Showtime at the Apollo

When the Apollo Theater celebrates its 75th anniversary, among the honorees at a gala benefit concert on June 8 will be the entire city of New York. The theater will present the Percy E. Sutton Civic Leadership Award to the City of New York and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who is expected to attend. The new annual award, named for the community leader and former Manhattan borough president, honors a person or group demonstrating support for the arts and an understanding of their value to the city. “We want to say thank you to the city for being a great friend to the arts,” Jonelle Procope, the president and chief executive of the Apollo Theater Foundation, said in a statement. Steve Harvey, the comedian and former host of “Showtime at the Apollo,” will be host of the gala. Quincy Jones and Patti LaBelle will be inducted into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame, and Phylicia Rashad, starring on Broadway in “August: Osage County,” will present the Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis Arts and Humanitarian Award, honoring a couple for their commitment to art and community, to Bill and Camille Cosby. Anita Baker and the O’Jays are among those scheduled to perform.


For further details visit as : www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/arts/music/01arts-HONORINGAWHO_BRF.html?ref=nyregion