• Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
      • Hair News
      • Natural
      • Relaxed
      • Transitioning
      • Weave
      • 4C
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · Entertainment

'The Apollo' Reminds Us Of Our Black History Way Above Broadway

‘The Apollo’ Reminds Us Of Our Black History Way Above Broadway
Bert Marcus Productions
By Sydney Scott · Updated December 6, 2020

The legacy of the Apollo Theater is not ingrained in pop culture, but Black culture. Icons like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Aretha Franklin have graced its stage. Even former president Barack Obama made an appearance at the theater during his 2007 campaign.

The Apollo’s beloved place in our hearts and Blackness is explored in Roger Ross Williams’s new documentary The Apollo, which takes viewers through decades of Black history and the Apollo’s place in it all.

The doc was selected to open this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, where they screened the project inside the Apollo’s historic walls.

Article continues after video.

Beginning with the theater’s founding in 1913 to it’s various setbacks, triumphs, and current history, The Apollo goes beyond documenting the ups and downs of the theater. Instead, it examines the community and people who made the theater what it is and how artists redefined Black culture in America on the small stage way above Broadway.

The doc features footage of a young Lauryn Hill hitting the stage pre-Fugees fame, Diana Ross with the Supremes, Redd Foxx, Stevie Wonder, Richard Pryor, and more who made the theater what it is.

‘The Apollo’ Reminds Us Of Our Black History Way Above Broadway
Angela Bassett attends the screening of “The Apollo” on the opening night of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at The Apollo Theater in New York City.

Fittingly, the story of the Apollo is framed by the 2018 performance of Between the World and Me, a stage version of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ acclaimed novel. As the film moves through America’s Black history, Coates’ words are brought to life, underscoring the things we know to be true as Black people in America.

Making the documentary that much more powerful is a score from Grammy-Award-winning musician Robert Glasper, the perfect choice for such a powerful film.

There’s no exact date for when the documentary will receive a wide release—HBO is behind the project—but fans can expect to see the Apollo in all its glory this fall.

The Tribeca Film Festival continues until Monday.

TOPICS:  the apollo Tribeca Film Festival
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now