 At this time, Talbot earned the bulk of his living from conducting both in London and for provincial touring productions, such as "The Lady Slavey", where managers appreciated his "cheery, goodnatured" attitude.Although he continued to compose, achieving some success both in Britain and America with "Monte Carlo" in 1896, Talbot's name was not yet considered to be a major force in British musical theatre, and he continued to be asked mainly to supply individual songs that were inserted into works primarily written by others.The most successful shows that he conducted in London during this period were "The Sorrows of Satan" (1897) at the Shaftesbury Theatre and two Arthur Roberts vehicles, "Dandy Dan the Lifeguardsman" (1897), which included his song "Someone Ought to Speak to Millie Simpson", and "Milord Sir Smith" (1898).