Mu Guiying Takes Command (Mu Guiying Gua Shuai)
Overview. Peking Opera Mu Guiying Takes Command was transplanted in 1959 by artists including Mei Lanfang from the same-titled Yu opera (Henan opera) to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the founding of New China; it premiered at the Beijing People's Theatre on May 25 of that year.
Synopsis. The play tells of the Northern Song, when the Western Xia invades the Central Plains and the Song emperor decides to choose a commander by a martial contest in the drill ground to lead the army in resistance. The young Yang general Yang Wenguang beheads Wang Lun with his saber in the contest and returns with the commander's seal. His mother Mu Guiying, feeling the court has been callous and ungrateful, is reluctant to serve it again, but at last, moved by She Taijun, gladly agrees to take command and march to war. The play celebrates the Yang family generals' generation-spanning loyalty in defending the country and their patriotic spirit of "a house of loyalists sharing the court's cares."
Artistic Features. A Mei-school (Meipai) work, showcasing the older dan's dignified, martial bearing; Mu Guiying's "taking command" combines singing, recitation, and acting with imposing grace.
Why Watch. Mu Guiying Takes Command is a brilliant example of Mei Lanfang's later-stage creativity, fusing a patriotic theme with the elegance of the Mei school.
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