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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1921 | Old Hippodrome, Hales Street | ||
| Date(s) | Show | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 3rd Jan until Sat 8th Jan 1921 | Mdlle. Irma Lorraine | French poseuse and company. Plus, the Kitchen Comedy Four, Rich and Galvin, Dusty Rhodes, and many more. | |
| Mon 10th Jan until Sat 15th Jan 1921 | The D'Arcy Woolven Trio | Old and new melodies. Plus, Lawson and Russell, Niblo and Doris, Manuel and Francois, and many others. | |
| Mon 17th Jan until Sat 22nd Jan 1921 | Femina Quartette | Plus, Tom Payne, Frederick Sylvester & Co., Page's Animated Dolls, and more. | |
| Mon 24th Jan until Sat 29th Jan 1921 | May Sherrard | The 'new style comedienne'. Plus, the De Guchi Troupe, Fred Keeton, Scala and Lillian, and more. | |
| Mon 31st Jan until Sat 5th Feb 1921 | The Right Key but the Wrong Flat | Absurdity starring Billie Reeves. Plus, Nelson Jackson, Cohan & Dorothy, Alice Gill, and others. | |
| Mon 7th Feb until Sat 12th Feb 1921 | Frank Benson | Comedian. Plus, 'Empties' with Harry Shiels, Corn and Neil, Rosie Lloyd, Rich Hayes, and more. | |
| Mon 14th Feb until Sat 19th Feb 1921 | Bichette | 'Sea Lion comedian' in 'Finny Funniosities. Plus, Violet Trevenyon, Lewis & Hawthorne, and others. | |
| Mon 21st Feb until Sat 26th Feb 1921 | The Disorderly Room | Musical absurdity. Plus, Miss Maude Edwards, the Michael Richardini Troupe, and others. | |
| Mon 28th Feb until Sat 5th Mar 1921 | Dream Stars | Musical fantasy. Plus, Lune and Shaw, the Hengler Brothers, Jim Nolan, and more. | |
| Mon 7th Mar until Sat 12th Mar 1921 | G. H. Elliott | The original chocolate coloured c**n. Plus, Miss Emilie Hayes, Dare Austin, and many others. | |
| Mon 14th Mar until Sat 19th Mar 1921 | Harry Herbert | Comedian. Plus, Those Four, Lillie Langtry, The Mizuno Troupe, Musical Burglars, and others. | |
| Mon 21st Mar until Sat 26th Mar 1921 | Idle-Itis | Starring Jimmy Jewel and Co., Plus, Mareski, Adam Tomlinson, the Fuji Family, and many more. | |
| Mon 28th Mar until Sat 2nd Apr 1921 | The Noodles | Novelty musicians. Plus, Trevor, West & Hinsby, Cullen and Carthy, Eddie Brown, and more. | |
| Mon 4th Apr until Sat 9th Apr 1921 | Miss May Moore Duprez | The original jolly Dutch girl. Plus, the Charlieri Bros., The Four Richards, the Terry Twins, and others. | |
| Mon 11th Apr until Sat 16th Apr 1921 | Miss Lily Morris | London comedienne. Plus, Sam Springston, Miss Violet King, Lucan and McShane, and more. | |
| Mon 18th Apr until Sat 23rd Apr 1921 | Troubles | Starring Herbert Bettsm Fred Marsh and Co. Plus, Alfred Leonard, Miss Lillian Burgiss, and others. | |
| Mon 25th Apr until Sat 30th Apr 1921 | Tom E. Hughes | The 'rag-bag of vanity'. Plus, Jack Shires & Co., Lowdini, the Three Ernests, and others. | |
| Mon 2nd May until Sat 7th May 1921 | W. E. Ritchie | 'Twirls, Twirls, Twists, and Tumbles'. Plus, the Terry Twins, Varney and Butt, The Five Jocks, and more. | |
| Mon 9th May until Sat 14th May 1921 | Our Liz | Comedy sketch with Doris Champion. Plus, Fred Brezin, Jess & Tony, the Three Scamps, and others. | |
| Mon 16th May until Sat 21st May 1921 | Press the Button | Comedy sketch starring Sid Hale and Nan Douglas. Plus, Edwin Lawrence, The Melody Makers, and many more. | |
| Mon 23rd May until Sat 28th May 1921 | Charles Austin | Comedian in excerpts from 'Pretty Peggy'. Plus, George Calver, May B. Brilliant, and many more. | |
| Mon 30th May until Sat 4th Jun 1921 | Ernie Mayne | 'The simple one'. Plus, the Orpheus Trio, Conway and Leland, Leslie Strange, and more. | |
| Mon 6th Jun until Sat 11th Jun 1921 | Getting Off | One act farce. Plus, Peter Pariss, Carlotta Mossetti, Maple and Burnell, and others. | |
| Mon 13th Jun until Sat 18th Jun 1921 | Rameses | The Egyptian temple of mysteries. Plus, Clark & Brenton, Hervieu & Co., Tom Lee, and others. | |
| Mon 20th Jun until Sat 25th Jun 1921 | Victoria Carmen | Plus, Tom Bracewell, McLean and Walker, Pan and Girls, Dorothy Cara, and more. | |
| Mon 27th Jun until Sat 2nd Jul 1921 | Wobble | Burlesque musical revue, featuring Ernie Garner, Freddie Frome and Ada Wise. | |
