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

Date(s)	Show	Notes
1969	Coventry Theatre, Hales Street
Sun 16th Feb 1969	Gene Pitney	With Marmalade and Joe Cocker. One night only.
Tue 11th Mar until Sat 15th Mar 1969	Scout Gang Show	Coventry Scouts' Silver Jubilee show.
Thu 20th Mar until Sat 17th May 1969	Cilla's Spring Show	Starring Cilla Black, with Mark Wynter, Joe Baker, Johnny Hackett, and many others.
Sun 23rd Mar 1969	Stevie Wonder	With The Foundations and Emperor Rosko. One night only.
Sun 13th Apr 1969	Mantovani and his Orchestra	One night only.
Sun 18th May 1969	Des O'Connor	With Mrs. Mills, and Miki & Griff. One night only.
Fri 23rd May until Sun 25th May 1969	Val Doonican	With Susan Lane, The Kingfishers, and others.
Mon 26th May until Sat 31st May 1969	Let Sleeping Wives Lie	Starring Brian Rix, Derek Farr and Leo Franklyn.
Mon 2nd Jun until Sat 7th Jun 1969	Madam Chairman	New play prior to showing in London, starring Veronica Lake.
Tue 10th Jun until Sat 14th Jun 1969	The Student Prince	Starring John Hanson.
Mon 23rd Jun until Sat 23rd Aug 1969	Gone With The Wind	70mm Wide-Screen Movie Show with full Stereophonic Sound.
Sun 24th Aug until Sat 6th Sep 1969	Dr. Zhivago	70mm Wide-Screen Movie Show with full Stereophonic Sound.
Mon 15th Sep until Sat 20th Sep 1969	Royal Ballet	Different Ballet each night.
Mon 22nd Sep until Sat 27th Sep 1969	Those Were The Days	Starring Reg Dixon, Lester Ferguson, Nat Gonella, and others.
Mon 29th Sep until Sat 4th Oct 1969	Birds on the Wing	Comedy, starring Bruce Forsythe, June Barry and Julia Lockwood.
Wed 8th Oct 1969	Humble Pie	Starring Steve Marriott, supported by David Bowie and Peter Frampton. One night only.
Tue 14th Oct until Sat 6th Dec 1969	1969 Birthday Show	Starring Danny La Rue, with Alan Haynes, Joe Church, and all-star supporting company.
Mon 8th Dec until Sat 13th Dec 1969	La Vie Parisienne	By The Coventry Amateur Operatic Society. (Theatre closed next week for Pantomime rehearsals.)
Tue 23rd Dec 1969 until Sat 14th Mar 1970	Robinson Crusoe	Pantomime, starring Ken Dodd and his Diddy Men, with Hope & Keen, Lyn Kennington, Rudy Cardenas, and many others.

Prev year: 1968 Next year: 1970

Also of interest might be A short history of Coventry's Theatres and Cinemas, by Bill Birch.

Hippodrome / Coventry Theatre / Apollo show archive

1969

Coventry Theatre, Hales Street