Hippodrome / Coventry Theatre / Apollo show archive

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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1947	New Hippodrome, Hales Street
Date(s)	Show	Notes	Images
Tue 18th Feb until Sat 15th Mar 1947	Ice Follies	Europe's Loveliest Ice Spectacle, with Fifty World-Famous Skating Stars and International Cabaret.
Mon 17th Mar until Sat 29th Mar 1947	The Carl Rosa Opera Company	A different Opera each night.
Mon 31st Mar until Sat 5th Apr 1947	Lady Windermere's Fan	Featuring Isabel Jeans, Geoffrey Toone, Denys Blakelock, and many more.
Sun 6th Apr 1947	The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	Conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.
Mon 7th Apr until Sat 12th Apr 1947	The Student Prince	With Bruce Trent and Cherry Lind.
Mon 14th Apr until Sat 19th Apr 1947	Sim-Sala-Bim	With the Great Danish Magician, Dante.
Mon 21st Apr until Sat 26th Apr 1947	All-Star Variety Show	With The Two Leslies, Adelaide Hall, Freddy assisted by Paul King, Sandy Lane, Jack Edge, and others.
Mon 28th Apr until Sat 3rd May 1947	Vic Oliver	With his Jokes, Violin & Piano, plus Jack Stanford, Sam Linfield, and others.
Mon 5th May until Sat 10th May 1947	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	With Betty Shaw and Bruce Carfax.
Mon 12th May until Sat 17th May 1947	The Desert Song	Featuring Joan Brett, Frederick Bentley, Warwick Ashton and Joseph Dollinger.
Mon 19th May until Sat 24th May 1947	Jan Cobel's Anglo-Polish Ballet	With Loda Halama - 15 New and Colourful Ballets.
Mon 26th May until Sat 31st May 1947	Ted Heath and his Music	With Paul Carpenter, Jack Parnell, Kenny Baker, Dave Wilkins, Leslie Strange, and others.
Mon 2nd Jun until Sat 7th Jun 1947	Wings	An Epic story of the R.A.F. with a Cast of 300 and the R.A.F. Military Band and Dance Orchestra.
Mon 9th Jun until Sat 14th Jun 1947	Stand Easy	Starring Cheerful Charlie Chester, with Ken Morris, Arthur Haynes, and others.
Mon 16th Jun until Sat 21st Jun 1947	D'Oyly Carte Opera Company	A different Opera each night.
Mon 23rd Jun until Sat 5th Jul 1947	Song of Norway	With Janet Hamilton-Smith and John Hargreaves. (Theatre closed for the next two weeks for repairs.)
Mon 7th Jul until Sat 12th Jul 1947	Just William	With John Clarke and Jacqueline Boyer.
Mon 28th Jul until Sat 2nd Aug 1947	Rocky Mountain Rhythm	With Big bill Campbell.
Mon 4th Aug until Sat 9th Aug 1947	Chico Marx	(Hollywood's Famous Comedy Pianist) with Arthur Worsley, Young China, Jenks & Williams, and others.
Mon 11th Aug until Sat 23rd Aug 1947	Old Mother Riley and Her Daughter Kitty	With Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane.
Mon 25th Aug until Sat 6th Sep 1947	Laurel and Hardy	With Carl & Roger Yale, Boy Lloyd & Betty, and others.
Sun 7th Sep 1947	City of Birmingham Orchestra	Conducted by George Weldon - Soloist, Alfredo Campoli.
Mon 8th Sep until Sat 13th Sep 1947	The Big Broadcast of 1947	Road-Show, with Issy Bonn, Billy Rhodes & Chika Lane, and others.
Mon 15th Sep until Sat 20th Sep 1947	Gardenia Lady	With Lyn Ceeley and Lorraine Bridges.
Mon 22nd Sep until Wed 24th Sep 1947	Taming of the Shrew	With The old Vic Theatre Company.
Thu 25th Sep until Sat 27th Sep 1947	The Alchemist	With The old Vic Theatre Company.
Mon 29th Sep until Sat 4th Oct 1947	Fifty-Fifty	With Harry Green, from the Strand Theatre, London.
Mon 6th Oct until Sat 11th Oct 1947	International Ballet	With Algeranoff, Jack Spurgeon and the International Ballet Orchestra.
Mon 13th Oct until Sat 18th Oct 1947	Jassy	From the novel by Norah Lofts, with Charles Groves, Milton Rosmer, Phyllis Robins, Yvonne Mitchell and Henry Mollison.
Mon 20th Oct until Sat 25th Oct 1947	1066 And All That	With Edwin Styles and Leslie Henson.
Mon 27th Oct until Sat 1st Nov 1947	The New Happidrome	10th Birthday Celebration, with Harry Korris, Robbie Vincent, Cecil Frederick, and others.
Tue 4th Nov until Sat 15th Nov 1947	The Dancing Years	By Ivor Novello, with Barry Sinclair, Muriel Barron and Nicolette Roeg.
Sun 9th Nov 1947	A Festival of Remembrance	Presented by the British Legion, Directed by Ralph Reader.
Mon 17th Nov until Sat 22nd Nov 1947	Chu Chin Chow	By the Coventry Amateur Operatic Society.
Mon 24th Nov until Sat 6th Dec 1947	Turn On The Rainbow	By Ralph Reader and the Famous Gang Show Comedians.
Mon 8th Dec until Sat 13th Dec 1947	Charley's Aunt	By Brandon Thomas, Scenery & Costumes designed by Cecil Beaton.
Sat 20th Dec 1947 until Sat 28th Feb 1948	Mother Goose	Pantomime with Nat Mills & Bobbie, Freddie & Partner, Doreen Duke, Moran & Elof, and many others. (Record-breaking run of ten weeks, and seen by approximately 300,000 people!)

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Also of interest might be A short history of Coventry's Theatres and Cinemas, by Bill Birch.