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Comments: 京劇《梅蘭 醉酒 "Mei Lanfang" by the Beijing Peking Opera House - is definitely one not to be missed. Since its debut in May, the play has set box office records at every performance. I strong acting line-up, gathering together China's most renowned Peking Opera actors, has been a major selling point. The play is not a stereotyped personal profile of Mei Lanfang, a Peking Opera master who spent a lifetime on the opera stage. 　　T play shows Mei's career and life through a real incident. During the War against Japanese Aggression (1937-45), Mei refused to perform for Japanese troops by not shaving his moustache. This meant he could not play "dan" (female) roles and he went into self-imposed exile. 　　W male actors play "dan" roles in traditional operas they must have a clean-shaven face and through this simple story, the play shows Mei's patriotism, beliefs and personality as well as his love of the art form. 　　"T is an account of one man's extraordinary experience of confronting the invader which you can't imagine," says opera director Chen Xinyi. "For his own dignity and that of his country, the master gave up his career and said good-bye to the stage." 　　 stage sets for "Mei Lanfang" are glorious and lavish and a symphony orchestra provides the musical accompaniment. The huge production is a tribute to Mei who was very strict about every detail on stage. The play is also part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Mei's birth this year. 　　Yu Kuizhi, China's top "laosheng" (old man's role) plays Mei. When he was first approached by the production team, he was hesitant about accepting the part. Because Mei created so many female roles, his personality and behavior had feminine features and playing him is a big departure from Yu's usual acting style. 　　" I'm not focusing on imitating his appearance but trying to present Mei's bearing and inner character," Yu says. And Yu has made a great success of his portrayal of Mei. His acting has won him the acclaim of Peking Opera professionals and been hailed as "a breakthrough performance."