‘TIK-TOK MAN’ DELIGHTS
Great Audience at Majestic for Premiere of Extravaganza—Magnificent Stage Pictures, Good Music and Girls, Girls, Girls
“The Tik-Tok Man” will prove to be no mere eight-day mechanism; it is wound up for a long run.
It was an auspicious occasion, the premiere, last night at the Majestic theater, of a musical extravaganza that promises to take a conspicuous place among the foremost productions in the country of the lighter form of musical and theatrical entertainment; a production starting in a blaze of splendor on the last American way to be kissed by the setting sun, and likely to shine quite as effulgently on the great thespian Broadway to greet the smile of Old Sol as he gets his first morning peep at the New World.
Everything contributed to a successful premiere of the Baum-Gottschalk fantasy last night. The audience, limited only by the capacity of the theater, was representative of the wealth and culture of the city and was enthusiastically responsive; the performance was so adequately prepared that it proceeded with the smoothness of a time tried production, and the creators of and sponsors for the offering were, each and everyone of them, present to acknowledge the demonstrative manifestations of approval showered upon “The Tik-Tok Man.” After the first act, in response to these insistent marks of favor from the audience, L. Frank Baum, author of the book and lyrics, made a few apt remarks and called upon Manager Oliver Morosco, the man responsible for the unstinting elaborateness of the beautiful production. After a neat expression of thanks to the audience and paying a high tribute to the others concerned in the making of “The Tik-Tok Man,” not even forgetting the chorus or the stage carpenters, Mr. Morosco introduced the composer of the music, Louis F. Gottschalk, Frank Stammers, who staged the play, Robert Brunton, who is artistically responsible for the gorgeous scenic representations, and others concerned in the making of the attraction.
The story of “The Tik-Tok Man of Oz” is as fantastic as that of an extravaganza is expected to be—that is, it is about as far distant from pictured realities as are the realms of Dreamland, to which the Sandman takes one after a bounteous repast of Welsh rarebit.
Suffice to say, Betsy and her mule, Hank—and Hank is a wonderful mule, too—become shipwrecked on the island of Oz, where flowers and things are living beings. Here they meet the Shaggy Man, the princess of Roseland, the Rainbow’s daughter, and the Tik-Tok Man, a marvelous mechanical fellow who thinks and acts after properly being wound up. These form a party who search for the Metal Kingdom to release the Shaggy Man’s brother, imprisoned there by the Metal King.
On this hangs the string of entertaining features of the production.
“The Tik-Tok Man” is essentially a scenic production, and the magnificent scale on which it is built will figure large in its probable success. From the rise of the first curtain, on the beautifully effective shipwreck scene to that of the last curtain[,] it is a series of wonderfully attractive, artistic and gorgeous stage settings. As part of these beautiful scenes, the unusually large chorus of shapely and fine-looking young women in many changes of tasty and elaborate costumes, figures intimately in the visually delightful stage pictures.
Mr. Gottschalk’s music for this piece was written by a man thoroughly familiar with popular taste and with the ability and inclination to meet it. I say this advisedly, for the composer has written things of much more musical value than that in “The Tik-Tok Man,” but he has here consistently kept within the limits of what he knew was suitable for a vehicle of light entertainment.
Much of the music is strongly reminiscent of other things, and for that matter what music of popular character is not? Yet, the composer beautifies the work here and there with attractive bits of composition, of which the orchestral part of the rain scene in the prologue is a notable instance. The music in “The Tik-Tok Man” contains much that is “catchy” and bound to become popular.
The performance by the admirably selected cast is worthy more extended notice than well can be given here.
James Morton as the Tik-Tok Man is immense, Frank Moore is a close second as the Shaggy Man, and if anyone believes that actions do not speak louder than words, he will be quickly converted by seeing the eloquent mule, Hank, as played by Fred Woodward.
Leonora [sic] Novasio is a bewitching little Betsy, Vera Doria is a stately and vocally delightful Princess Ozma and Dolly Castles dances and sings into the favor of all.
Josie Intropidi is a capital suffragette general and Charles Ruggles a model Private Files, constituting the army of Oogaboo. Eugene Cowles shines vocally in the bass solo of the Metal King, who wants to love but can’t. Then there are girls, girls and girls, a veritable army of youthful, comely femininity to dazzle the eye by their gorgeous raiment and please the ear by their fresh, young voices. The officers of the army of Oogaboo make up a creditable male chorus.
F. H. COLBY
For more about The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, read my book about the show, All Wound Up: The Making of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz.
Copyright © 2026 Eric Shanower. All rights reserved.
