n attempt to list all the shows ever performed at our Hippodromes, beginning with the temporary circus buildings, which from 1884 were specially erected on Pool Meadow for each visit - then, in 1903, to the first permanent, but short-lived, 'Tin' Hippodrome on the Priory Street side of Pool Meadow facing the old Swimming Baths. The popularity of these shows created the demand for a theatre worthy of our city, and so in 1906 began the construction in Hales Street, next to Swanswell Gate, of what we now regard as the Old Hippodrome.
Again, the success of this theatre meant that barely three decades later a greater capacity was required, and so we come to our lovely art-deco New Hippodrome in Hales Street, once known as the Showplace of the Midlands. Opening on the 1st November 1937, it was renamed Coventry Theatre in 1955, then from 1979 became The Apollo, giving its final performance in June 1985. After a short spell as a bingo hall it was eventually realised that such a building could not be put to any practical use, so, sadly, it was demolished in 2002. If anyone still has any tickets or programmes and would like to see them used to illustrate a show, please contact me.
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1908 | Old Hippodrome, Hales Street | ||
| Date(s) | Show | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 6th Jan until Sat 11th Jan 1908 | The Three Laurels | In 'Fun on a Billiard Table'. Plus, Lady Mansel's Juveniles, The Lyons Trio, Doody and Wright, and more. | |
| Mon 13th Jan until Sat 18th Jan 1908 | Sandford and Lyons | Comedians. Plus, Reynold's Minstrels, Martin Conway, James Willard and Co., The Mackweys, and others. | |
| Mon 20th Jan until Sat 25th Jan 1908 | Grand Amateur Ladies Singing Competition | All week, with £10 cash prizes. Plus, Talberto and Douglas, Francis Gerard, Miss Lily Burnand, Miss Louie Freear, and others. | |
| Mon 27th Jan until Sat 1st Feb 1908 | Tarro Miyake | Return of world champion Jujitsu wrestler. Plus, Maxwell and Francis, Alfred Graham's Juveniles, and more. | |
| Mon 3rd Feb until Sat 8th Feb 1908 | Atlas and Vulcana | World champion and strongest living lady. Plus, Mark Adams & Co., Mdlle. Renee, the Sisters Anderson, and more. | |
| Mon 10th Feb until Sat 15th Feb 1908 | Poluski Brothers | In their comedy 'The Prevaricator!'. Plus, Dolly Harmer, the Harvey Boys, The Three Romas, The Courtiers, and others. | |
| Mon 17th Feb until Sat 22nd Feb 1908 | Miss Ada Colley | Famous Australian nightingale. Plus, Jack Pleasants, Dale and O'Malley, Leo Dryden, and others. | |
| Mon 24th Feb until Sat 29th Feb 1908 | Zbysco | Graeco-Roman world wrestling champion. Plus, Les Rallis, Mike Gray, Arthur Reece, and more. | |
| Mon 2nd Mar until Sat 7th Mar 1908 | George Mozart | Comedian. Plus, the Borghetti Troupe, the Three Prestons, Billy Farrell, and others. | |
| Mon 9th Mar until Tue 17th Mar 1908 | Barton and Ashley | Presenting 'Canal Boat Sal'. Plus, Ben Albert, The Pom-Poms, Rich and Rich, The Silvas, and more. | |
| Mon 16th Mar until Sat 21st Mar 1908 | The Denwartz Troupe | Continental acrobats. Plus, Miss Bijou Russell, the Four Burnells, comedy sketch 'His Worship the Mayor', and more. | |
| Mon 23rd Mar until Sat 28th Mar 1908 | The Orange Girl | Historical sketch. Plus, The Voldam Brothers, Miss Ella Retford, Stewart & Morgan, and others. | |
