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 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 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

1954	New Hippodrome, Hales Street
Date(s)	Show	Notes	Images
Mon 29th Mar until Sat 3rd Apr 1954	Affairs Of State	Entire London Company performing a laughter show.
Tue 6th Apr until Sat 10th Apr 1954	Peter Pan	With Pat Kirkwood and Stanley Holloway.
Mon 12th Apr until Sat 17th Apr 1954	Educating Archie	Starring Peter Brough & Archie Andrews.
Mon 19th Apr until Sat 24th Apr 1954	Pygmalion	With Kay Hammond, John Clements and Athene Seyler.
Mon 26th Apr until Sat 1st May 1954	Reluctant Heroes	Featuring John Slater.
Mon 3rd May until Sat 8th May 1954	The Little Hut	Light Comedy, with Hugh Sinclair, Diane Hart and others.
Mon 10th May until Sat 15th May 1954	Jazz Wagon	With Jack Parnell and his Big Band, and other acts.
Tue 18th May until Sat 5th Jun 1954	South Pacific	Musical, featuring Patricia Hartley, Nevil Whiting, Eddie Leslie, and others.
Sat 12th Jun until Sat 7th Aug 1954	Star Time	The Biggest Spectacular Musical Ever Seen In The Midlands. (For the Summer Season, 8 weeks.) Starring Jimmy Jewel, Ben Warriss and Sally Barnes, with Geraldo and his Orchestra.
Mon 9th Aug until Sat 14th Aug 1954	Guy Mitchell	America's Top Singing Star, with Vera Cody, and others.
Mon 16th Aug until Sat 21st Aug 1954	Tommy Trinder	With supporting variety acts.
Mon 23rd Aug until Sat 28th Aug 1954	The Party Spirit	With Robertson Hare, Ralph Lynn and Vera Pearce.
Mon 30th Aug until Sat 4th Sep 1954	Al Martino	American singer, with variety support.
Mon 6th Sep until Sat 11th Sep 1954	Variety Show	With Bill Johnson, Bonar Colleano, Semprini, and others.
Mon 13th Sep until Sat 2nd Oct 1954	Love From Judy	British musical Hit.
Mon 4th Oct until Sat 9th Oct 1954	All-Star Variety Show	With The Five Smith Brothers and Peter Cavanagh.
Mon 11th Oct until Sat 16th Oct 1954	Dickie Valentine	"Singing for You".
Mon 18th Oct until Sat 23rd Oct 1954	The Desert Song	Starring John Hanson.
Mon 25th Oct until Sat 30th Oct 1954	Spider's Web	Agatha Christie play, starring Margaret Lockwood, with Felix Aylmer.
Mon 1st Nov until Sat 27th Nov 1954	1954 Birthday Show	Starring Billy Cotton and his Band, with Derek Roy, Helene Cordet, Charlie Cairoli, and others.
Mon 29th Nov until Sat 4th Dec 1954	Show Boat	By the Coventry Amateur Operatic Society, plus cast of 80.
Mon 6th Dec until Sat 18th Dec 1954	Happy Holiday	Musical, starring Reg Dixon, Janet Brown, Marie Burke, and many others.
Fri 24th Dec 1954 until Sat 12th Mar 1955	Cinderella	Starring Harry Secombe as Buttons, plus a cast of 90.
Sun 26th Dec 1954	Jack Parnell and his Orchestra	Featuring Dennis Hale and Irene Miller.

Prev year: 1953   Next year: 1955

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 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.