The music does not have "Oriental" color, except for the title character's first entrance – on a "full scale imitation elephant" – and the wedding and coronation marches.
The show was termed an "operatic burletta" because of the burlesque convention of having Fox wearing tights.
[1] Wang premiered at the now-demolished Broadway Theatre,[2] New York City, on May 4, 1891 and closed on October 3, 1891 after 151 performances.
The cast featured Helen Beresford as Nannette, Della Fox as Mataya, DeWolf Hopper as Wang, Samuel Reed as Colonel Fracasse, Alfred Klein as Pepat, and Marion Singer as La Veuve Frimousse.
The production was produced and directed by Sam S. Shubert and again starred Hopper and Singer, with Madge Lessing as Mataya.