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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1931 | Old Hippodrome, Hales Street | ||
Date(s) | Show | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|
Mon 5th Jan until Sat 10th Jan 1931 | The Town Show | A revue with the strongest cast no tour. | |
Mon 12th Jan until Sat 17th Jan 1931 | Aladdin | Pantomime, featuring Fred Morgan. | |
Mon 19th Jan until Sat 24th Jan 1931 | Nixon Grey | Variety show, plus Bobby Wright & Marion, Lillian Burgiss, The Great Sirdani, and many more. | |
Mon 26th Jan until Sat 31st Jan 1931 | Bostock's Royal Italian Circus | The world's greatest stage circus. | |
Mon 2nd Feb until Sat 7th Feb 1931 | All Right On The Western Front | War burlesque, featuring Tom Gamble and full London company. | |
Mon 9th Feb until Sat 14th Feb 1931 | Pageant On Parade | Starring Billy Caryll and Hilda Mundy. | |
Mon 16th Feb until Sat 21st Feb 1931 | Under Suspicion | Variety, starring Horace Hunter and Lily Hamersley. | |
Mon 23rd Feb until Sat 28th Feb 1931 | Night Revels | Daring revue with the strongest revue cast on tour. | |
Mon 2nd Mar until Sat 7th Mar 1931 | Sez You ! | New style of revue, starring Janice Hart and Walter Niblo. | |
Mon 9th Mar until Sat 14th Mar 1931 | The Follies Bergere | French revue direct from Paris and London. | |
Mon 16th Mar until Sat 21st Mar 1931 | Midnight Madness | Comedy revue starring Edwin Lawrence and Harry Shalson. | |
Mon 23rd Mar until Sat 28th Mar 1931 | George Robey | Variety, also featuring Alfredo and his Famous Band. | |
Mon 30th Mar until Sat 4th Apr 1931 | Alfredo and his Famous Band | And an all-star company. | |
Mon 6th Apr until Sat 11th Apr 1931 | The Laughter Express | Comedy, featuring Billy Percy. | |
Mon 13th Apr until Sat 18th Apr 1931 | Une Nuit Excitante (One Exciting Night) | French show with full London production. | |
Mon 20th Apr until Sat 25th Apr 1931 | Why Go To Paris? | Daring revue, starring Jack Gallagher and a magnificent cast. | |
Mon 27th Apr until Sat 2nd May 1931 | Hello! Folks | Featuring the greatest wireless stars, including Tommy Handley. | |
Mon 4th May until Sat 9th May 1931 | Music Hath Charms | Featuring Teddy Brown, world famous xylophonist. | |
Mon 11th May until Sat 16th May 1931 | Tout Paris | 'A riot of colour, beauty and laughter.' | |
Mon 18th May until Sat 23rd May 1931 | The Jazz Parade | Featuring, Arthur Lucan & Kitty McShane, Eric Randolph, Harry Burns, and many more. | |
Mon 25th May until Sat 30th May 1931 | Le Reve Parisien (The Dream of Paris) | 'The show of distinction', featuring Vernon Drake, Grace Hartington, the Bianca Fosca Four, and others. | |
Mon 1st Jun until Sat 6th Jun 1931 | Sensations of 1931 | Comedy revue, starring George Formby ('absolutely first appearance in Coventry'). | |
Mon 8th Jun until Sat 13th Jun 1931 | Billy Caryll and Hilda Mundy | Variety, including Mamie Soutter, The Two Bobs, and many others. | |
Mon 15th Jun until Sat 20th Jun 1931 | Variety Bill | Featuring, Julian Rose, Muriel George & Ernest Butcher, and many more. | |
Mon 22nd Jun until Sat 27th Jun 1931 | Teddy Morris and His Boys | Wireless & recording band. Plus revue 'Mickey the Mouse'. | |
Mon 29th Jun until Sat 4th Jul 1931 | This Week of Happiness | A superlative revue, starring George Norton, Al Berlin & His Melodeons, and more. | |