| Mon 4th Jul until Sat 9th Jul 1921 | The Bridal Suite | Starring Lawson and Russell. Plus, the Four Famous Julians, the Harris Family, and many more. | |
| Mon 11th Jul until Sat 16th Jul 1921 | Nixon Grey | Comedian. Plus, Daimler and Eadie, Weynen and Co., The De Havilands, and many others. | |
| Mon 18th Jul until Sat 23rd Jul 1921 | Famous Kikutas | Japanese juggling act. Plus, Bert Lloyd and Co., Nora Dale, Ross & Mayer, and more. | |
| Mon 25th Jul until Sat 30th Jul 1921 | Non-Stop | A musical comedy express, featuring Freddie Forbes and large cast. Plus, Anna Hana, and many others. | |
| Mon 1st Aug until Sat 6th Aug 1921 | The Poacher | Welsh folk playlet. Plus, Holson & Bert, The Vedras, The Zanfrellas, and more. | |
| Mon 8th Aug until Sat 13th Aug 1921 | Vine and Russell | Plus, Dan Whitley, Arthur Astill, Fred Cooper, The Flying Potters, and others. | |
| Mon 15th Aug until Sat 20th Aug 1921 | Royal Welsh Ladies | Plus, Victor Niblo, Gus Oxley and Co., the Haig Bros. and Ryan, Claude Lester, and others. | |
| Mon 22nd Aug until Sat 27th Aug 1921 | The Garden of Harmony | With The Elliott Savonas. Plus, 4 K Foleys, the Great Maurice, Joe Marcus & Tony Mariani, and more. | |
| Mon 29th Aug until Sat 3rd Sep 1921 | Always Tell Your Wife | Featuring Stanley Brett & Co. Plus, Harry & Lester, Tom Gott, and many more. | |
| Mon 5th Sep until Sat 10th Sep 1921 | Coram and Jerry | Ventriloquial scena. Plus, Loch and Lomond, Boden and Carew, the Daunton-Shaw Troupe, and more. | |
| Mon 12th Sep until Sat 17th Sep 1921 | Wal Langtry | Comedian. Plus. Les Bastiens, Alex Mee & Company, Stirling, Rich Taylor, and many others. | |
| Mon 19th Sep until Sat 24th Sep 1921 | The Toy Shop | Comedy starring Mark Lupino and company. Plus, Edna Latonne, Harry Claff, Stanford and Allen, and more. | |
| Mon 26th Sep until Sat 1st Oct 1921 | Lockhart's Famous Elephants | Plus, Harvard, Holt & Kendrick, Hobart & Hobbs, Mabel Costello, and more. | |
| Mon 3rd Oct until Sat 8th Oct 1921 | Ten Loonies | World famous comedians. Plus, Douglas and Jones, the Brothers Permane, Clo D'Arte, and others. | |
| Mon 10th Oct until Sat 15th Oct 1921 | There You Are Then! | Music and comedy. Plus, the Royal Gotham Comedy Quartette, Denise and Jan, and more. | |
| Mon 17th Oct until Sat 22nd Oct 1921 | Bob Anderson & Polo Pony | Plus, Miss Violet Black and Co., Bert Harrow, Evelyn May, Harry Hutin, and others. | |
| Mon 24th Oct until Sat 29th Oct 1921 | Chum Sheriff | Plus, Eileen and Marjorie, The Wonderful Ching-Wu, Bobbie and Beatie, The New Macs, and more. | |
| Mon 31st Oct until Sat 5th Nov 1921 | Russian Ballet | Plus, Foster Kershaw, Sandy Powell, the Labas Duo, Tom Fagan and his Pack, and many more. | |
| Mon 7th Nov until Sat 12th Nov 1921 | Down Devon Way | by Harry Roxbury and company. Plus, Ernie Roma, the Athene Trio, Petro and Leon, and others. | |
| Mon 14th Nov until Sat 19th Nov 1921 | O'Neil & Thayer | Singers. Plus, the 9 Dainty Dots, Syd Moorhouse, Power & Bendon, and many others. | |
| Mon 21st Nov until Sat 26th Nov 1921 | The Empire Operatic Quintette | Plus, Poli, Bert Maddison, Morgan and Burke, Jack Hedderick, and more. | |
| Mon 28th Nov until Sat 3rd Dec 1921 | Pearls | Musical comedy by Ronald Keir. Plus, the Two Le Bergs, The Jays, and many more. | |
| Mon 5th Dec until Sat 10th Dec 1921 | The Noodles | Novelty musicians. Plus, Frank Powell, Dan Bros. & Sherry, Laura Butler, Valvett, and more. | |
| Mon 12th Dec until Sat 17th Dec 1921 | Femastine (The Wonder Girl) | Startling new mystery. Plus, The Kitchen Comedy Four, Clark & Wallace, The Martinis, and much more. | |
| Mon 19th Dec until Sat 24th Dec 1921 | The Early Bird | Starring George Pickett & Co. with Miss Dorothy Wilmer. Plus, Stewart Morton, Damsell and Boy, and more. | |
| Mon 26th Dec until Sat 31st Dec 1921 | What a Night! | Musical, featuring Kemp and Freeman and large cast. Plus, Victoria and Ramoo. | |
Prev year: 1920 Next year: 1922
1884 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 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.
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