Domingo returns to Beijing stage with Thais

"I rarely shave, except during my holidays. But for this role, it's perfect to keep my beard," Placido Domingo says at a recent interview at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

He's talking about his role as a monk named Athanael in the three-act opera, Thais, the first operatic production to be staged by the NCPA in 2018, running from Feb 2 to 6 at the venue.

"Athanael keeps walking through the harsh desert and I guess he has no way to shave," adds Domingo, who arrived in the capital in the early hours of Jan 27, before joining rehearsals later that same day.