Sunday evening was a gala night for Peking opera buffs in Beijing.

It was the opening night of Mei Lanfang, a large-scale peking opera-and-symphonic poem staged to commemorate the Peking opera guru's 110th birthday this year.

The highly-anticipated opera focuses on Mei Lanfang's courage during the anti-Japanese war in the 1940s.

It depicts the star in daily life and brings some of his celebrated characters to the stage.

Yu Kuizhi, a famous laosheng actor, plays the part of Mei Lanfang and interprets the master vividly.

The opera also adopts a symphony orchestra of classical western instruments in an effort to appeal to a wider audience, including the youth market.

The play received rave reviews from those in attendance at the sold-out show.

Despite the sky-high price of 1,000 Yuan, or US$120, all tickets have been sold out for the two weeks of performances.
 
(CRI.com May 4, 2004)