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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1957	Coventry Theatre, Hales Street
Date(s)	Show	Notes	Images
Sun 6th Jan 1957	Eric Delaney and his Band	One night only.
Sun 17th Feb 1957	Ken Mackintosh and his Orchestra	One night only.
Sun 24th Feb 1957	Chris Barber's Jazz Band	One night only.
Sun 3rd Mar 1957	Sid Phillips Band Show	One night only.
Sun 10th Mar 1957	Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra	One night only.
Mon 1st Apr until Sat 13th Apr 1957	All-Star Variety Show	With Jimmy Edwards, Lita Roza, Albert Burdon & Co., Tommy Fields, the Gaunt Brothers, and others.
Mon 15th Apr until Sat 20th Apr 1957	Max Bygraves	All-Star Comedy show.
Mon 22nd Apr 1957	Count Basie his Orchestra	Jazz Pianist, 2pm show.
Mon 22nd Apr until Sat 27th Apr 1957	Variety Show	With Anne Shelton, Derek Roy, Chic Murray, Fayne and Evans.
Mon 29th Apr until Sat 4th May 1957	David Whitfield	All-Star Variety, with Sally Barnes, Ken Roberts and Freddie Frinton.
Mon 6th May until Sat 25th May 1957	The Pajama Game	American Musical, direct from the London Coliseum.
Mon 27th May until Sat 1st Jun 1957	The Reluctant Debutante	Comedy, starring Jack Hulbert, Gwynne Whitby and Diane Clare.
Mon 3rd Jun until Sat 8th Jun 1957	The Teenagers	With Frankie Lymon, plus big variety bill.
Mon 10th Jun until Sat 15th Jun 1957	Ride a Cock Horse	World Premiere, with Wilfred Pickles and Mabel.
Mon 17th Jun until Sat 22nd Jun 1957	Variety Show	With Alma Cogan, Vic Hyde and Bonar Colleano.
Mon 24th Jun until Sat 29th Jun 1957	Guy Mitchell	America's top singer.
Mon 1st Jul until Sat 6th Jul 1957	Look Back In Anger	By the English Stage Company.
Mon 8th Jul until Sat 13th Jul 1957	The Charlie Chester Show	Take Pot Luck.
Mon 15th Jul until Sat 20th Jul 1957	Tommy Steele	Britain's Teenage Idol, with Mike and Bernie Winters, and others.
Mon 22nd Jul until Sat 27th Jul 1957	The Iron Harp	By the Bristol Old Vic Company.
Mon 29th Jul until Sat 3rd Aug 1957	Janus	Starring Googie Withers and John McCallum.
Mon 5th Aug until Sat 10th Aug 1957	Dave King in Person	TV Comedian, with The Kordites, Dany Ray, and others.
Mon 12th Aug until Sat 17th Aug 1957	Double Your Money	With Hughie Green.
Mon 19th Aug until Sat 24th Aug 1957	Charlie Gracie	America's newest singing rage.
Mon 26th Aug until Sat 31st Aug 1957	Billy Cotton and his Band	"Wakey Wakey".
Mon 2nd Sep until Sat 7th Sep 1957	Hotel Paradiso	Farce, starring Frankie Howerd.
Mon 9th Sep until Sat 14th Sep 1957	Nekrassov	Farce, starring Robert Helpmann.
Tue 17th Sep until Sat 28th Sep 1957	Ice Fantasia	Cast of International Ice Stars.
Mon 30th Sep until Sat 5th Oct 1957	Doctor In The House	Comedy, adaptation of Richard Gordon's Novel.
Mon 7th Oct until Sat 12th Oct 1957	London's Festival Ballet	Performing Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Giselle, etc.
Mon 14th Oct until Sat 19th Oct 1957	The Carl Rosa Opera Company	Different Opera each night.
Mon 21st Oct until Sat 26th Oct 1957	The Happiest Millionaire	With Wilfred Hyde White and Maureen Swanson.
Mon 28th Oct until Sat 7th Dec 1957	1957 Birthday Show	Variety, including Rawicz & Landauer, Al Read, Nat Jackley, Fredye Marshall, and many others.
Sun 3rd Nov 1957	Count Basie his Orchestra	Two performances: 6.15 and 8.30 p.m.
Mon 9th Dec until Sat 14th Dec 1957	Love From Judy	By the Coventry Amateur Operatic Society. (Theatre closed next week for Pantomime rehearsals.)
Sat 21st Dec 1957 until Sat 29th Mar 1958	Puss In Boots	Pantomime, starring Harry Secombe, Morecambe & Wise, and star-studded cast of 65.
Sun 29th Dec 1957	Chris Barber's Jazz Band	One night only.

Prev year: 1956Showing 1957Next year: 1958

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.