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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 26 april 2019
Showtime: 18th Tribeca opens in Harlem with ‘The Apollo’

By JAKE COYLE similar dialogue that hap-
Associated Press pens, the call and the re-
NEW YORK (AP) — The 18th sponse,” said Williams. “The
Tribeca Film Festival moved Apollo, in a sense, is church.
uptown on Wednesday for It’s a sacred space and a
an opening night that hon- gathering of community in
ored an elder New York Harlem.”
institution: the Apollo The- The Apollo’s history can
ater. Roger Ross Williams’ be staggering. Through its
“The Apollo” premiered at doors have come Duke El-
the iconic Harlem music lington, Sam Cooke, Ray
hall whose 85-year history Charles, Aretha Franklin,
is chronicled in Williams’ Otis Redding, Smokey Rob-
documentary. The movie inson and Richard Pryor.
and setting added up to James Brown recorded
a gala tribute to the 125th one of the most revered
Street mecca of African live albums at the Apollo.
American culture, where “When we first watched
everyone from Ella Fitzger- the film, I had this gut-
ald to James Brown to Chris This image released by the Tribeca Film Festival shows a scene from Roger Ross Williams’ “The wrenching emotional reac-
Rock has come to forge Apollo,” which will kick off the annual festival on April 24. tion. I was just crying like a
their legacies. Associated Press baby,” said Williams. “The
“The story of black people Museum of Art. flects the theater’s mission Night, begun in 1934, has journey that black people
in America is the story of “In these disturbing times, for the future. been the first introduction have taken in America is a
the Apollo,” Williams said in when the administration “We want to develop this of countless stars, including painful and difficult journey
an interview ahead of the is promoting divisiveness new 21st century perform- Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder and our music is one of the
premiere. and racism, we’re making ing arts canon that focuses (introduced as a 12-year- tools we use to talk about
Tribeca isn’t the first New a statement by being here on telling the African Amer- old “genius”) and the Su- that pain, to talk about that
York film festival to uproot tonight that we reject it,” ican and African diaspora premes. oppression, to escape from
to the Apollo for a spe- said De Niro, a well-known stories,” said Procope. “We Amateur night remains the that pain. Our musical jour-
cial event. Lincoln Cen- critic of President Donald are really the only perform- signature Apollo show: a ney is a powerful one.”
ter’s New York Film Festival Trump, introducing the film ing arts organization in the crucible through which With such an overwhelm-
came there last year to on the Apollo stage. “No, country that is from a per- endless performers have ing legacy, the Apollo has
debut Barry Jenkins’ James you don’t! Not in this house, forming arts standpoint fo- had to pass to confirm their striven to be more than a
Baldwin adaptation “If not on this stage!” cused on the African Amer- talent. Anyone lacking will museum. After falling on
Beale Street Could Talk.” “The Apollo,” which HBO ican narrative. Our legacy hear it from the audience. hard times in the 1970s, it
But Tribeca, the festival will air in the fall, survey’s is to create opportunities In Williams’ film, Dave was named a state and
founded by Robert De Niro the theater’s expansive his- for emerging talent and Chappelle is seen saying city landmark in 1983. It was
and Jane Rosenthal, has tory but also its vibrant pres- nurture their talent and let his Apollo experience was purchased by New York
made a habit of celebrat- ent. It follows the produc- them push the envelope.” the best thing that ever State in 1991 and turned
ing the city’s cultural insti- tion of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Opened in 1914 as a bur- happened to him. “After into a nonprofit theater. Its
tutions on opening night “Between the World and lesque theater, the Apollo that, I was fearless,” says long-running variety show
through documentaries Me,” a production that began catering to the Chappelle. “Showtime at the Apollo”
about “Saturday Night Apollo president Jonelle black community in the “I grew up in the black was most recently reboot-
Live” and the Metropolitan Procope says perfectly re- 1930s. Its famed Amateur church and there’s a very ed on Fox last year.q
Diddy opens up about the death of soul mate Kim Porter

By The Associated Press times when I chose work over ev- “Every time Kim and I talked, it
NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” erything else,” he said. “But every was about the kids,” Combs said.
Combs has opened up about life day I can hear her telling me to “It was what she cared about the
after the sudden death of his soul go and spend some time with the most.
mate, former girlfriend Kim Porter. kids and make sure everybody’s The magazine hits newsstands on
The music mogul posed with his six all right, like she would do. I’m just Friday.q
children on the cover of Essence a lot more present, and, most im-
magazine’s 49th anniversary May portant, now my kids come before
issue. In excerpts posted online, anything else in my life.”
Combs offered his gratitude for the Three days before she died, ac-
outpouring of love after Porter’s cording to Combs, she was sick
passing on Nov. 15, 2018 from com- with the flu and “sent the kids over
plications from pneumonia. to my house so they wouldn’t get
Porter is the mother of three of his sick.” He recalled one night, when
children, 21-year-old Christian and he went to check on her, “she was
This cover image released by 12-year-old twin girls Jesse and like, ‘Puffy, take care of my ba-
Essence shows Sean “Diddy” Combs, D’Lila. Combs told the magazine bies.’ She actually said that to me
background center, posing with his he has learned to be a more at- before she died.
children, from left, Quincy, 27, Jesse, tentive father in the aftermath of He said he went into “mommy
12, Christian, 21, Chance, 12, D’Lila, his grief. mode” after Porter’s death, trying
12;, and Justin, 25, on the digital “Before this, I was a part-time fa- desperately to make sure the kids
edition of the 49th anniversary issue of
“Essence.” ther, you know? My family was al- wouldn’t hear about it online or on
Associated Press ways first, but there are countless the news.