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.

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

1964	Coventry Theatre, Hales Street
Date(s)	Show	Notes	Images
Sun 5th Jan 1964	Kenny Ball's Jazzmen	One night only.
Sun 12th Jan 1964	Brian Poole and The Tremoloes	With The Avengers, The Matadors, The Mustangs, The Orchids, The Sorrows, The Midnights, The Sabres. One night only.
Sun 19th Jan 1964	Freddie and The Dreamers	With The Rolling Stones, The Ronettes, The Barron Knights, Patrick Dane & the Quiet Five, The Cheynes. One night only.
Sun 26th Jan 1964	Chris Barber's Jazz Band	Plus Ottilie Patterson. One night only.
Sun 16th Feb 1964	Your Lucky Stars	Starring Joe Brown & The Bruvvers, with Manfred Mann, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Heinz, The Crystals, Mike Preston, and Daryl Quist. One night only.
Sun 1st Mar 1964	Billy J Kramer and The Dakotas	With Gene Pitney, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Bachelors, Cilla Black, The Remo Four, The Escorts. One night only.
Mon 16th Mar until Sat 21st Mar 1964	Ballet Rambert	With the Ballet Rambert Orchestra.
Fri 27th Mar until Sat 23rd May 1964	1964 Spring Show	Variety, starring Dickie Henderson, Jimmy Clitheroe, Pinky & Perky, Jimmy Tarbuck, and many more.
Sun 29th Mar 1964	Dave Clark Five	With The Hollies, The Kinks, Mark Wynter, The Mojos, The Trebletones. One night only.
Sun 12th Apr 1964	Cliff Richard and The Shadows	Plus Dailey & Wayne and Bob Miller & the Millermen. One night only.
Sun 19th Apr 1964	Adam Faith, The Searchers and Eden Kane	Plus Dave Berry & the Cruisers, The Undertakers, and others. One night only.
Sun 3rd May 1964	Roy Orbison & Freddie and The Dreamers	With Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders, Tony Sheridan, Chris Sandford, Ezz Reco & the Launchers, and others. One night only.
Sun 10th May 1964	Peter & Gordon and Marty Wilde	One night only.
Sun 24th May 1964	The Rolling Stones	With The Caravelles, David John & The Mood, Julie Grant, The Barron Knights, The Overlanders. (Peter & Gordon were on the bill but did not appear.) One night only.
Mon 25th May until Sat 30th May 1964	Frank Ifield	With the Dallas Boys and Arthur Worsley.
Mon 1st Jun until Sat 6th Jun 1964	Private Lives	Starring Vanessa Lee and Peter Graves.
Mon 8th Jun until Sat 13th Jun 1964	Person Unknown	Suspense, Starring Anna Neagle, with John Alderton, Charles Tingwell, and others.
Wed 17th Jun until Sat 27th Jun 1964	Chase Me Comrade!	Starring Brian Rix, with Leo Franklyn, Basil Lord, and others.
Mon 29th Jun until Sat 11th Jul 1964	Covent Garden Opera	A different Opera each night.
Mon 13th Jul until Sat 18th Jul 1964	One For The Pot	Starring John Slater. (Theatre closed from 20th July until 1st August for Summer Vacation.)
Mon 3rd Aug until Sat 8th Aug 1964	The Searchers	With Dusty Springfield, Eden Kane, Clifford Davis, and full supporting programme.
Mon 10th Aug until Sat 15th Aug 1964	On The Spot	Edgar Wallace's epic thriller.
Mon 17th Aug until Sat 22nd Aug 1964	The Bristol Old Vic Company	Performing Henry V and Love's Labour's Lost. (Part of the Festival Season, 17th August to 26th September.)
Mon 24th Aug until Sat 29th Aug 1964	Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	Different Music, Conductors and Soloists each performance.
Mon 31st Aug until Sat 12th Sep 1964	D'Oyly Carte Opera	Different Opera each night.
Mon 14th Sep until Sat 19th Sep 1964	Sadler's Wells Opera	Different Opera each night.
Mon 21st Sep until Sat 26th Sep 1964	Royal Ballet	Different Ballet each night.
Sun 4th Oct 1964	Cilla Black	With The Fourmost, Sounds Incorporated, Tommy Quickly, The Remo Four. One night only.
Mon 5th Oct until Sat 17th Oct 1964	The Maid Of The Mountains	Starring John Hanson.
Fri 16th Oct until Sat 5th Dec 1964	1964 Birthday Show	Starring Roy Castle, the Karl Denver Trio, the Kaye Sisters, Nat Jackley and many others.
Sun 18th Oct 1964	The Big Beat Scene	Featuring The Honeycombs, Millie, Lulu & The Luvvers, The Applejacks, Daryl Quist, and others, with special guest star, Gene Vincent. One night only.
Sun 25th Oct 1964	The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Barron Knights	Plus The Escorts, The Cockneys, Robb Storme & the Whispers. One night only.
Sun 1st Nov 1964	R & B '64	With The Animals, Carl Perkins, The Nashville Teens, Elkie Brooks, The Plebs, The Quotations, and Tommy Tucker. One night only.
Sun 8th Nov 1964	Your Lucky Stars	Featuring The Hollies, Heinz & the Wild Boys, The Dixie Cups, Jess Conrad, The Tornados, The Hi-Fi's, Wayne Gibson & The Dynamic Sounds. One night only. (The Wild Boys featured a 19 year old guitarist with a big future by the name of Ritchie Blackmore!)
Sun 15th Nov 1964	The Searchers	With Dionne Warwick, The Zombies, The Isley Brothers, Syd & Eddie (became "Little & Large"). One night only.
Sun 22nd Nov 1964	Gerry and the Pacemakers	With Gene Pitney, The Kinks, Marianne Faithfull, The Mike Cotton Sound, Bobby Shafto. One night only.
Sun 29th Nov 1964	Dusty Springfield	With Brian Poole & The Tremeloes, Herman's Hermits, Dave Berry & the Cruisers, The Primitives, The Echoes. One night only.
Mon 7th Dec until Sat 12th Dec 1964	South Pacific	Famous Musical. (Theatre closed next week for Pantomime rehearsals.)
Mon 21st Dec 1964 until Sat 6th Mar 1965	Cinderella	Pantomime, starring Arthur Haynes, with Dermot Kelly, Freddie Sales and Betty Jumel.

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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.