Actor Chen Daoming admitted Wednesday he felt “real pressure” in his starring role in The Sorrow of Comedy, given that it’s been more than 30 years since he’s last acted in a spoken drama. The play, co-directed by Xu Ang and actress Song Dandan and co-starring He Bing, will premiere at Beijing’s Capital Theater on July 21.

The play is already considered a resounding success, however, with 1 million yuan in ticket sales registered before Wednesday’s first dress rehearsal, according to reports.

Chen, who started his career at the Tianjin People’s Theater before coming to Beijing, said he was “fulfilling a dream” performing spoken drama after so many years. He said he found the script, based on a Japanese play, “interesting and challenging” given that there are only two characters.

“I admit it’s been a real hurdle to come back to a role like this,” he said. “I just hope it doesn’t turn out to be a horror show for audiences.”

According to Chen, theater is always less successful than film or soap opera, but that he was looking for a “true acting challenge” after appearing in countless other kinds of projects over the years. Asked if he’ll do another play in the future, he said it all depends on the reception of Sorrow, especially from the media.

“I take the opinions of critics very seriously in planning my next step,” he said.

The Sorrow of Comedy will run until August 9.

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