Inside the Uptown Theater in North Philadelphia sits, amid ruin, a religious prop preserved.
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When you walk into the Uptown Theater, which now lacks its glass doors at the entrance and the ticket booth in the lobby, and continue into the damp and dusty auditorium, which once housed some of the greatest shows ever produced, there, on the even dustier stage, sits a prop from a lesser known, but equally magical era of the historic North Philly venue, which opened as a movie theater in the 1920s and later became part of the infamous Chitlin Circuit, a network of theaters safe for Black artist to perform in during segregation.
The reddish-orange, Gothic looking prop is the of the only remaining objects still intact inside the dilapidated theater which was leased to True Light Community Ministries, who hosted both worship services and faith-based theatrical productions there in the early 1990s.
The prop is believed to be from an Easter play called “Beyond the Crucifixion,” particularly the scene where Jesus and Satan engaged in an intense battle, accompanied with strobe lights, smoke machines and Martial Arts.
A view of the Uptown Theater stage from the front left aisle. Photo Credit: C. Norris – ©2015
The Philadelphia Daily News covered the church’s move into the building with an article titled “David Vs. Goliath In N. Phila. Church Services In Rented Theater.” The headline was spun from a quote given by Rev. Reid Prettyman, the church’s founder, who compared TLC, the ministry’s nickname, to David in the Bible, who many called silly.
“Don’t laugh… we might seem silly coming in here, but a great giant is going to fall,” Rev. Prettyman told the People’s Paper.
To me, as five year-old boy, it didn’t seem silly, it seemed magical. Rev. Prettyman, as the article published in March of 1990 points out, was able to attract a youthful audience with his unique brand of outreach. The music sung during worship services were originals, many of them written by Rev. Prettyman himself, who also played percussions with the band on Sunday’s mornings, usually dressed in African garb.
One of the gospel tunes co-penned by Rev. Prettyman, “I’ve Come to Encourage,” was recorded in the early 2000s and I played drums on that track, which was one of twelve songs on a CD produced by The Oasis of Praise Ministries, which is what TLC evolved into after being forced to evacuate the Uptown Theater in the historic blizzard of 1993.
Playing the drums on a TLC-era song was a big deal for me, considering I used to gaze at the church’s drummer on the Uptown Theater stage and, before granted permission to touch the equipment, sneak and play Rev. Prettyman’s congas and bongos.
It should be noted that on the other 11 songs produced by T.O.P, I played Rev. Prettyman’s congas, but he didn’t live to see it, as he died on Father’s Day in 1997.
That CD, entitled “He’s Excellent,” is no longer being distributed and a cassette tape called 90-01, which featured many of Rev. Prettyman’s original songs performed by the band that played Sunday mornings at the Uptown Theater, is an extremely rare find, making the prop that’s accidentally still attached to rafters of the theater the only known tangible artifact that represents the short time period when the venue was home to a cutting edge ministry.
Every year, The Uptown Entertainment Development Corporation, the current owners and developers of the venue, open up the building for tours.
And while the auditorium is seemingly worsening through the years from leaks in the roof to crumbling walls, that prop appears to be as sturdy and dry as it was when it erected in the early 1990s.
A view of a wall on the left side of the Uptown Theater’s auditorium. Photo Credit: C. Norris – ©2015
This Saturday, from 1pm – 2pm, the Uptown Theater will be open to the public. The only parts of the building currently safe enough for the public to convene in are the auditorium, the first floor of the tower where are a decorative mirror once hung adjacent to the elevator, and a club room on the first floor, whose windows look directly at the back of the theater’s marquee.
A view of the wall in the lobby of the Uptown Theater town where a decorative mirror once hung. Photo Credit: C. Norris – ©2015
Also available for viewing will be restored Terracotta tiles from atop of the Uptown Theater.
“The public can compare the damaged ones to the new ones,” said Ms. Linda Richardson, Executive Director, UEDC.
The tour of the Uptown Theater will be part a larger event: a health fair.
Health screenings, massages, HIV testing and a flea market will be setup on all day Broad Street, between Susquehanna and Dauphin, in an effort to attract donors who’ll pledge to save one of Philadelphia’s most historical properties.
The Uptown Theater will never be what it was when the prop hanging from its ceiling was part of a stellar effort to tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but if the restored Terracotta tiles are any indication of the future, a resurrection after death is imminent.
*Tune into 900amWURD or 900amWURD.com every Friday evening during the 6 o’clock hour to hear me relive #TheWeekThatWas*
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
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Photo: The view of the Uptown Theater’s lobby from the where the front doors used to be/C. Norris – ©2015