The bones of this building are there. It just needs a little TLC and paint — paint and love.”

David Fiorillo, co-owner of the Uptown Theater, formerly the Columbus Theatre

PROVIDENCE — For nearly a century this grand performance space — originally designed as “a 19th-century Italianate palace” — provided a variety of entertainment to the people of Providence and beyond: First silent films and vaudeville, then second-run films, operas and recitals, then a spell as a porn theater when the city’s multiplexes provided tough competition, and finally for live music, comedy and the occasional screening of an independent movie.

The Columbus Theatre teetered along until finally closing in June 2024. But now a local man and his business partner are breathing new life into the building which they plan on re-opening under its original name — The Uptown Theater — later this spring.

When you look around the building, you’ll soon realize that Portsmouth’s David Fiorillo and Cory Brailsford — also owners of the Comedy Connection in East Providence — have their work cut out for them. The roof needs work, the intricate artwork on the ceiling is painstakingly being restored along with other historic fixtures and remnants throughout the building, new cocktail bars are being re-plumbed on both floors, the bathrooms need to be updated with new tiling and paint, etc., etc.

And, they have a looming deadline.

“We booked our first show. It’s in June — Murr from ‘Impractical Jokers,’” Fiorillo said, referring to James Stephen “Murr” Murray, an improvisational comedian, author, and actor from New York, and the truTV show.

“It’s been about two months since we’ve taken over. We started doing some work in the box office already, trying to straighten some walls out, update some electrical and lighting. We’re trying to preserve as much history in this building as we can, which I love doing,” he said, adding that he’d like to give the building sort of a 1920s art deco vibe 

On Monday Fiorillo stood 40 feet above the seats in the main performance space, which seats about 600 people on its first floor and another 200 on the balcony, or mezzanine level. A major web of scaffolding had to be installed so the original black-and-gold artwork on the ceiling dome could be restored.

It’s a major undertaking, both in time, labor, and finances. 

“The scaffolding alone is $45,000. We have it for 30 days,” he said. “After Jan. 22, if we still need it, it’s another $350 a day. So, we’re trying now to muscle through.”

Fiorillo isn’t content to watch others do all the work. He’s getting his hands dirty as well — touching up the original artwork, tearing down the crumbling stained glass, replacing fixtures, sorting through old stuff to determine what can be salvaged or repurposed. 

“I’ve probably washed my hands like 25 times today. I’ll be painting everything, replacing doors. Yeah, I’m definitely a hands-on owner,” he said.

Connecting through comedy

As to what kind of performances crowds will see in the restored Uptown Theater, much of what was previously featured will remain intact, although with a greater emphasis on standup comedy. That’s Fiorillo’s and Brailsford’s bread and butter, after all. They also own the popular Comedy Connection and the Black Duck Tavern, which sit side by side from one another on Warren Avenue in East Providence. 

Brailsford — Fiorillo is married to his cousin — worked in the Comedy Connection’s box office when he was still in his teens, and the two men used to joke about how cool it would be to own their own comedy club.

“And lo and behold, I think it was like six months later, (Brailsford) called me up and he was like, ‘It’s closed,’” Fiorillo recalled. “The owner owned The Wilbur theater in Boston. I worked at Lifespan at the time, and I left work and we drove up to Boston. We tried to talk to him, but he wasn’t there. We left him a note and said, call us, we’re interested in talking about the Comedy Connection in Rhode Island. He called us back and the rest of his history.”

That was in 2010, and business has been good.

“I’d say business has gotten better since we’ve taken over. We really changed comedy in Rhode Island. We book a lot more national acts. I think that club mostly did did local acts for a very long time, but we bring in a lot of big names and I think it put Rhode Island on the map as a comedy club for New England. I mean, a lot of comics that come from all around consider us in the top five clubs that they play,” he said.

While it’s unclear whether film screenings will be prominent at the Uptown — the building still has old 35mm projectors but it’s more likely they’d use the digital projector in a smaller performance space upstairs — live comedy and music will return.

“We wanna find that balance, but comedy is our forte — it’s our passion,” he said. “But everybody loves music, so we’re trying to find that balance of maybe like a 60/40 split between music and comedy and then sprinkle in movies and independent acts and things of that nature — maybe have graduations for local schools. There are theater classes looking for stages to do their performances. I’d love to bring them in and do as much live performances and keep this as an artists’ hub in Providence,” he said.

Upper theater

The upper performance/movie space, which has about 250 tiered seats, used to be part of the original theater’s balcony before the Berberian family took the building over in 1962 and built a wall to make two separate rooms. This is where X-rated films such as “The Erotic Adventures of Candy” and “Female Sensations” were shown back in the day.

“The balcony went all the way to the back of the theater, so the second theater is the remaining seats,” said Fiorillo, adding that this smaller space will be ideal for emerging or independent artists who may not draw as many people as those playing downstairs.

Unfortunately, the upper space still has its original cast-iron seats which are small and not comfortable by 2025 standards. Fiorillo and Brailsford are floating the idea of replacing them with bar stools, which can be moved if someone wants to remain on their feet, and drink stands in front of them. Fiorillo said he’s hoping to find a way to repurpose or find new owners for the seats.

On Broadway

Fiorillo also showed a reporter the front part of the building, facing Broadway. Although it’s not a high-priority job, he envisions this space eventually being transformed into a “speakeasy-style jazz bar” — it has a separate entrance from Broadway — or a rental space for parties or catered dinners. 

“It’s a really cool space. Somebody was using it as a music studio and way back in the day it was an acting studio,” he said, noting one room was also used as a recording studio at one point.

The space is also a reminder of how much music is in the building. The scattered leftovers include multiple pianos and organs — including one with an old-school, full-sized Leslie speaker — plus drums, bongos, vintage radios, piles of old LPs and 78s. A tanpura — a fretless, four-stringed Indian drone instrument that resembles a sitar — leans up against one wall. The large pipe organ in the main theater still works, he said.

Minutes later, Brailsford arrives through the lobby and is asked if the restoration project — with a June deadline — is intimidating, especially since they own and manage two other businesses in East Providence.

“It seems daunting but it’s not,” he said. “I told Dave we have to break it up into sections because if I look at the entire project, it’s a lot. But if you break it down and say, ‘OK, well, this needs paint, this needs this,’ and we just kind of go step by step and get one part done before we move on to another, it’s easier.”

Fiorillo, a member of the town’s Parks & Recreation Committee, ran unsuccessfully for Portsmouth Town Council in November. With everything else on his plate, does he still wish he was a councilor? 

“I won’t lie. I was a little bitter I didn’t get in, but it’s all right, you know. As they say, all things happen for a reason. I ran for Town Council before this was available. It wasn’t like I ran knowing we were doing this. I probably couldn’t have juggled all of it,” he said.

“He doesn’t know this,” added Brailsford with a laugh, “but I was knocking on doors telling people not to vote for him.”

Both men are excited about the work ahead, which they say will not only breathe new life into the once-glorious theater, but provide a much-needed arts hub for years to come.

“The bones of this building are there,” Fiorillo said. “It just needs a little TLC and paint — paint and love.”