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Photo: courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
Harlem’s celebrated Apollo Theater has been at the center of New York’s thriving art and music scene since it opened its doors in 1934. Comedians like Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx have graced its stage in the past, but the theatre hasn’t hosted an official comedy night before now.
The Apollo Comedy Club will host monthly performances on Thursdays at 10 p.m., beginning on October 1. The Comedy Club is designed to showcase emerging comics, like Del Harrison and Omar Thompson, and it promises to join the iconic theater’s impressive program of cultural events. This season at the Apollo will also feature the hip-hop dance festival, “Breakin’ Convention,” from October 13 – 18, and the New Orleans Jazz Weekend and Masquerade, from October 30 – 31.
The Apollo theater began hosting its Amateur Night contests in 1934, and has played a role in fostering such legends in the American music community as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and James Brown. Today, the Apollo is managed as a non-profit, and part of the work it does is to provide a platform for educational and community outreach programs. The theater has been a long-time player in New York’s burlesque scene, especially in the 1930s when then-future mayor Fiorello La Guardia was leading anti-burlesque campaigns. Built in the neoclassical style of architecture, the theater was awarded city landmark status in 1983.
-by Rachel Veroff