Birmingham Hippodrome

The history of this site goes back to 1895 when it was used as a building with several assembly rooms. Four years later, the venue was redesigned by F.W. Lloyd, a local architect, and a circus ring and stage were added along with the Moorish Tour (which was effectively removed in 1963). This enterprise came to be known as ‘Tower of Varieties’ which was changed to ‘Tivoli’ in 2000 when it was rebuilt into a traditional variety theatre. Under the ownership of the 19th-century British entertainment impresario and entrepreneur, Thomas Barrasford, the theatre finally came to be known as ‘The Hippodrome’.

The current single auditorium featuring neo-classical architectural style was designed in 1924 by Mitchell and Burdwood. After the nearby Smallbrook Queensway was constructed, the tower and the entrance building were destroyed in 1963 paving the way for a new modern entrance. There was a time when the name changed to ‘Birmingham Theatre’, and the plain facade of the theatre was transformed with mock-Victorian plasterwork. A new glass facade, supplementary performing space, and harbour for the Birmingham Royal Ballet were essentially rebuilt in 2001 by Law and Dunbar- Nasmith and Associated Architects.

• The Circle Restaurant can be visited for dessert, drinks, and coffee alike, two hours before the performance is supposed to begin.

• The extravagant and premium Qdos Lounge on Level 1 at Birmingham Hippodrome enable visitors to seek advantage of washroom facilities, private cloakroom, and the lounge’s very own bar that serves a wide variety of Champagnes, beers, wines, along with exotic deli platters and soft drinks. 

• Situated on the Front Circle Foyer, Coffee Bar is just the right place for someone if they are in the mood to munch on some light snacks during the interval or prior to when their show is about to begin. From mouth-watering hot and cold drinks to a number of homemade sandwiches, sweet treats, paninis, wine and bar, one can be sure that they will have a lot of options to choose from.

• There are also some bars at the theatre’s foyer that serve an array of wine bottles/glasses, delicious cocktail that is prepared with Hippodrome theatrical twists and even a kiosk can be found in the foyer that serves ice creams, and chilled drinks.

• Annie The Musical (23 Jul - 11 Aug 2019 with tickets from 24 GBP)
• Grease the Musical (13 Aug - 24 Aug 2019 with tickets from 16 GBP)
• West Side Story (29 Aug - 31 Aug with tickets from 15 GBP)
• Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet (10 Sept - 14 Sept with tickets from 20.50 GBP)
• Willy Russel’s Blood Brothers (30 Sept - 12 Oct with tickets from 23 GBP)

Summer in Southside is a free family festival that takes place on a weekend in the summer on the streets of Southside surrounding the theatre. Summer in Southside 2019 took place on 13-14 July 2019 which explored the spectacle of the outer space through some mind-blowing performances, antics, and installations. Fantastic street food, pop-up performances, picnic parks, retro games, face painting, craft workshops, and family activities are some of the reasons why people should consider wandering to the Southside streets during the weekend of this festival. 

Frost fair is another free family festival that takes place on the Hippodrome foyers in the spirit of Christmas. The foyers remain buzzing with some incredible performances by choirs and local musicians adorning red Christmas caps on their heads. There is also a vast indoor market put up in the foyer from which visitors can buy Christmas gifts for their loved ones. Some other activities that one can expect to take place at Frost fair at Birmingham Hippodrome are festive storytelling sessions, DIY decoration workshops, face painting, and serving of seasonal food and drink items.

This independent theatre features beautiful neoclassical architecture and houses a 1900 seat single auditorium, newly established Patrick studio with 200 seats and rear stage area, a centre of research and treatment of dance injuries, restaurants, and bars. The small and flexible Patrick Studio is home to one of the most prominent dance schools of the city - DanceXchange. The studio is used for rehearsing, researching, and creating new opportunities for professional and educational development. It is the perfect venue to prepare a small-scale production for touring or to hire the studio for presentations, banqueting or business meetings that will involve close to 200 people.

• The opening times of the ticket office at the theatre are from 10 AM to 8 PM on performance days and 10 AM to 6 PM on non-performance days from Monday to Saturday.

• The ticket office is usually closed on Sundays unless there is a performance, in which case, the ticket sales are closed post half an hour of the curtain up.

Being very centrally located and well-connected to car parks and public transport options, Birmingham Hippodrome can be reached through trains and buses other than walking by foot or using cars.

By Train: Visitors can take a train to either Moor Street Station or New Street Station as they require at most a 10-minute walk to reach the theatre.

By Bus: Bus lines 4, 5, 6, 61, 63, and 16 W can also be taken in order to reach the bus stop near Birmingham Hippodrome.

One can easily spot the massive ‘H’ well away from the theatre which will help them find their way to the place easily.