Express & Star

Wolverhampton Grand at 125: Black Knight is a straw man!

It's hot work, this fighting and jousting business.

Published
Actor Tony Sharratt at the bar

And it doesn't help when your helmet prevents you from indulging in a cooling pint at the bar.

But stuntman and actor Tony Sharratt found a novel way of coping – by asking for a couple of straws which he promptly popped through an opening in his facial armour.

Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre has played host to many kinds of productions over the decades, and in June 1990 it was the turn of the Not Quite Theatre Company to take to the stage.

When new shows come to town, our reporters often ask if there is anyone local in the company. In this case it was the turn of Wolverhampton-based Tony, playing a nobleman in a medieval banquet, to step into the limelight.

The actor's chainmail is convincing enough but his helmet looks suspiciously like an upside-down saucepan. More to the point, it lacks a hinged visor that would have allowed him to sup his ale in a more conventional manner.

The picture is reproduced as the Express & Star joins with the Grand to mark the theatre’s milestone 125th anniversary celebrations.

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