Pearl Theatre (Philadelphia)

The Pearl Theatre was a theatre in Philadelphia. Opened in 1927 with 1400 seats,[1] it was a notable jazz and dance venue and had a glamorous reputation among the rich and famous.[2] In 1931, the Nicholas Brothers played here.[3] Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and many other prominent jazz ensembles of the period performed here.[2][4] Bennie Moten and the Kansas City Stompers's featuring Count Basie on piano performed at the club in November 1931, and in December 1932 the audience raved all week about their "Moten Swing"; the doors of the theatre were let open to the public who came crammed into the theatre to hear the new sound, demanding seven encores on one night.[5][6] Pearl Bailey was discovered at the theatre, where she entered and won the theatre's amateur song and dance contest and was to be paid $35 a week to perform there for two weeks, however, the theatre closed during her engagement and she was never paid.[7]

The Pearl Theatre closed in 1963 and was demolished after 1970.[8]

Modern cinema

Another Pearl Theatre on 1600 N Broad Street, Philadelphia, which functioned as a modern cinema complex[9], closed in August, 2016.[10]

gollark: It's not called a subway locally.
gollark: On the plus side, if exams are really cancelled, I won't have to do English Literature/Language exams, which I hate so very much.
gollark: Oh, and my city's subway system is running a reduced service, but for some reason the train network is running exactly the same as usual with probably a fifth of the usual passengers on my line.
gollark: My school is planning to try online learning or something, which I am sure will go badly.
gollark: ```What will happen about exams?In England and Wales, all exams in May and June have been cancelled, including GCSEs, A-levels and primary school national curriculum tests known as Sats.Mr Williamson told the Commons on Wednesday: "I can confirm we will not go ahead with assessments or exams and that we will not be publishing performance tables for this academic year."We will work with the sector and [the exams watchdog] Ofqual to ensure children get the qualifications that they need."```- from the BBC

References
  1. Cheryl M. Willis (2016). "Tappin' at the Apollo: The African American Female Tap Dance Duo Salt and Pepper". McFarland. p. 222.
  2. Golden, Jane; Rice, Robin; Pompilio, Natalie (2006). More Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell. Temple University Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-59213-527-1.
  3. Hill, Constance Valis (23 April 2002). Brotherhood In Rhythm: The Jazz Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers. Cooper Square Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-4617-3216-7.
  4. Heath, Jimmy; McLaren, Joseph. I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath. Temple University Press. p. 303. ISBN 978-1-4399-0199-1.
  5. Vail, Ken (1 January 2003). Count Basie: Swingin' the Blues, 1936-1950. Scarecrow Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-8108-4882-5.
  6. Daniels, Douglas Henry (January 2006). One O'clock Jump: The Unforgettable History of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils. Beacon Press. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-8070-7136-6.
  7. Pennsylvania Biographical Dictionary. North American Book Dist LLC. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-403-09950-4.
  8. Cinema Treasures: Pearl Theatre
  9. Cinema Treasures
  10. "Pearl Theatre at Avenue North closes after 10 years". Retrieved 2016-08-29.
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