The Apollo

Location: Act II, P. 101, "Without Love"
Reference: PENNY: "Life is Doris Day at The Apollo"

The Apollo Theater in Harlem, NYC is a historically black theatre most famous for its "Amateur Night". Every Wednesday night at 7:30PM since 1934, aspiring artists and performers have graced the stage of the Apollo Theater in the hope that the magic of the hallowed stage and the approval of the infamous audience will launch their careers in the entertainment world. Apollo Wednesday night alumni are an impressive, ever expanding roster of world class talent including such legends as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Ben E. King, Jackie Wilson, The Isley Brothers, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, Fat Joe, Lauryn Hill, Dru Hill, Blu Cantrell and many others.

The Apollo audience on Amateur Night is notoriously vocal and unforgiving of mediocre performers. Performers not up to snuff are drowned out by boos, catcalls and hisses, and are chased/escorted off the stage by a dancer called The Executioner. Since 1987, Amateur Night has been televised on the program Showtime At The Apollo.

The Apollo is a huge landmark for black entertainers, and a performance there can literally make or break a career. The theater has endless traditions for its performers, the most famous of which is the Tree of Hope, a stump from a "lucky wishing" elm tree that used to be a gathering place for Harlem entertainers. Apollo performers rub "The Stump" for good luck as they enter the stage.

SOURCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Theater
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showtime_at_the_Apollo
http://www.apollotheater.org/amateur_night.html
http://www.bigapplejazz.com/tree_of_hope.htm
http://www.takegreatpictures.com/travel-photography/11740