Express & Star

Wolverhampton Grand at 125: The Wild West comes to town

The stars of Wild West musical Annie Get Your Gun tried out their costumes for size outside the Grand Theatre more than three decades ago.

Published
Ruth Johnson, poses as crackshot Annie, outside the Grand Theatre with Jerry Hobbs, who played Frank Butler

The show about legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley ran at the city centre venue for a week in 1988.

It was performed by Wolverhampton Amateur Comedy Company in their 50th anniversary year. Posing for an Express & Star publicity shot were top of the bill Ruth Johnson, who played crackshot Annie, and Jerry Hobbs, as her partner Frank Butler.

More than 30 years on, now called Wolverhampton Musical Comedy Company(Muscom), the company is still going strong, last year celebrating its 80th milestone.

A young, vibrant group full of home-grown talent, Muscom has continued to perform on the Grand Theatre stage, in the last decade putting on Grease, Footloose, High School Musical, Copacabana, West Side Story, Sweet Charity and Half A Sixpence.

The company was also the first amateur outfit in the UK to perform Legally Blonde, which they staged at the Grand in March 2015.

The image is reproduced here as the Express & Star joins with the Grand to mark the theatre’s milestone 125th anniversary later this year.

* If you have memories or pictures, email 125@grandtheatre.co.uk or write to 125 Memories Project, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, WV1 1DE.