Showtime at the Apollo: The Epic Tale of Harlem’s Legendary Theater

by Ted Fox, James Otis Smith (Contributor)

Writer Ted Fox and artist James Otis Smith bring to life Harlem’s legendary theater in this graphic novel adaptation of Fox’s definitive, critically acclaimed history of the Apollo.
 
Since its inception as an African-American theater in 1934, the Apollo, and the thousands of entertainers who performed there, have led the way in the presentation of swing, bebop, rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel, soul, funk and hip-hop—along with the latest in dance and comedy. The Apollo has nurtured and featured thousands of artists, many of whom have become legends. The beauty they have given the world—their art—transcends the hatred, ignorance, and intolerance that often made their lives difficult. Today, the Apollo enjoys an almost mythical status. With its breathtaking art, this graphic novel adaptation of Showtime at the Apollo brings to life the theater’s legendary significance in music history, African American history, and to the culture of New York City.
 

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Music, History, Comics, New York, African American

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. This was very repetitive. The book needed an actual letterer. Reading the text in the proper order was almost impossible as the boxes where laid out almost as if the author was playing mad libs on each page. This would work much better as a documentary or podcast than a comic.

Received an advance copy from Abrams and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Zoë Does Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book itself was good. The story was easy to enjoy and learning about all the well known performers taking the stage of the Apollo was more interesting than I originally thought it’d be. The story really took the good with the bad. The only downside for me was the unfinished sketches and I wasn’t a huge fan of the art style. Other than that an enjoyable read

[Elizabeth Lapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the visual aspect of the Apollo's story. I did feel that the flow was off at times and would get confused.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a long, dry graphic novel adaptation of Ted Fox's 1983 prose history of the Apollo Theater. It has interesting tidbits, but in its effort to name check over two hundred of the thousands of performers who have appeared at the Apollo it rarely has room for more than one tidbit per star. There is an attempt to trace the evolution of music from big band to jazz to bebop to blues, gospel, soul, pop, etc., but it gets a little lost in the details. It's one of those books best read a few pages at a time *cough*bathroom**cough** for the little thrill of celebrity name recognition that weaves throughout.

I might have gone three stars if the artist were better at capturing likenesses - kind of a necessity in a book full of famous people. Fortunately, most everyone is clearly labeled or referenced. Another demerit though goes to the confusing layout of the word balloons and captions. I frequently found myself reading sentences in the wrong order, which was pretty annoying.

[Stephanie Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for history
3 stars for execution
For my entire life the Apollo was this mystical place, far away on the eastern edge of the U.S. It’s where all the best rhythm ‘n blues and soul singers performed. All I could do was listen to their songs on my tiny transistor radio when I was a kid living in California.
Ted Fox, along with illustrator James Otis Smith, have pulled back the curtain and created a comprehensive history of the Apollo in graphic novel form. Through intensive research and actual interviews with many of the stars and people who worked in the background, this has to be one of the best compilations of historic insights on the subject. Originally published in 1983, the book has gone through several revisions with this edition being published in 2018.
The Apollo opened in 1934. It saw good times and bad times. The performers themselves had good times and bad. Some became superstars and some didn’t live long enough to find that fame. All their stories are here.
Now for the artwork. I’ve read many graphic novels and I know that layout is important. The story needs to flow along the page and naturally lead the reader’s eye to the next panel. This book fails in that respect. Although Smith’s unburdened portraits of the performers are spot-on, it was at times frustrating trying to figure out where I was supposed to read next.
The Apollo is no longer an enigma for me. I know it’s secrets. It’s historical value is great. This story is one not to miss!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.



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.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Liesl · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Lulu's Book Journey · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The extremely exhaustive visual representation of Ted Fox’s written word, this graphic novel runs the history of Harlem’s venerable theater from 1934 to approximately 2010. As some have said, it’s very repetitive and cyclical. Each era had its ups and downs and you could literally know what was going to happen in the book based on how many frames in you were to that era. Also stated by others, it was very difficult to read because the text flow wasn’t there. You couldn’t figure out what order to read in. I liked it in the beginning but was ready for it to end by about the 50% mark.

