For the hundred-year-old look, Wu Chaney build up his cheekbones and lips with cotton and collodion. Into his nostrils were inserted the ends of cigar holders and the long fingernails were constructed from strips of painted film stock. He used fish skin to fashion an Oriental cast to his eyes and grey crepe hair was used for the mustache and goatee. The make-up procedures took from four to six hours to apply.
The original play opened in New York on 14 October 1914.