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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1962	Coventry Theatre, Hales Street
Date(s)	Show	Notes	Images
Sun 7th Jan 1962	Mr. Acker Bilk and his Jazz Band	One night only.
Sun 28th Jan 1962	Danny Williams and the John Barry Seven	One night only.
Sun 4th Feb 1962	The Temperance Seven	One night only.
Sun 11th Feb 1962	Helen Shapiro	With The Springfields, The Four Jays, The Red Price Band, The Dale Sisters, Colin Day, Dave Allen. One night only.
Sun 18th Feb 1962	Kenny Ball's Jazzmen	One night only.
Sun 25th Feb 1962	Cliff Richard and The Shadows	With The Dallas Boys, Patti Brooks, The Trebletones, The Two Tones. One night only.
Sun 4th Mar 1962	Big Star Show of 1962	Starring Billy Fury, Eden Kane, Joe Brown & the Bruvvers, Karl Denver Trio, John Leyton, Shane Fenton & the Fentones, Jackie Lynton, Ricky Stevens, Peter Jay & the Jaywalkers. One night only.
Sun 11th Mar 1962	Chris Barber's Jazz Band	One night only.
Mon 19th Mar until Sat 24th Mar 1962	Doctor In The House	Comedy by the "Emergency Ward 10" Television Team.
Mon 26th Mar until Sat 31st Mar 1962	The Student Prince	Musical starring John Hanson. (The displayed programme was autographed by John Hanson for my dad, Bill.)
Tue 3rd Apr until Sat 19th May 1962	Spring Show	Starring Jimmy Edwards, Beryl Reid, Joan Regan, and many others.
Fri 25th May until Sat 16th Jun 1962	Coventry Cathedral Festival	Theatre reserved for the festival celebrating the Consecration of the New Coventry Cathedral.
Mon 18th Jun until Sat 23rd Jun 1962	Fings Ain't Wot They Used To Be	Smash Hit Musical.
Tue 26th Jun until Sat 21st Jul 1962	The Wizard of Oz - On Ice	From Wembley.
Mon 23rd Jul until Sat 28th Jul 1962	Billy Liar	Comedy - Full London Production.
Mon 30th Jul until Sat 4th Aug 1962	Helen Shapiro	With Arthur Worsley, The Red Price Combo, Norman Collier, Dave Allen, Colin Day and The Hillsiders, and others.
Mon 6th Aug until Sat 11th Aug 1962	The Shadows	With The Kentones, Frank Ifield, Suzi Miller, and many others.
Mon 13th Aug until Sat 1st Sep 1962	The Desert Song	Starring David Whitfield.
Mon 3rd Sep until Sat 8th Sep 1962	Guilty Party	Starring Donald Sinden and Hugh Sinclair.
Mon 10th Sep until Sat 15th Sep 1962	Spoof	Comedy, starring Anna Russell.
Mon 17th Sep until Sat 22nd Sep 1962	The Old Vic Company	Two Shakespeare Plays, Julius Caesar and The Tempest.
Mon 24th Sep until Sat 6th Oct 1962	Variety Show	With Winifred Atwell, Dickie Valentine, Ted Lune, Leslie Randall, Hope & Keen, and others.
Mon 8th Oct until Sat 13th Oct 1962	London's Festival Ballet	Different Ballet each night.
Tue 16th Oct until Sat 1st Dec 1962	Silver Jubilee Birthday Show	Variety, starring Arthur Haynes, Yana, The Springfields, Billy Dainty, and others.
Sun 28th Oct 1962	Mammoth Star Show of 1962	With Billy Fury & the Tornados, Joe Brown & the Bruvvers, Karl Denver Trio, Mike Sarne, Marty Wilde, Mark Wynter, Jimmy Justice, Peter Jay & the Jaywalkers. One night only.
Mon 3rd Dec until Sat 8th Dec 1962	Kismet	A Musical Arabian Night, by the Coventry Amateur Operatic Society. (Theatre closed until the 19th for Pantomime rehearsals.)
Wed 19th Dec 1962 until Sat 2nd Mar 1963	Puss In Boots	Starring Sidney James, Frankie Howerd, and a star-studded cast of 70.

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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.