| Mon 30th Mar until Sat 4th Apr 1908 | Daisy Jerome | Plus, Lily Soutter, George Albert, Lennie and Hast, The Donatos, and many more. | |
| Mon 6th Apr until Sat 11th Apr 1908 | Davis & Gledhill | Roller cyclists. Plus, Farley, Rennie & Farley, Cullane's Comedy 4, The Brothers Ashley, and others. | |
| Mon 13th Apr until Sat 18th Apr 1908 | Miss Lil Hawthorne | American burlesque artiste. Plus, Hanvarr and Lee, Leoni Clarke, and many more. | |
| Mon 20th Apr until Sat 25th Apr 1908 | Clark & Hamilton | Comedy duo. Plus, Fyne & Hurley, the Leonardo Brothers, Miss Millie Lindon, and more. | |
| Mon 27th Apr until Sat 2nd May 1908 | Syd May | World's greatest mimic. Plus, Miss Raie Walters, Clarke & Hayden, Miss Ethel Walker, and The Five Whiteleys. | |
| Mon 4th May until Sat 9th May 1908 | John Grun Marx | The modern Hercules. Plus, the Brothers Obo, Mabel Sinclair, the Four Magnanis, and others. | |
| Mon 11th May until Sat 16th May 1908 | Dan Crawley | Plus, Wright and Lawson, the 8 Varsity Girls, Alice Hughes and Co., Max Walden, and more. | |
| Mon 18th May until Sat 23rd May 1908 | Radford & Valentine | The jolly juggling jesters. Plus, Eadie & Ramsden, Sisters Warwick, Mdlle. Haydee's original vaudeville theatre, and more. | |
| Mon 25th May until Sat 30th May 1908 | May Moore Duprez | The jolly little Dutch girl. Plus, Keen & Waller, Park's Eton Boys, Foreman & Fannan, Ernie Mayne, and others. | |
| Mon 1st Jun until Sat 6th Jun 1908 | George Leyton | Famous London actor-vocalist. Plus, Mille Payne, Elsie Bernard, Tennyson and Wallis, and others. | |
| Mon 8th Jun until Sat 13th Jun 1908 | Famous Kellinos | Plus, W. E. Gillin, Paul Powell's Electric Marionettes, the Piccolinos, and others. | |
| Mon 15th Jun until Sat 20th Jun 1908 | Cruikshank | The fool of the family! Plus, Dallas and Varden, The Cattaneos, Tom Jones (Welsh character comedian), and more. | |
| Mon 22nd Jun until Sat 27th Jun 1908 | Arthur Lennard | Plus, The Athlones, Diamond and Beatrice, the Little Vi-Davis, comedy sketch 'Ferdie's Ma-in-Law', and more. | |
| Mon 29th Jun until Sat 4th Jul 1908 | Royal Dreadnoughts | The world's greatest rifle shots. Plus, Lowenwirth & Cohan, Dot Stephens, Marguerite Ismay, and more. | |
| Mon 6th Jul until Sat 11th Jul 1908 | The Bouncing Dillons | Plus, Reid and Power, The Venetians, Cromo & Hamilton, the Eight College Girls, and others. | |
| Mon 13th Jul until Sat 18th Jul 1908 | Van Biene | Famous actor musician. Plus, Herbert Bates, Fred Maitland, the Lunatic Bakers, and others. | |
| Mon 20th Jul until Sat 25th Jul 1908 | Tom Edwards | Huntsman ventriloquist. Plus, The Markies, Bonetti and Corrie, the Empire Comedy 4, and others. | |
| Mon 27th Jul until Sat 1st Aug 1908 | Charcot and his Wonderful Automatic Man | Plus, The 4 Delawares, Walker and May, the Mysterious Howards, and others. | |
| Mon 3rd Aug until Sat 8th Aug 1908 | Riogoku Family | Japanese artistes. Plus, Harwood's Juveniles, the 3 Amaranths, the Selbins, and others. | |
| Mon 10th Aug until Sat 15th Aug 1908 | The Geni Family | Continental acrobats. Plus, Ray and Calden, the 3 Cunards, Arthur Albert, Sottish Meisters, and more. | |
| Mon 17th Aug until Sat 22nd Aug 1908 | Cromwell or the King | Historical playlet. Plus, Dale and O'Malley, the Three Merrils, Nat Clifford, and others. | |
