The Apollo Theatre in Harlem has been a hotbed of musical innovations since it opened in the early decades of the 1900s. Musical Greats from Ella Fitzgerald to Michael Jackson got their start there and it was the ambition of countless other musicians to play there someday. From the stage lights, to the Tree of Hope, to the tough-to-impress audience, to the camaraderie of the performers behind-the-scenes, the Apollo Theatre became a sort of home for many.⁠

Ted Fox's original history of the theatre, "Showtime at the Apollo" was published almost thirty years ago in the 1980s. This updated and illustrated edition literally shows the ever-changing faces and musical styles that graced its halls over the years. Whether you know nothing about the theatre or you are well-acquainted with it, this is a great look into an important piece of American history.⁠

This graphic novel provides a wonderful look at behind the scenes events and stories of The Apollo Theatre, a landmark of African American cultural history.

Thank you to Ted Fox, ABRAMS, and NetGalley for allowing me the extreme pleasure of access to an advanced reader copy of “Showtime at the Apollo: The Epic Tale of Harlem’s Legendary Theater" for an honest review.

Adapted from the book of the same name, I feel a little uneasy reviewing the graphic novel without reference of having read the first, but we'll do what we can here. I love the constancy of the first account in this text, and how it draws you into their world, to see through their eyes, the glitz, glamor, and darkness that plagued these times and people.

I do think that while it's a nice looking format, that for a comic/calling itself a 'graphic novel' there a lot clouding up the pages. At times far too much so that it takes away from the equally as important 'graphic' part of a graphic novel. I think the happy medium between these two for this text still needs to be worked on more.

This is a interesting history of the theater. The author starts at the very beginning and ends with present day. One problem however is that this is a lot of history to include in a graphic novel. A lot of artists are included, but they are just mentioned. Some history of the other theaters and Harlem is also included. The artwork is a little rough in places. This was a good overview but not a very in depth look. It is an interesting read and I did enjoy the interviews with some of the artists. Enjoy

I'm pretty sure I'd heard of the Apollo, though I can't say as I knew where it was. It's interesting to see how much of a role a place can have in culture,. This book was almost as much about Fox's experience writing about the Apollo as about the history of the place. Brief anecdotes.

Although I could see the potential in this text, I was not able to sustain my attention and finish the narrative.

Showtime at the Apollo: The Epic Tale of Harlem's Legendary Theater by Ted Fox is a graphic novel adaptation of the author's 1983 history of the historic Harlem theater with a few new updates. The African-American theater has a legendary musical history with the best of the best performers gracing its stage. Fox's graphic novel brings the rich musical history and cultural significance of the Apollo to life. Even though I read an unfinished copy of the ARC, I still enjoyed the history lesson the author presents. It's fantastic that he covers from the moment it was built to the present, but I definitely found myself most interested in its earlier days from the 1930s through the 1940s. Anyway, like I mentioned before, I read an unfinished ARC and quite a bit of the artwork is either not there or rough sketches (sometimes just circles where people were supposed to appear on the page). Even though it I believe I still got all of the text from the pages, I still felt a bit out of the loop since I was missing a significant portion of this history.

Looks very promising (coming from someone without much knowledge of music and history) and I enjoyed it quite a lot! I look forward to getting a finished copy in my hands.

I struggled a bit with the dialog boxes. They don't flow naturally and in a few cases I actually couldn't figure out what order they were supposed to be in. I assume since this seemed to be an unfinished draft with placeholder illsutrations that the dialog boxes will be cleaned up as well!

Due out in January is a comic-format reworking of a significant entertainment history. Ted Fox’s 1983 book Showtime at the Apollo: The Story of Harlem’s World Famous Theater has been converted into a graphic novel illustrated by James Otis Smith.

Showtime at the Apollo: The Epic Tale of Harlem’s Legendary Theater is clearly an adaptation of a prose work, with text boxes explaining key moments in the location’s history, but the illustrations add more hooks to show the reader just how important this Harlem entertainment venue has been. (It marks its 85th anniversary in 2019!) So many big names played there when they visited New York City, and amateurs could launch a career if they went over well. As the publisher said,

[This book] “brings to life the theater’s legendary significance in music history, African American history, and to the culture of New York City. [C]ountless performers have gotten their break at the Apollo, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Jimi Hendrix, Wilson Pickett, the Miracles, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Jackson 5, Patti LaBelle, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, [and] Aretha Franklin.”

It’s marvelous to see so many artists portrayed and quotes included, making this almost an oral history. Smith does a great job with the likenesses. They’re not photo-realistic but still recognizable while still demonstrating artistic style. I found Fox’s inclusion as a character a helpful guidepost to how the book came to be as well. It’s astounding how many people wanted to talk to him about this subject, passing him around to share their stories. Superstars like Elvis and the Beatles even make cameo appearances, wanting to see performers there. Playing the Apollo put a stamp of legitimacy on up-and-coming acts.

Beyond being a significant performance venue, it was a community anchor for a group that didn’t find as much acceptance elsewhere. When not playing, people shared gossip, gambled, and gave each other tips. Chapters cover
* the development of Harlem as an entertainment destination in the early years of the 1900s
* the Schiffmans, the Jewish family that owned the theater, their hardball tactics, and the varied ways they were perceived by the community
* some of the most famous bands, comedians, and dancers to play the Apollo
* the legend of Amateur Night and its demanding audience
* the invention of bebop and later, rhythm and blues
* changes in the business with the advent of records and rock’n’roll
* gospel revues and their effect on more commercial soul music
* the tough times when the theater went dark in the late 70s and later ownership changes, leading to an eventual renovation

An afterword by Fox explains how the original book came together. At a relatively brisk 240 pages, obviously there are a lot of subjects merely touched on, but the whole package is a wonderful journey through pop culture history, particularly good for the reader not yet familiar with the details.

