In 1896, the impresario Milton Bode approached Leno with a proposal for a farcical musical comedy vehicle devised for him called "Orlando Dando, the Volunteer", by Basil Hood with music by Walter Slaughter. Leno's agent declined the offer, as his client was solidly booked for two years. Bode offered Leno £625 (£ in adjusted for inflation) for a six-week appearance in 1898. Upon hearing this, the comedian overrode his agent and accepted the offer. Leno toured the provinces in the piece and was an immediate success. So popular was his performance that Bode re-engaged him for a further two shows: the musical farce "In Gay Piccadilly!" (1899), by George R. Sims, in which Leno's uncle, Johnny Danvers appeared ("The Era" said that Leno was "attracting huge houses" and called him "excruciatingly funny"); and the musical comedy "Mr. Wix of Wickham" (1902). Both toured after their original runs. In 1897, Leno went to America and made his debut on 12 April of that year at Hammerstein's Olympia Music Hall on Broadway, where he was billed as "The Funniest Man on Earth". Reviews were mixed: one newspaper reported that the house roared its approval, while another complained that Leno's English humour was out of date. His American engagement came to an end a month later, and Leno said that it was "the crown of my career". Despite his jubilation, Leno was conscious of the few negative reviews he had received and rejected all later offers to tour the United States and Australia.