| Mon 24th Aug until Sat 29th Aug 1908 | Tschernoff | Famous animal king. Plus, Ross & Grayson, Slippere the Blind Pianist, and many others. | |
| Mon 31st Aug until Sat 5th Sep 1908 | L'Incognita | The masked singer. Plus, My Fancy, Carl Rosine, production of 'The Ghost of Jerry Bundler', and more. | |
| Mon 7th Sep until Sat 12th Sep 1908 | Harry Roxbury and Company | In 'The Prince of Monte Carlo'. Plus, Tray and Rich, Fred Earle, and others. | |
| Mon 14th Sep until Sat 19th Sep 1908 | Harry Champion | Plus, Ford and Barras, the Society Quartette, Jack and Evelyn, and more. | |
| Mon 21st Sep until Sat 26th Sep 1908 | Annie Purcell | Comedienne. Plus, Harry Taft, Pip Powell & Katie Vesey, Walter Stanley, Max Gruber, and more. | |
| Mon 28th Sep until Sat 3rd Oct 1908 | Miss Ella Shields | America's greatest singer of c**n songs. Plus, Alix Lukos, Billy Williams, and many others. | |
| Mon 5th Oct until Sat 10th Oct 1908 | Four Holloways | World's greatest acrobatic and trick cyclists on the tight wire. Plus, John Humphries, Vera Mayne, the Columbia Comedy Trio, and more. | |
| Mon 12th Oct until Sat 17th Oct 1908 | Reano and his Famous Band | Plus, Stacey and WIlliams, Ray and Lingard, Lily Black, W. J. Churchill, and others. | |
| Mon 19th Oct until Sat 24th Oct 1908 | Mr. F. V. St. Clair | Singing comedian. Plus, Edgar Forrest & Co., The Royal Tokio Troupe, Gertie Gitana, and more. | |
| Mon 26th Oct until Sat 31st Oct 1908 | Tom Foy and Company | In 'The Yorkshire Lad in London'. Plus, Houston, Walker and Lake, and much more. | |
| Mon 2nd Nov until Sat 7th Nov 1908 | Dr. Walford Bodie | The famous bloodless surgeon. Plus, Mr. & Mrs. Harold Finden, The Original Iben-Obed, gladys and Alber, and others. | |
| Mon 9th Nov until Sat 14th Nov 1908 | Lottie Lennox | The popular comedienne. Plus, Harry Nelson, John Beauchamp, The Great Northern Troupe, The Bensons, and others. | |
| Mon 16th Nov until Sat 21st Nov 1908 | La Pia | The enchantress. Plus, Farr and Farland, the Creo Brothers, Lennard Barry, and others. | |
| Mon 23rd Nov until Sat 28th Nov 1908 | King and Benson | Vocal comedy entertainers. Plus, Rex Fox, Gladys Mavius, Simms and Simms, and others. | |
| Mon 30th Nov until Sat 5th Dec 1908 | Edwin Boyde | Comedian. Plus, Helen Charles, Hayes and Merritt, Alfred Graham's Juveniles, and others. | |
| Mon 7th Dec until Sat 12th Dec 1908 | Seven Perezoffs | Juggling pantomime. Plus, Ritter and Foster, The Quartette, The Great Narrowboat Brothers, and more. | |
| Mon 14th Dec until Sat 19th Dec 1908 | Hackenschmidt | World's greatest wrestler. £10 to any British wrestler he fails to throw in 15 minutes - £100 to any British wrestler who succeeds in throwing him in 15 minutes. | |
| Mon 21st Dec until Sat 26th Dec 1908 | La Milo | Who rode as Lady Godiva in the procession. Plus special star company. | |
| Mon 28th Dec 1908 until Sat 2nd Jan 1909 | Nellie Wallace | Eccentric comedy artiste. Plus, The Five Vernons, Ruby Dahl, Wild, Willie and West, Sid Cotterell, and others. | |
Prev year: 1907Showing 1908Next year: 1909
1884 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
Also of interest might be A short history of Coventry's Theatres and Cinemas, by Bill Birch.
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