The idea of this graphic novel is a fun and interesting way to inform + engage readers about the history of the world famous Showtime at the Apollo. I just wish that I would have known it was unfinished before requesting. The graphics aren't completed works and take away from the rich narrative this book is capable of presenting. Once the book publishes, I will be making sure to read a final copy, however.

Thank you to Abrams ComicArts and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For decades, performers have known they have made it big when they hear, It’s Showtime at the Apollo!

More than just about the Apollo Theater in Harlem, this fact-filled graphic novel tells the story of African-American music in NYC from the Harlem Renaissance after WWI through the present. All the greats from all the eras have played the Apollo—Lena Horne, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Gladys Knight, Nicholas Brothers, James Brown, the Jackson 5, Sammy David Jr., Funkadelic and L.L. Cool J.

There are some interesting little known facts. Who knew that February in the 1960s was reserved for the drag show, the Jewel Box Revue? Or about the bomb threat that forced the Revue’s closure? I also learned where the famed Tree of Hope stump came from and why it is lucky.

Most graphic novels do not have so much text. Showtime at the Apollo reads more like an illustrated history than a true graphic novel. Even when the pictures alone could tell the tale, there is a text box labeling what is depicted. The artwork is clear. It is easy to recognize the famous faces.

For anyone who is interested in musical history or the story of African-American entertainment in New York City, this is a fantastic choice. 4 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, Abrams ComicArts, and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a fascinating piece of history, and I appreciated all that I got to learn about the Apollo Theater and the artists who performed there.

It's expertly drawn - a beautiful piece of artistry,
Be ready for a lot of reading in this graphic novel.

(This top section appears on Goodreads.)

I'm a graphic novel and history junkie, but the graphic novel format for this didn't work for me. I still think there's too much text on the page - there's so much information that the author is trying to share - which I understand - but the idea of GNs for me is that some of the words can go away because of the images. This has been a sticking point I've had with a lot of nonfiction graphic novels. They look like they're going to be a more engaging way to package history, but I find them the same as a history text book.

For me, this graphic novel is perfect for an adult who's already a history buff... I don't know how well it will go over in my classroom with students, especially my students who normally read graphic novels.

This is a very informative book that gives a comprehensive history of Harlem's Apollo Theater. Ted Fox adapted it from his previous non fiction book of the same name. This graphic novel has first person accounts from many performers from Dionne Warwick to Redd Foxxx to Leslie Uggams and many, many more, and the lived experiences make it feel very rich and authentic. This is, however, an unfinished ARC, so a lot of the artwork was a work in progress. I liked what I saw to be certain, and would be very curious to see how the rest of it turns out. All that said, I think that sometimes it does get a little wordy on the page, and since some of the art is unfinished that kind of exacerbated the overstuffed feeling. I would be VERY curious to see how this looks as a finished product, and I think that people who are interested in the history of music would find some value in this, though I'm not totally sure that it stands out enough from the original book.

Take an amazing journey through the history, talent and sounds that is the Apollo Theatre! This graphic novel is spilling over with so many stories of artist and performers who started their careers at the Apollo! Reading each page you feel like you are right there, backstage, on stage, in the audience singing along to your favorite songs! This is a fantastic introduction to the history of African-American performers and music for children! Even for adults, as you will be take back down memory lane with each page you turn! This is truly a treasure to add to your collection!

ARC Copy with WIP illustrations...a very dense but informative narrative on the rich and long history of the Apollo Theater, it's place in Harlem/African American culture, and the shows that occur including the infamous Amateur nights.

At the beginning of the book, Ted Fox says how he set out to tell the story of the Apollo, "the good and the bad", and this biography definitely delivers. There were places where it got a bit confusing for me, as someone who is less well-versed in the history of R&B, but overall the book does a pretty good job of conveying a lot of history in a very small number of pages. The art helps a lot with that too: I really liked the small portraits, showing whose recollections Fox was quoting from. And what a history! The Apollo really was at the heart of a lot of musical development and it definitely deserves to be better known about.

This is a review of the galley that is provided. Normally, I don't bring that up in a review, but this graphic novel about the history of the Apollo has been sent out for reviews as a work in progress. Some of the images are well detailed, and drawn, such as the one below.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-690" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screen-Shot-2018-07-04-at-11.14.43-AM.png" alt="The apollo" />

Others are just sketches, showing where people will be, and what will be drawn.

This throws me off. But, the story itself, is very thorough. The whole history, with all the good, the bad and the ugly, so to speak. As the author said, when he started doing research for writing this history, it was before people could google what they wanted, so he spent a lot of time in the library, and it shows.

This is going to be a great book for people who want to know about what Harlem and the Apollo were like, through the 20th century, this will be a good go to book. However, if you are only slightly interested, you might skip around to find the artist that you want to know about.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Showtime at the Apollo captures the feel and spirit of the theater in a truly unique way. Even those who are only vaguely familiar with the theater's significance will recognize the magic of it through the names and faces of those who've performed for its audiences.

Ted Fox's original book was published in 1983 and is readily available to those who prefer nonfiction, but I think Jame Otis Smith's illustrations lend something special to the stories and anecdotes of Fox's interviewees.