 He appeared in such successful pieces as "Peril" as Sir Woodbine Grafton, "Duty", "The Vicarage", as Noel Haygarth and "Caste" by T. W. Robertson with the Bancrofts also in the cast, all in 1879, and later in other Robertson pieces.Cecil joined a company at the Royal Court Theatre in 1881 and was a co-manager of that theatre from 1883.There, he played in farces including "The Rector", "The Magistrate", "The Schoolmistress" and "Dandy Dick", as well as the title role in "The Cabinet Minister" in 1890.