I produced a revival of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz in 2014 at Winkie Con 50 in San Diego, CA. I wrote a long article for the convention program book on the history of the show. That article was the basis for the book, but I greatly expanded on the information I originally wrote (as well as correcting my mistakes). I've been working on the book intensively for the past several years, researching and collecting long-forgotten details of the show and the people involved in it.
The book offers a wealth of treasures, including these features:
- The first publication of L. Frank Baum's original script for the show, newly located
- The first publication of Baum's original scenario for the show, when it was titled The Rainbow's Daughter
- Hundreds of photos and images, showing scenes from The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, the actors and production team, posters, publicity photos, advertisements, and much more
- Capsule biographies of all the principal actors and many of the chorus members--along with photos of as many show participants as I could find
- A biography of Louis F. Gottschalk, the show's composer, detailing his high-profile career on Broadway and in Hollywood
- A biography of Fred Woodward, the actor who played Hank the Mule in The Tik-Tok Man of Oz and who, surprisingly, continued to play Hank the Mule for several decades afterward
In conjunction with All Wound Up: the Making of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, my script for The Tik-Tok Man of Oz and my reconstructed piano-vocal score for the show will also be published. From Baum's and Gottschalk's surviving materials, I prepared these for the 2014 revival, although I subsequently revised a few bits in preparation for publication. For almost ten years now, I've wanted to make this performable version of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz available for others to produce. At last, that plan approaches fruition.Hungry Tiger Press will release all three books in late July 2023. I'll announce publication and a link to order the books. Look for those here!
Copyright © 2023 Eric Shanower. All rights reserved.
