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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1955	Coventry Theatre, Hales Street
Date(s)	Show	Notes	Images
Mon 14th Mar 1955	COVENTRY THEATRE	From the start of the show on the 14th March, the Hippodrome will be renamed the "Coventry Theatre", in an effort by Mr. S. H. Newsome to distinguish it from the many other "Hippodromes" around the country.
Mon 14th Mar until Sat 26th Mar 1955	South Pacific	Rogers & Hammerstein musical, direct from the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Mon 28th Mar until Sat 2nd Apr 1955	Peter Pan	Featuring Barbara Kelly.
Mon 4th Apr until Sat 9th Apr 1955	The Lovers	Starring Eva Bartok, Sam Wanamaker and Helen Haye.
Mon 11th Apr until Sat 16th Apr 1955	The Covent Garden Opera	Including Carmen and La Traviata.
Mon 18th Apr until Sat 23rd Apr 1955	My Three Angels	Comedy, featuring Ronald Shiner, Nigel Stock and George Rose.
Mon 25th Apr until Sat 30th Apr 1955	I Am A Camera	Comedy, featuring Moira Shearer.
Mon 2nd May until Sat 14th May 1955	The Dancing Years (On Ice)	Featuring Anne Rogers, Olive Gilbert and Sylvia Cecil.
Mon 16th May until Sat 21st May 1955	Witness For The Prosecution	Agatha Christie's play, with a cast of 30.
Mon 23rd May until Sat 28th May 1955	Billy Eckstine	America's greatest singing star, with All-Star variety.
Mon 30th May until Sat 4th Jun 1955	Don Cornell	American singing star, with variety support.
Mon 6th Jun until Sat 18th Jun 1955	Guys and Dolls	Musical, with Jacqueline James and big American cast.
Mon 20th Jun until Sat 25th Jun 1955	Ronnie Hilton	Star Time Variety, with Tommy Burke & Company, Frank Cook, and many others.
Mon 27th Jun until Sat 2nd Jul 1955	Ruby Murray	Variety, with Chic Murray, Jimmy Wheeler, and others.
Mon 4th Jul until Sat 9th Jul 1955	Max Wall and the Radio Revellers	With Tony Fayne, David Evans, and All-Star programme.
Mon 11th Jul until Sat 16th Jul 1955	Billy Cotton and his Band	Due to illness, Billy's son, Billy Cotton junior, will replace his dad.
Mon 18th Jul until Sat 23rd Jul 1955	Five-Star Variety Bill	With Dennis Letis, Jimmy James & Company, Diana Decker, Wilson, Keppel & Betty and The Dargie Quintet.
Mon 25th Jul until Sat 30th Jul 1955	Variety Show	With David Hughes, Sam Costa, Jerry Allen & his Trio, Des O'Connor, and others.
Mon 1st Aug until Sat 6th Aug 1955	Joy of Living	Starring Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge.
Mon 8th Aug until Sat 13th Aug 1955	Variety Show	Radio Stars, including Tony Brent, Tommy Fields, Brian Reece, and others.
Mon 15th Aug until Sat 20th Aug 1955	The Manor of Northstead	Light Comedy, with Charles Heslop and A. E. Matthews.
Mon 22nd Aug until Sat 27th Aug 1955	Tony Hancock	His first visit to Coventry, with Jack Jackson, Teddy Johnson, and others.
Mon 29th Aug until Sat 3rd Sep 1955	Dickie Valentine	"Singing for You".
Mon 5th Sep until Sat 10th Sep 1955	Romance in Candlelight	Musical Play, with Jacques Pils, Sally Anne Howes, Patricia Burke, and others.
Mon 12th Sep until Sat 24th Sep 1955	Wedding in Paris	Starring Evelyn Laye.
Sun 18th Sep 1955	Halle Orchestra	One night only.
Mon 26th Sep until Sat 1st Oct 1955	Al Martino	With Teddy Foster and his Orchestra, and All-Star programme.
Mon 3rd Oct until Sat 8th Oct 1955	Too Young to Marry	Starring George Formby.
Mon 10th Oct until Sat 15th Oct 1955	Anniversary Waltz	Starring Bernard Braden and Barbara Kelly.
Mon 17th Oct until Sat 22nd Oct 1955	The Jazz Train	All-Negro Musical - the Broadway Smash Hit.
Mon 24th Oct until Sat 29th Oct 1955	The Bubarry	Musical Play, with the Coventry Amateur Operatic Society.
Mon 31st Oct until Sat 10th Dec 1955	1955 Birthday Show	Including Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Charlie Cairoli, and many others.
Sun 6th Nov 1955	London Philharmonic Orchestra	Conducted by Anatole Fistoulari.
Sun 20th Nov 1955	Coventry School of Music Concert	Including the Corp of Drums.
Mon 12th Dec until Sat 17th Dec 1955	All For Mary	Farce, with David Tomlinson and David Hutchinson. (No shows next week for Pantomime rehearsals.)
Fri 23rd Dec 1955 until Sat 10th Mar 1956	Mother Goose	Pantomime, with George Lacy, Eve Boswell, Sally Barnes and Ken Roberts.

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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.