Grumbuskin

Grumbuskin is a rarely used character, the name originating from the T S Eliot poem "Growltiger's Last Stand".

Song Character
In the original London Production, the few lines of "Growltiger's Last Stand" that refer to Growltiger's "Bucko mate Grumbuskin" and "Bosun Tumblebrutus" were retained from the original poem, and the roles were played by Munkustrap and Alonzo respectively. Apart from these solo lines, the names had no bearing on their part in the number, and the four lines of the song were later cut.

Ensemble Character
In the Chinese production, Grumbuskin was included as an ensemble character, not a named swing, and doubles as the lead Siamese, Genghis, for the "Growltiger's Last Stand" sequence.

The use of a name formerly belonging to one of Growltiger's crew to double as the leader of the Siamese mimics many older productions that had Tumblebrutus double the same role.