To me, it’s a thrill just to walk past the collage of all of the greats who’ve played here and then take a seat in this lovely, surprisingly intimate theater (built in 1914, it looks much bigger on TV). Perhaps most famous for launching the careers of Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, and Duke Ellington, itoday its mostly used for comedy shows and Amateur Night (each Wednesday), a gladiatorial music battle where the winners may emerge stars and the losers are skewered with the unkindest of boos and shouted insults.