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Hippodrome / Coventry Theatre / Apollo show archive

An 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 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

1943

New Hippodrome, Hales Street

Date(s)ShowNotesImages
Mon 15th Feb until Sat 20th Feb 1943Spring FrolicsStarring Max Miller.
Mon 22nd Feb until Sat 27th Feb 1943More Spring FrolicsWith Billy Cotton and his Band, Stanelli, Tommy Fields and others.
Mon 1st Mar until Sat 6th Mar 1943Noel CowardIn 3 of his own Plays: Present Laughter, Blithe Spirit, and This Happy Breed.
Mon 8th Mar until Sat 13th Mar 1943The Sadler's Wells BalletWith Symphony Orchestra, Margot Fonteyn and Robert Helpmann.
Mon 15th Mar until Sat 20th Mar 1943Watch On The RhineWith Zena Dare, Roger Livesey and Ursula Jeans.
Mon 22nd Mar until Sat 27th Mar 1943Warn That ManWith Gordon Harker, Basil Radford, Judy Kelly, and others.
Mon 29th Mar until Sat 3rd Apr 1943Rosaire's CircusThe Greatest show of its kind in the country to-day.
Mon 5th Apr until Sat 10th Apr 1943D'Oyly Carte Opera CompanyA different Gilbert & Sullivan Opera each night.
Mon 12th Apr until Sat 17th Apr 1943Star VarietyJay Wilbur and his Band, The Two Leslies, plus large supporting bill.
Mon 19th Apr until Sat 24th Apr 1943Rose MarieWest End Production, with Marjorie Browne, Phyllis Monkman, Raymond Newell, George Lacey, and others.
Mon 26th Apr until Sat 1st May 1943Venus Comes To TownThe actual show from Whitehall Theatre, London.
Mon 3rd May until Sat 8th May 1943Kiss The GirlsA musical Adventure in Five Scenes, with Sonnie Hale, Adele Dixon, Francis Sullivan and June Malo.
Mon 10th May until Sat 15th May 1943The Mad Hatters Of 1943With Syd Seymour and his Band, Constance Evans, Victor Julian, and others.
Mon 17th May until Sat 22nd May 1943Joe Loss and his BandAnd 7 First Class Acts in a High Speed Variety Bill.
Mon 24th May until Thu 27th May 1943Morning StarWith Emlyn Williams.
Fri 28th May and Sat 29th May 1943Night Must FallWith Emlyn Williams.
Mon 31st May until Sat 5th Jun 1943To-Night's the NightLondon Musical with Jack Melford, Freddie Forbes, Andre Randall, Len Clifford, Elsie Percival and Joy Hayden.
Mon 7th Jun until Sat 12th Jun 1943The Duchess of DantzicRomantic Musical, with Fay Compton, Charles Heslop and Kenneth Kent.
Mon 14th Jun until Sat 19th Jun 1943Stars of the AirWith Sam Browne, Max Bacon, Jack Daly and others.
Sun 20th Jun 1943Special Concert in aid of the Russian Red CrossGiven by the Armstrong Whitworth Orchestra.
Mon 21st Jun until Sat 26th Jun 1943All-Star Broadcast Variety BillWith Turner Layton, Dorothy Ward, Low & Webster, and others.
Mon 28th Jun until Sat 3rd Jul 1943Oscar Rabin & His BandWith Scott Sanders, Dorothy Gray, Dick Montague, and others.
Mon 5th Jul until Sat 10th Jul 1943No Orchids for Miss Blandish"The Play Sensation of the Year".
Mon 12th Jul until Sat 17th Jul 1943Vic OliverAll Star Variety Show, with Hella Toros, and others.
Mon 19th Jul until Sat 24th Jul 1943Harry Roy and his BandIn an Crazy Rhythm Show - Members of the audience invited up to conduct the band!
Tue 27th Jul until Sat 31st Jul 1943Sunny RIverEmile Little's Musical Play, music by Oscar Hammerstein and Sigmund Romberg.
Mon 2nd Aug until Sat 7th Aug 1943All-Star Holiday Variety ShowStarring Jack Warner and George Scott-Wood with his Swing Orchestra.
Mon 9th Aug until Sat 14th Aug 1943She Follows Me AboutNew Ben Travers Farce, with Robertson Hare and Basil Radford.
Mon 16th Aug until Sat 21st Aug 1943Over To YouMusical Show, with Afrique, Nat Mills & Bobbie, Bunny Doyle, and others.
Mon 23rd Aug until Sat 28th Aug 1943Henry Hall and his BandWith Big Supporting Bill.
Mon 30th Aug until Sat 4th Sep 1943The Maid Of The MountainsWith the London Coliseum Company.
Mon 6th Sep until Sat 11th Sep 1943No, No, Nanette!Musical Comedy, with Jean Colin, George Clarke, and West End Cast.
Mon 13th Sep until Sat 18th Sep 1943The Man Who Came To DinnerWith Robert Morley.
Mon 20th Sep until Sat 25th Sep 1943Get A Load Of ThisWith Ted Ray, Daphne & Jack Barker, and Company of 60.
Mon 27th Sep until Sat 2nd Oct 1943Florodoramusical Comedy, with Jay Laurier, Hannah Watt, and others.
Mon 4th Oct until Sat 9th Oct 1943Tommy, Get Your FunBroadcast Road-Show, with Teddy Brown, Hetty King, Jean Adrienne & Eddie Leslie, and others.
Mon 11th Oct until Sat 16th Oct 1943The New Happidrome of 1943From the Prince of Wales Theatre, presented by Tom Arnold.
Mon 18th Oct until Sat 23rd Oct 1943Sky HighWith Ethel Revnell and Gracie West.
Mon 25th Oct until Sat 30th Oct 1943Billy Ternent with the BBC Dance OrchestraVariety Bill with Britain's foremost Pantomime Dame.
Mon 1st Nov until Sat 6th Nov 1943Sky LarksLaughter Show, with Elsie & Doris Waters (Gert & Daisy), George Doonan, Celia Lipton, and others.
Mon 8th Nov until Sat 13th Nov 1943Laugh And Be HappyNew Revue, with Star Comedian Hal Monty.
Mon 15th Nov until Sat 20th Nov 1943The Count of LuxembourgBernard Delfont's Production, with George Gee, Nita Croft, and Big West End Cast.
Mon 22nd Nov until Sat 27th Nov 1943The Student PrinceWith West End Cast and Chorus of 40.
Tue 30th Nov until Sat 11th Dec 1943Black VanitiesMusical, with Jimmy Jewell and Ben Warriss, and others.
Mon 13th Dec until Sat 18th Dec 1943Star Variety BillWith Cavan O'Connor, Beryl Orde, Herschel "Jizz" Henlere, and others. (Theatre closed Mon 20th to Thu 23rd for Pantomime rehearsals.)
Fri 24th Dec 1943 until Sat 12th Feb 1944AladdinWith Ted Ray, Leslie Strange. (Prices from 2/- in the Balcony to 8/- in the Stalls & Circle.)

Prev year: 1942Showing 1943Next year: 1944

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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