POLLARD'S PICTURES.

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 March 1911, Page 5

POLLARD'S PICTURES.

MR W. S. PERCY’S FAREWELL.

It is frequently said that the memory of the public is short for the • men who provide them with amusement or benefits of more stability, but the triumph scored by Mr W. S. Percy last night at the Opera House, after an absence of some years, was a sufficient proof of the falsity of the statement. Mr Percy since the early nineties when he first came to Greymouth with Pollardfs Liliputians, has; always enjoyed a remarkable popularity .both on and oh the stage and last evening when he was making his farewell appearance his reception was a fitting culmination of his long,'career as a fun maker. No comedian on the Australian stage can point to a record to equal that held by Mr Percy and no comedian has ever been, able to claim so many admirers in New Zealand. The applause that greeted the famous comedian last evening could be duplicated in almost any town in the dominion, so widely spread is his fame. Last evening' Mr Percy, when he could make himself heard, stated that if he could give his audience as much pleasure as he himself experienced in appearing again, in Greymouth. he would be satisfied. He then launched into a Jewish monologue into which he introduced a number of topical references that caused the audience that packed into the building to simply rock with laughter. His sallies at borough matters evoked shrieks .of amusement and while he wa,s on the stage there was not a dull jnomeilt. He remained before the audience over twenty minutes, but they still clamoured for more. He explained, however, that as many people had been turned away unable to obtain admittance and because he was eager to do some more for Grey mouth, he would appear again this evening, when he would drag Mr Tom Pollard on to the stage and there publicly say farewell to him.

The pictures last evening were shown as usual and the new programme was received with enthusiasm. “The Dissolution of Parliament” was especially successful.

This evening a presentation will be made to Mr Percy by a number of admirers in Greymouth, who wish to give him a souvenir to commemorate his last visit to the town before going to London. Mr Pollard will make the presentation, COUNTRY TOUR.

These pictures will be shown at Blackball on Saturday evening, when Miss Cissy T Keefe, the celebrated New Zealand contralto, will sing selections during the evening.