After SNL ends I usually catch Showtime at the Apollo, but after it ended tonight I started surfing around. I switched to UPN (channel 9 in NYC), and there was a show called Showtime in Harlem. Now this show was a complete ripoff, from the graphics to the stage, but I really started getting confused when I saw a tree of hope on the stage. If this isn’t the most blatant rip off I’ve ever seen, I don’t know what is.
Anyone have an explanation, this is driving me nuts.
Well, the Apollo is in Harlem so maybe it’s the same theater, different shows.
Most likely, the Apollo theatre is used for both shows, but the title Showtime at the Apollo is copyrighted by someone wth an agreement to broadcast X acts per year. If the theatre wants to increase its revenues by broadcasing more than X, they need a similar but not identical television title.
Nope. Percy Sutton and his cronies were kicked out of managing the Apollo because none of the money ever got back to the theater. They then started this competitor. Two separate shows. NY Daily News had an editorial on it last month. Here’s the free abstract (it’s in the pay archive) :
Thanks, that makes sense. I thought I was starting to lose my mind.