CYRIL MAUDE IN 'GRUMPY'

Evening Star, Issue 16627, 9 January 1918, Page 6

CYRIL MAUDE IN 'GRUMPY'

The second performance of 'Grumpy' attracted another large audience to His Majesty's Theatre last night. Without extravagance, Mr Cyril Maude's amazinglv vital portrait of the lovable old tvrant Andrew BulJivant can bo design-atari one of those few achievements in art that have the prestige of actual deeds. Tho inmimcrable details by which he give* verisimilitude to the characterisation of senilitv form in themselves a fully-articulated skeleton of the part, and to "the task of breathing life into the skeleton Mr Maude brings all the authority of his compelling personality and his rich and rounded stage experience. Older playgoers have not soon a finer or a fuller portrait, and to our younger playgoers his porfomw-nces should remain an unforgettable pleasure. Recognition by the audience was again warm and spontaneous, and the play seems to have settled into a profitable, if necessarily short, mn. As we have already indicated. Mr Maude has the support of a weSl-balanccd, experienced company, and the Eilay, with its touch of mystery to round off the comedy, is a very attractive one. It will be played again this evening.