Apollo Theater

The Apollo Theater on West 125th Street in Harlem, with its red vertical sign and marquee over the sidewalk, photographed in 2019. Behind that facade is the stage where Amateur Night has been sorting future stars from hopefuls since 1934. Ella Fitzgerald won Amateur Night here, and Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis Jr. and James Brown all started their road to stardom on this stage. Amateur Night still runs, and it is the show to book: the crowd decides who stays, loudly.