[B R Y A N N A Gladney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fun to read i am extremely happy to learn more about what started the showtime at the apollo after watching it for many years. Its definitely legendary and a classic .i really did love the art work and the magical words attached to this graphic novel.

[Kelly K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was way to scattered to be enjoyable. There's about a million little boxes on each page all talking about something different. So much repetition and jumping around.

[Yasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read of the history of the Apollo. The illustrations to go with it are fanastic!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Showtime at the Apollo is the graphic novel version of a book by the same name. The Apollo Theater's history is the history of music in America. It reflects the popular music and entertainment of the times since it was originally set up as a variety show that included amateur acts, comedy & dance as part of their daily shows. Performing at the Apollo was a grind: over 20 shows per week, multiple shows per day, but the performance here would often make or break a career as the Apollo audiences were known for their brutal honesty. Amateur shows launched a few big careers - if a performer won Amateur night 5 times, they then earned a weekly spot in one of the regular shows.

There is so much information on each page and within each panel of this book. One should not expect to find this a quick or easy read because of how condensed it is, but the depictions are well done and add to the storytelling. Any music fan will enjoy this book.

[Amanda Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw a documentary about the Apollo Theater a few years ago and when I saw this I knew I had to read it. The history of the institution is fascinating and I felt bad for not only the struggles of the facility but also some of the performers highlighted. Hopefully one day, I can actually visit the place in this lifetime.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars -- Very cool comics-format history of a legendary theater and cradle of so much culture-changing music and entertainment. If you're a fan of any era of music, from big band to soul, you are sure to see some of your favorites in these pages. Another gem in the graphic format!

[Raymond Parish · Rating 5 out of 5]

The graphic novel update of Showtime at the Apollo is a treat for anyone who loves the history of music, especially the influence of black Americans on every genre. On another level, it is a meticulously researched story of racism, resilience, loyalty, and community. It is, once again, relevant, as this institution undergoes another renovation.

[Shannon (That's So Poe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with fascinating history and beautiful illustrations that make it come alive. I loved learning about all the entertainers who performed at the Apollo as well as about the social and political context that affected them. Because the book is primarily a collection of oral histories from the performers, it is very information dense and benefited from reading slowly, piece by piece, with lots of looking up online of the artists mentioned. I learned so much and felt energized by it, although I will caution that it doesn't have a single narrative bringing everything together and therefore might not work as well for everyone.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really informative, I liked the art. My only real qualm is some of the page layouts were so text-dense that it was hard to figure out what order to read them in.

[Kelly Tarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original "Showtime at the Apollo" by Ted Fox was published in 1983 in prose; this new graphic novel adaptation also includes brand new material about the theater in the last 35 years. The book is based on archival research and interviews with musicians, performers, owners, employees, and patrons. The history of the Apollo theater is legendary; the names of the countless performers who got their start here too long to list. While the book does show the warm nostalgia that many performers feel toward it, the book doesn't shy away from showing the grueling work schedules,and difficult conditions that the Apollo was known for as well as the larger picture of discrimination, race relations, and riots that plagued the US and New York City throughout the 20th century. This book also provides an ad-hoc history of the evolution of African-American music, from jazz and swing to gospel, soul, funk and bebop to R&B, hip-hop and rap. The variety of personal interviews are enhanced by the graphic novel format, and the drawings help bring the many colorful personalities and vibrant performances to life. I would have enjoyed a few more photographs and archival materials reproductions, even as back matter. While I enjoyed the final section on "Sources and Methods," I would also have liked to see a bibliography to go with it. Lastly, this is a book about performances - it would be amazing to create and make available a playlist of archival footage or songs to go along with the book, as many of the younger/less scholarly readers may be unfamiliar with the artists and musical styles referenced. Overall, an excellent and fascinating book.

