-year-old building with modern theater technology. There were two long counters at the back of the theater behind the seats. These weren’t in use, but audience members took advantage of them to sit up there and get a higher view of the stage. I got the impression that there were many friends, family, and crew associated with the EX-Theater Asia group in attendance for this opening night performance.

The Cast of Monkey the Great from Ex-Theater Asia

The story of “Monkey the Great” was relatively straightforward in its basic elements. It’s the story of a monkey who leaves the jungle and his jungle friends to explore the human world. The same seven performers played all the parts – the various animals and all the humans – and they achieved this with fast costume changes. The animals were portrayed with elegant masks that gave the impression of the animals they represented and let the faces of the actors still come through. From what I saw online, this use of masks and unusual props is a signature of the imaginative Ex-Theater Asia group.

My favorite parts of the performance were the humorous turns by a drunk manager of a performance group who incorporates Monkey into his act and that of a barber who gives Monkey a makeover and makes him look more human. Just as the animal masks just hint at the animal shape and leave the rest to your imagination, the barber performed his job not with scissors and other tools but with chopping motions of his hands accompanied by a chopping sound he made with his voice. The makeover of Monkey went on for a long time, but it all took place behind long white sheets with shadows projected on them. It was an effective technique that Ex-Theater Asia used a number of times in other scenes.

The main stage of the Red House Theater is relatively small, but it has long arms that stretch out on the left and right side. Actors would appear on these arms suddenly lit up by a spotlight and the action and drama would shift in that direction. Other actors exited backstage and then suddenly appeared behind the audience. This meant that the play was happening all around us and it gave the performance an intimate and involving atmosphere. After the intermission, I changed my seat and took a seat in the very back row. At one point, a deep voice suddenly boomed out right behind me. A few of the actors had snuck around and were standing behind me. They made their way on stage waving large fans building up to the last song and the grand finale. The cast took their bows to loud applause and cheers, and the night was over.

I enjoyed the performance and I’d definitely go back to see another performance by the Ex-Theater Asia group. I’d also be more than happy to go back to the Red House Theater. Its central location and wonderful, cozy atmosphere make it an ideal venue for smaller events.

Tags: Ex Theater Asia, job, Kondo Juro, music, Red House, Red House Theater