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The story involves a Chinese girl named Mei-li escaping to San Francisco, California, United States after her father dies in prison after being jailed by the Chinese Communist Party in the People's Republic of China.
She goes to a run-down Chinese Opera House in the city, and has to keep it afloat. The house is turned into Club Chop Suey, a Western-style nightclub. Along the way, Mei-li gets involved in a love affair with Ta, and struggles to find a meaning to her new life.
In 1961 the musical was made into a movie, starring Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Benson Fong, Jack Soo and Miyoshi Umeki. It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color, Best Cinematography, Color, Best Costume Design, Color, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Sound.
In 2002, the show re-opened on Broadway, with a complete restaging and reorchestration. New text was written by David Henry Hwang.
The best-known song is "I Enjoy Being a Girl".