9 Interesting Facts About The Apollo Theater
Oh, the shows this storied Harlem institution has seen — from Billie Holiday and Count Bassie to Lauryn Hill and Prince. Since its opening, this New York house of entertainment has helped jumpstart the careers of innumerable singers, dancers, rappers, and musicians. But the institution behind those stories of rising fame has a pretty impressive tale of its own. Here is the list of 9 interesting facts about the Apollo Theater.
It wasn’t always called the Apollo theater
The theater, which has a capacity of 1,506, opened in 1914 as Hurtig & Seamon’s New Burlesque Theater and was designed by George Keister in the neo-Classical style. It became the Apollo in 1934 when it was opened to black patrons.
“Whites Only” policy
A city ban on burlesque houses hastened the closing of Hurtig and Seamon’s in 1933. The end of burlesque created the beginning of new programming. New owners who changed the name and format of the shows from burlesque to variety revues and redirected their marketing attention to the growing African-American community in Harlem.
It is a place “where stars are born and legends are made”
Amateur Night at the Apollo is one of New York’s most popular live entertainment experiences, attracting performers and audiences the world over. It was originally called “Audition Night”, but later became “Amateur Night in Harlem”, held every Wednesday evening and broadcast on the radio over WMCA and eleven affiliate stations
The Apollo became famous for launching the careers of artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, who made her singing debut at 17 at the Apollo, on November 21, 1934. She sang Hoagy Carmichael’s “Judy” and “The Object of My Affection”, a song recorded by the Boswell Sisters, and won the first prize of $25.00.
Jimi Hendrix won the first place prize in an amateur musician contest at the Apollo in 1964. Other performers whose careers started at the Apollo include Billie Holiday, Pearl Bailey, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown & The Famous Flames, King Curtis, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Parliament-Funkadelic, Wilson Pickett, The Miracles, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Rush Brown, Stephanie Mills, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Short, The Jackson 5, Patti Austin, Patti LaBelle, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, The Isley Brothers, Lauryn Hill, Sarah Vaughan, Jazmine Sullivan, Ne-Yo, and Machine Gun Kelly.
Once there was “the executioner”
One unique feature of the Apollo during Amateur Nights was “the executioner”, a man with a broom who would sweep performers off the stage if the highly vocal and opinionated audiences began to call for their removal. Vaudeville tap dancer “Sandman” Sims played the role from the 1950s to 2000; stagehand Norman Miller, known as “Porto Rico” (later played by Bob Collins) might also chase the unfortunate performer offstage with a cap pistol, accompanied by the sound of a siren.
Original Dressing Rooms Still Exist
While The Apollo Theater has installed modern dressing rooms, complete with showers, the original dressing rooms are where our modern-day performers want to be. They long to stand in the same space as Ella (Fitzgerald), Sarah (Vaughan), Wilson (Pickett), Gladys (Knight), and the Jackson Five.
There’s a Tree of Hope “Good Luck Stump”
During the Harlem Renaissance, the original Tree of Hope, a tall elm tree rumored to be a good luck charm to all who touched it, was located on Seventh Avenue, between 131st Street and 132nd Street. It stood between the popular Lafayette Theatre and Connie’s Inn nightclub.
This tree was thought to be a sort of good-luck charm since it seemed that those who touched it had great luck with their performances and staying employed. When the street was widened, the tree was cut down. Ralph Cooper was quick to buy a piece of that “good luck stump” and bring it back to the Apollo. Today the stump sits on a pedestal at stage right, where every entertainer can give the traditional rub for good luck before taking the stage.
Michael Jackson made his last on-stage performance here
On April 24, 2002 American pop star Michael Jackson played a free concert, where he performed three songs (all of them were from his eighth studio album Dangerous). The concert raised about $3 million. It was Jackson’s final on-stage performance before his death in 2009. There is no full footage from the concert. However, rehearsal of “Heal the World” leaked in late 2017.
The Apollo costs just $1.00 a month to rent
In 1983, the venue was deemed a federal and city landmark following a few decades of financial turmoil. The Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and developing the theater, was established in 1991 — and to ensure its longevity, the Apollo was given a 99-year lease for $1 a year.
You can rent it too!
The Apollo welcomes patrons to borrow their space for weddings, graduations, fashion shows, photo shoots, and more. Rates start at $1000 and max out at $30,000.
