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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1968 | Coventry Theatre, Hales Street | ||
| Date(s) | Show | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 25th Feb 1968 | Maurice Chevalier | In Person. Final appearance on his Farewell Tour of Britain. | |
| Tue 12th Mar until Sat 16th Mar 1968 | Scout Gang Show | Cast of over 250 Scouts & Leaders, including guest appearance of Ralph Reader in person. | |
| Wed 20th Mar until Sat 11th May 1968 | 1968 Spring Show | Starring The Bachelors, The Kaye Sisters, Mike Yarwood, Mike Newman, Johnny Hart, and many others. | |
| Sun 7th Apr 1968 | Gene Pitney | With Amen Corner, Statue Quo and Simon Dupree. One night only. | |
| Sun 14th Apr 1968 | Mantovani and his Orchestra | One night only. | |
| Sun 28th Apr 1968 | The Kinks, The Herd, The Tremoloes | One night only. | |
| Sat 18th May 1968 | Frankie Vaughan | With Miki & Griff, Margo Henderson and Joe Church. One night only. | |
| Sun 26th May 1968 | The Hollies, Paul Jones and The Scaffold | One night only. | |
| Sat 1st Jun until Mon 3rd Jun 1968 | Tom Jones | With Ted Heath's Orchestra and full supporting cast. Three nights. | |
| Sat 8th Jun 1968 | Engelbert Humperdinck | One night only. | |
| Sat 15th Jun 1968 | Max Bygraves | With Cyril Stapleton and his Showband. One night only. | |
| Mon 17th Jun until Sat 22nd Jun 1968 | White Heather Club | Scotland's top TV show, starring Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor. | |
| Sat 29th Jun and Sun 30th Jun 1968 | Esther and Abi Ofarim | Israeli musical duo. Two nights. | |
| Mon 29th Jul until Sat 3rd Aug 1968 | Old Tyme Music Hall | With Hetty King, Randolph Sutton, and others. | |
| Mon 5th Aug until Sat 17th Aug 1968 | The Merry Widow | With Lizbeth Webb, John Rhys Evans and Bert Brownbill. | |
| Mon 26th Aug until Sat 7th Sep 1968 | The Dancing Years | With Jean Bayless and Nicholas Hawtrey. | |
| Mon 9th Sep until Sat 14th Sep 1968 | Private Lives | noel Coward Comedy, with Conrad Phillips and Andree Evans. | |
| Mon 16th Sep until Sat 21st Sep 1968 | Martin St. James | World's leading Hypnotist-Mentalist. | |
| Mon 23rd Sep until Sat 5th Oct 1968 | Royal Ballet | Different Ballet each night. | |
| Sun 29th Sep 1968 | Buddy Rich and his Orchestra | One night only. | |
| Thu 10th Oct until Sat 7th Dec 1968 | 1968 International Birthday Show | Starring Rolf Harris, with Lonnie Donegan, Hope & Keen, and many others. | |
| Sun 20th Oct 1968 | Scott Walker | With The Casuals and The Paper Dolls. One night only. | |
| Sun 3rd Nov 1968 | Johnny Mathis | One night only. | |
| Mon 9th Dec until Sat 14th Dec 1968 | My Fair Lady | By The Coventry Amateur Operatic Society. (Theatre closed next week for Pantomime rehearsals.) | |
| Fri 20th Dec 1968 until Sat 8th Mar 1969 | Humpty Dumpty | Starring Jimmy Clitheroe, with Mike Yarwood, Jimmy Marshall, Kathleen West, Erica Yorke, and many others. | |
Prev year: 1967Showing 1968Next year: 1969
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.
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