Little Tich's success under Pastor brought him to the attention of the Chicago State Opera Company,Rohmer, p. 48 who secured him on a two-year contract for a fee of $150 a week.Findlater & Tich, p. 37 Before the contract commenced, he was allowed to travel back to England where he honoured a pantomime commitment by appearing in Dick Whittington at the Theatre Royal in Brighton. In the piece he took the billing of "Tiny Titch" and played the Emperor Muley. In June 1888, at the Chicago Opera House, Little Tich starred in The Crystal Slipper, a burlesque loosely based on Cinderella; the production was a hit for the comedian and completed a run of over ten months.Findlater & Tich, p. 97Rohmer, p. 19 The Era described him as "the quaint little Negro comedian" and called his American engagement "brilliantly successful"."Music Hall Gossip", The Era, 4 May 1889, p. 15 During The Crystal Slipper, Little Tich met the English dancer Laurie Brooks, whom he married in Cook County, Illinois on 20 January 1889. That year marked the end of Little Tich's "blacking up" routine, which he had performed in between his commitments for the Chicago State Opera Company. He was told by a producer that the American audiences would find the black face and English accent too much of a contrast and opined "a deaf mute with one eye could see you aint a coon". Little Tich initially became worried at the prospect of appearing on stage without make-up, but found that the audience approved of the change.Findlater & Tich, p. 38