I received a free copy of this book from a GoodReads Giveaway.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read the original book and I'm tempted to do that because it probably should have stayed that way based on the execution of the graphic novel. Sometimes a new format doesn't translate. This one definitely didn't because the story was piled up page by page leaving readers wondering which bubble or box to follow next.

Likewise, the action on each page was just as distracting with my only praise being the color choice-- I'm always curious about how black and white, or black/white/one additional color plays into the reading of the story and this one added so much character. But each performer and the storytelling of those that knew all about the Apollo crashed together in a way that left little ability to understand the history and sparkle that it lent to each performer. It crashed into the seedier side or the practical joking which could all have been given it's own chapter to understand how it interwove with the history of the theater itself. Instead it all gets jumbled together.

I wanted to share the history of the theater and what it did for Black culture in our HS library, but it would take a dedicated teen reader to sift through it.

[Jessica Samuelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.⁠

[jess7ica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mine was an ARC so I missed out on some of the final artwork, which makes me a little sad, because I enjoyed the artwork was there. This is a graphic novel retelling of the original story, which brings to life this fascinating history for a new generation of readers or brings it back for those who have encountered the original. I was unaware of the Apollo and its rich and colorful history, but I recognized the names of many of the influential musicians and performers whose careers were made or improved by their time at the theater. It was a slice of history that I knew little of and I appreciated being given this peek into it. Sometimes I found myself a little thrown, by not always recognizing who was speaking or feeling that some detail may have been glossed over due to the nature of presentation. Some of that may have washed out in the final version. Worth a read.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic format adaptation of Ted Fox's bestselling history of the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem uses firsthand accounts to appreciate the large role the theater plays in the development of Black culture, art, community, and entertainment in twentieth century American History. My first impression of the book is that the balance between text and illustration is skewed--with far too much text, but I eventually realized that using the quoted material of the artists, performers, stagehands, ushers, and spectators lends authenticity and works toward creating a collective voice that tells the amazing story of the Apollo. The book is organized by "decade," which provides a nice structure to explore the long history. Recommended for readers of graphic format nonfiction, Black History, and books about 20th century art and popular culture.

[Adriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm making this a temporary rating, because it's based on a very unfinished advanced readers copy that I'm hoping will be ironed out in the end. There are a lot of problems with the way it's arranged and it's really hard to read and figure out in which order to read things in.
Really hoping this gets fixed, because the art is solid and there is a lot of really good information and gossip to be found inside. The history of the Apollo theater is the history of American music and it plays out wonderfully as told by Ted Fox and illustrated by James Otis Smith... Or it will if they figure out how to arrange all the information they want to share in a way that is actually readable.

[G Batts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t get me wrong, this is a fantastic story and people should read this book. I just had some trouble with the layout and pacing.
I wish the book was physically larger, as the the text layout was squashed together which made it hard to follow. The author also didn’t allow the reading time to absorb the dramatic points - there’d be a shocking event and it the next panel you were on to someone different.
But I liked the drawings, I liked the way the performers personalities came through and the graphic novel format is a fun way to bring the history and importance of the Apollo to a new audience

[Jay Gabler · Rating 5 out of 5]

You could read James Otis Smith's graphic-novel rendition of Ted Fox's book Showtime At The Apollo in one sitting, but you're going to want to take a breather. The sheer amount of African-American musical and cultural history swept up in the story of the Apollo is almost overwhelming. I reviewed Showtime at the Apollo for The Current.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valuable and interesting as history of the this significant theater and of African American contributions to American music and culture--the parade of musicians and stars who appear through these pages is stunning. The story gets a bit muddled when it seems confined by its visual format, so visually it is a bit redundant (and therefore long) and clumsy when giving the reader cues to navigate each page--I wrestled with this from the first to the last page. But this is a complex story, so Fox and Smith are to be commended for including us readers in their grasp of it.

[ElphaReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

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.