Mon 6th Jul until Sat 11th Jul 1931 | The Houston Sisters | Plus, Jock McKay, Little Doreen, and more. | |
Mon 13th Jul until Sat 18th Jul 1931 | Mr. Flotsam and Mr. Jetsam | Radio favourites. Plus, Lewis Davenport, Ernest Shannon, Ted Rickaby, and others. (The theatre is closed for the next two weeks to enable improvements.) | |
Mon 3rd Aug until Sat 8th Aug 1931 | Alfred Rode and his 18 Royal Tziganes | The famous gypsy band. Plus, Harry Taft, Sammy Shields, Gilbert & French, and many more. | |
Mon 10th Aug until Sat 15th Aug 1931 | Nellie Wallace | The queen of comediennes. Plus, Jane Ayr & Eddie Leslie, Tiny Mite & George Welford, and more. | |
Mon 17th Aug until Sat 22nd Aug 1931 | Variety Bill | Starring Jimmy James, Norman Long, Harry Herbert, and many others. | |
Mon 24th Aug until Sat 29th Aug 1931 | Happiness For Sale | Comedy revue, with Tommy Lorne, and many others. | |
Mon 31st Aug until Sat 5th Sep 1931 | Oriental Night | Featuring Tom Payne, Jack Stanford, Vera Hilliard, Lalla Dodd, and many more. | |
Mon 7th Sep until Sat 12th Sep 1931 | More Splinters | With huge cast, including Hal Jones, Reg Stone, and many more. | |
Mon 14th Sep until Sat 19th Sep 1931 | Believe It Or Not | Tarring Fred Miller, and many others. | |
Mon 21st Sep until Sat 26th Sep 1931 | Scandals of Montmartre | Daring new revue, featuring Harry Angers, Alma Mackay, and many others. | |
Mon 28th Sep until Sat 3rd Oct 1931 | Vintage Variety | Old time music hall, featuring Marie Kendall, George Betton, Arthur Reece, and many others. | |
Mon 5th Oct until Sat 10th Oct 1931 | Les Femmes de Paris (The Ladies of Paris) | A £20,000 revue, with cast of 50 artistes. | |
Mon 12th Oct until Sat 17th Oct 1931 | My Wife's Family | 'The funniest play in the world', featuring Fred Duprez. | |
Mon 19th Oct until Sat 24th Oct 1931 | Une Nuit Excitante (One Exciting Night) | French revue, including Lovely ladies, luxurious settings, laughter loud and long. | |
Mon 26th Oct until Sat 31st Oct 1931 | Stars Who Have Never Failed To Shine | The identical programme which packed the London Palladium. | |
Mon 2nd Nov until Sat 7th Nov 1931 | The Reply to the Talkies | Revue, including Freddie Foss, Cecile Forbes, Marion Dawson, and many more. | |
Mon 9th Nov until Sat 14th Nov 1931 | The Song of the East | 'Merry musical melange f love, life & laughter', starring Bunny Doyle. | |
Mon 16th Nov until Sat 21st Nov 1931 | The Follies of Buenos Aires | Exotic revue featuring Queenie May and a large cast. | |
Mon 23rd Nov until Sat 28th Nov 1931 | The Continental Express | Revue, starring George Doonan, Lennie Dean, and more. | |
Mon 30th Nov until Sat 5th Dec 1931 | Clapham and Dwyer | Variety, also including The Charladies, Page & Parkes, and more. | |
Mon 7th Dec until Sat 12th Dec 1931 | At the Shrine of Mystico | Musical, magical pageant, starring The Great Carmo, and full cast. | |
Mon 14th Dec until Sat 19th Dec 1931 | Hetty King | Variety, also featuring Rio & Santos, Fred Curran, and many others. | |
Mon 21st Dec until Sat 26th Dec 1931 | I've Been to Paris | Comedy revue, starring Jack Gallagher and many more. | |
Mon 28th Dec 1931 until Sat 2nd Jan 1932 | Derickson & Brown | Variety bill, also featuring De Biere, Claude Lester, and many others. |
Prev year: 1930Showing 1931Next year: 1932
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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