Wolverhampton Grand at 125: How many comics can you get in a Nissan?
Comedian Jimmy Cricket and Roly Poly Mo Moorland squeezed into one of the world's smallest cars.
And Jimmy wondered of there was room for both himself and The Mighty Atom.
But "you can in a Nissan", the brand slogan at the time, he was told – and so it proved.
The two helped launch Wolverhampton Grand Theatre's Centenary Year Lottery in April 1994.
The Nissan Micro Dot was one of the prizes in the lottery, part of the fundraising campaign for the theatre's £4 million facelift.
Jimmy and the Roly Polys, who included Wolverhampton dancer Sue Cadman, were appearing in the theatre's Night At The Music Hall that week.
The cash was raised by public donation, business sponsorship and grants, with theatre chiefs vowing that they would not borrow any cash to carry out the work. Three years of refurbishment began the following year.
The massive refurbishment focused on revamping the public areas, including the bars and restaurant, laying new carpets and redesigning the seating.
Other changes involved improving the backstage area so that larger ballets, musicals and operas could be staged at the theatre, in Lichfield Street.
The cash-generating ideas also included selling limited edition merchandise based on the theatre's centenary, a gala day in December, `buy a seat' sponsorship, corporate packages and prize lottery, the subject of our picture.
The image is reproduced here as the Express & Star joins with the Grand to mark the theatre’s milestone 125th anniversary this year.
If you have memories or pictures, email 125@grandtheatre.co.uk or write to 125 Memories Project, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, WV1 1DE.
