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Many legends have been born at 253 West 125th Street. The glittering marquee of the Apollo, with its signature red neon, is one of the most recognizable in the world. Former theater owner Robert Schiffman was once quoted as saying, “For years, you could write ‘Apollo Theater’ on a postcard, drop it in a mailbox anywhere, and it would be delivered.” A beating heart of Harlem and Black culture in America, the Apollo Theater is where many performers have gotten their start, even if for some it began with a “boo!”
Opened in 1914, what we now know as the Apollo was originally named the “New Theater,” mixed in with a grouping of performance venues on 125th Street in New York. The venue primarily provided burlesque shows and only allowed white patrons. As the Harlem neighborhood became predominantly African – American due to the Great Migration, that policy quickly changed. In 1934, the theater was re-branded as the “Apollo” and was transformed into a more decidedly family-friendly music performance and event venue. Out of that first new year, an event was hosted on the theater’s stage that would become a tradition that runs to this day: Amateur Night at the Apollo.
Giving new talent a chance to showcase their skills in front of a live audience, Amateur Night is a serious contest. Based on a performance, the audience can either cheer or jeer an artist, and those who are booed have to deal with the “executioner,” a broom-wielding official who literally sweeps the unlucky contestant off the stage. Just in case performing in front of 1,500 seated audience members was already not enough pressure!
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In the first-ever running of the contest at the Apollo, a 17-year-old Ella Fitzgerald won the competition after getting her name drawn out of a hat as a last-minute additon. The soon-to-be famous vocalist didn’t even mean to win with her voice, only choosing to sing a song instead of dancing at the last minute after getting nervous watching the other dance entrants. Following Fitzgerald, the winner’s list is chock full of names one would recognize: Gladys Knight, The Jackson 5, Sarah Vaughan, Smokey Robinson, and Billie Holliday to name a few. Some future stars have even gotten the broom, with Luther Vandross losing four times before he won, and James Brown also failing his first performance in 1952.
Experiencing a couple of closures in its over one hundred year history, the theater is alive and well in 21st Century Harlem. Amateur Night continues to be a popular yearly tradition, showcasing the latest and greatest young talent in the entertainment industry. While most folks visiting the Apollo today won’t be swept off stage, with experience of the theatre’s history and iconic stage, every visitor is sure to be swept off their feet.
