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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1948	New Hippodrome, Hales Street
Date(s)	Show	Notes	Images
Tue 2nd Mar until Sat 27th Mar 1948	Tom Arnold's Ice Review	Starring Cecilia Colledge and a cast of 60 Skating Stars and International Cabaret.
Mon 29th Mar until Sat 3rd Apr 1948	Jimmy Jewel and Ben Warriss	Famous Radio Comics, with Adelaide Hall, Lamar & Rosita, and others.
Mon 5th Apr until Sat 10th Apr 1948	Radio Forfeits	With Michael Miles, the Western Bros, Tommy Jover, and others.
Mon 12th Apr until Sat 17th Apr 1948	The Barretts of Wimpole Street	With Tom Walls, Margaret Johnston, and others.
Tue 20th Apr until Sat 24th Apr 1948	Peter Pan	With Iris Baker, Christina Forrest, Teddy Brogden, Peter Murray Hill, and others.
Mon 26th Apr until Sat 1st May 1948	The Gioconda Smile	Play, with Clive Brook and Pamela Brown.
Mon 3rd May until Sat 8th May 1948	The Quaker Girl	With Julia Bretton, Roy Royston, Jack Mayer, and others.
Mon 10th May until Sat 15th May 1948	Arthur Askey	In Person, with "Monsewer" Eddie Gray, Janet Brown, and others.
Mon 17th May 1948	Variety Show	With Martha Raye, Jimmy James, Jack Billings with Diana, and others.
Mon 24th May until Sat 29th May 1948	& So We Go On	Starring Issy Bonn, Terry & Doric Kendall, Norry, Al & Col Kemble, and others.
Mon 31st May until Sat 5th Jun 1948	Norman Evans - "Good Evans"	With Freddy, Paul King, Radcliffe & Ray, Swan & Leigh, and others.
Mon 7th Jun until Sat 12th Jun 1948	No Room At The Inn	With Diana King, Nancy Poultney, and others.
Mon 14th Jun until Sat 19th Jun 1948	The Merry Widow	With Eve Lister, Frank Leighton, Billy Tasker, Norman Griffin, and others.
Mon 21st Jun until Sat 26th Jun 1948	Piccadilly Hayride	Music, Laughter and Dance, with Nat Jackley and full London Production.
Mon 28th Jun until Sat 3rd Jul 1948	Tommy Trinder	The Trinder Show, with the Ganjou Bros. & Juanita, Ronald Chesney, Woods & Jarrett, and others.
Mon 5th Jul until Sat 17th Jul 1948	The Sadler's Wells Ballet	With Full Ballet and Orchestra.
Mon 19th Jul until Sat 24th Jul 1948	Me and My Girl	With Lauri Lupino Lane, Barry Lupino, Wallace Lupino, Eve Eacott, and others.
Mon 26th Jul until Sat 31st Jul 1948	International Ballet	The Sleeping Princess, Swan Lake, Sea Legend and Dances from Prince Igor.
Mon 2nd Aug until Sat 7th Aug 1948	Borrah Minevitch's Harmonica Rascals	With George Doonan, Celia Lipton, and others.
Mon 9th Aug until Sat 14th Aug 1948	Rocky Mountain Rhythm	With Big Bill Campbell and Star Family Variety.
Tue 17th Aug until Sat 4th Sep 1948	Perchance To Dream	Featuring Ivor Novello.
Mon 6th Sep until Sat 18th Sep 1948	White Horse Inn	With Nita Croft, Fred Stone, Nancy Burne, and others.
Mon 20th Sep until Sat 25th Sep 1948	Grand Ballet De Monte Carlo	Direct from the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.
Mon 27th Sep until Sat 2nd Oct 1948	Outrageous Fortune	A Comedy by Ben Travers, starring Ralph Lynn.
Mon 4th Oct until Sat 9th Oct 1948	Song of Norway	With Victoria Campbell, Ivor Evans and company of 60 artistes.
Tue 12th Oct until Sat 23rd Oct 1948	The Dancing Years	Starring Barry Sinclair.
Mon 25th Oct until Sat 30th Oct 1948	Birthday Week Variety	With Tessie O'Shea, Frank Marlowe, Hellzapoppin, Dave & Joe O'Gorman, and others.
Mon 1st Nov until Sat 6th Nov 1948	Ralph Slater	The World's Fastest Hypnotist. Plus supporting Variety acts.
Mon 8th Nov until Sat 13th Nov 1948	Ta-Ra-Rah-Boom-De-Ay	Starring Frankie Howerd, with full supporting company.
Mon 15th Nov until Sat 20th Nov 1948	Show Boat	By the Coventry Amateur Operatic Society.
Mon 22nd Nov until Sat 4th Dec 1948	The Carl Rosa Opera Company	A different Opera each night.
Mon 6th Dec until Sat 11th Dec 1948	Twice And Forever	West End Comedy Production, starring Greta Gynt.
Mon 13th Dec until Sat 18th Dec 1948	All-Star Variety Show	Featuring Frances Day, Three Peter Sisters and Leon (Shakespeare) Cortez.
Thu 23rd Dec 1948 until Sat 19th Mar 1949	Robinson Crusoe	Featuring Duggie Wakefield, Leslie Hatton, Denise Clifford, and many more. (Ran for 12 weeks, playing to 250,000 people.)

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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.