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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1944	New Hippodrome, Hales Street
Date(s)	Show	Notes	Images
Mon 14th Feb until Sat 19th Feb 1944	The Royal Carl Rosa Opera Company	The opera programme opened with 'La Traviata' on the Monday, followed by 'Madam Butterfly' on the 15th, 'Rigoletto' on the 16th, 'Faust' on the 17th, ending with 'La Boheme' on Saturday 19th.	Image(s) courtesy of Stephen Colling
Mon 21st Feb until Sat 4th Mar 1944	Harry Benet's Royal Majestic Circus	The Greatest Ring Show in the Country.
Mon 6th Mar until Sat 11th Mar 1944	Staff Dance	New Comedy by Robert Morley.
Mon 13th Mar until Sat 18th Mar 1944	International Ballet	With Mona Inglesby, Nina Tarakanova, Harold Turner, Algeranoff, Leslie French, and Full Orchestra.
Mon 20th Mar until Sat 25th Mar 1944	Meet Me Victoria	Starring Lupino Lane, with Phyllis Robins and Mai Bacon, plus Mantovani and his Orchestra.
Mon 27th Mar until Sat 1st Apr 1944	It's Time To Dance	With Elsie Randolph and Fred Emney.
Mon 3rd Apr until Sat 8th Apr 1944	Jill, Darling!	Musical Comedy, with Barbara Blair and Marjorie Sandford.
Mon 10th Apr until Sat 15th Apr 1944	Troise and His Mandoliers	With Randolph Sutton, Worthy & Jarrett, Billy Danvers, and others.
Mon 17th Apr until Sat 22nd Apr 1944	All-Star Variety Show	With Afrique, the Western Bros., Collinson & Breen, Manley & Austin, and others.
Mon 24th Apr until Sat 29th Apr 1944	Serenade To Fun	Lew & Leslie Grade's New Road Show, with Monte Rey, Forsythe, Seamon & Farrell, Billy Thorburn, and others.
Tue 2nd May until Sat 6th May 1944	The Quaker Girl	Musical Comedy, with Celia Lipton, Ivy St. Helier, Billy Milton and Hal Bryan.
Mon 8th May until Sat 13th May 1944	Variety Show	With Charlie Kunz, Jack Daly, Nellie Wallace, and others.
Mon 15th May until Sat 20th May 1944	Anne Shelton	"The Golden Voice of Radio", with Suzette Tarri, Yale Bros., and others.
Mon 22nd May until Sat 27th May 1944	All-Star Variety Show	With Cyril Fletcher, Turner Layton, George Elrick and His Band, and others.
Mon 29th May until Sat 3rd Jun 1944	Billy Cotton and his Band	With Ernest Shannon, Taylor & Thomas, and others.
Mon 5th Jun until Sat 10th Jun 1944	Emma	By Jane Austin. Starring Anna Neagle.
Mon 12th Jun until Sat 17th Jun 1944	Sadler's Wells Opera Co. and Orchestra	Performing Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, The Marriage of Figaro and The Bartered Bride.
Mon 19th Jun until Sat 24th Jun 1944	Claudia	Comedy, starring Gene Ray, with Phyllis Dare, Tom Gill and William Roderick.
Mon 26th Jun until Sat 1st Jul 1944	Max Miller The Cheeky Chappie	With Rupert Hazell & Elsie Day, Lai Founs, Ed & Barbara Andrews, and others.
Mon 3rd Jul until Sat 8th Jul 1944	Old Mother Riley and Her Daughter Kitty	Starring Arthur Lucan & Kitty McShane.
Mon 10th Jul until Sat 15th Jul 1944	Henry Hall and his Orchestra	With Noni & Nita, Eddie Ready & Joy, Peter Waring, and others.
Mon 17th Jul until Sat 22nd Jul 1944	Africa Stars	With Leslie Henson, Hermione Baddeley, Walter Crishan, and others.
Mon 24th Jul until Sat 29th Jul 1944	Geraldo and His Orchestra	With Douglas Byng, The Wonder Wheelers, Billy "Uke" Scott, and others.
Mon 31st Jul until Sat 5th Aug 1944	Zuider Zee	Featuring Macari and his Dutch Serenaders, Arthur Prince, Nosmo King, and others.
Mon 7th Aug until Sat 12th Aug 1944	Artistes and Models	With Gaston & Andree, Stanelli, Clifford & Wrigley, and others.
Mon 14th Aug until Sat 19th Aug 1944	The London Philharmonic Orchestra	"Details of Programme on Application".
Mon 21st Aug until Sat 26th Aug 1944	The Merry Widow	With Cyril Ritchard and Madge Elliott.
Mon 28th Aug until Sat 2nd Sep 1944	The Gypsy Princess	Full Cast and Production from the Saville Theatre, London.
Mon 4th Sep until Sat 9th Sep 1944	Junior Miss	With Joan White, Ronald Ward, Frank Leighton, Peggy Cummins, Linda Gray, and others.
Mon 11th Sep until Sat 23rd Sep 1944	Arsenic and Old Lace	Firth Shephard's own All-Star Company.
Mon 25th Sep until Sat 30th Sep 1944	There Shall Be No Night	By Robert E. Sherwood, with Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne and Frederick Lloyd.
Mon 2nd Oct until Sat 7th Oct 1944	The Love Racket	Starring Arthur Askey.
Mon 9th Oct until Sat 14th Oct 1944	Daughter Janie	New York's latest Comedy Hit, with Lydia Sherwood, Mercia Swinburne, Ronald Simpson and Ian Fleming.
Mon 16th Oct until Sat 21st Oct 1944	The Quaker Girl	With Celia Lipton, Ivy St. Helier, Billy Milton, Hal Bryan, and others.
Mon 23rd Oct until Sat 28th Oct 1944	Gangway	Starring Ted Ray and Jill Manners.
Mon 30th Oct until Sat 4th Nov 1944	Hit The Sky	Song and Laughter Show, with Hutch, "Monsewer" Edie Gray, George Doonan, and others.
Mon 6th Nov until Sat 11th Nov 1944	Jack Payne and His Orchestra	Featuring Scott Sanders, George & Jack Dormonde, Betty Webb, and others.
Mon 13th Nov until Sat 18th Nov 1944	Rocky Mountain Rhythm	Featuring Big Bill Campbell.
Mon 20th Nov until Sat 25th Nov 1944	Panama Hattie	Musical Comedy, starring Max Wall, Bebe Daniels and Claude Hulbert.
Mon 27th Nov until Sat 2nd Dec 1944	Three Waltzes	Starring Evelyn Laye, with Esmond Knight, Charles Goldner, and others.
Mon 4th Dec until Sat 9th Dec 1944	Happidrome	With Jimmy Jewel, Ben Warriss, Harry Korris, Robbie Vincent, and others.
Mon 11th Dec until Sat 16th Dec 1944	All-Star Variety Show	With Robb Wilton, Teddy Brown and Adelaide Hall. (Closed next week for Pantomime rehearsals.)
Sat 23rd Dec 1944 until Sat 10th Feb 1945	The Babes In The Wood	Starring Dave & Joe O'Gorman, Joy Hayden, Con Kenna, John Clifford, the Ganjou Brothers & Juanita, and others. (Over 140,000 people attended this Coventry Hippodrome pantomime during its seven week run!)

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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.