‘Snowville Cafe' sprinkles Columbus history in its tale of a dying marriage
Growing up in the historically Black Bronzeville neighborhood in the 1960s and ‘70s, Julie Whitney-Scott was surrounded by thriving businesses on Mt. Vernon Avenue.
Everyone went to Mr. Lee’s clothing store for “hip” outfits to wear during special occasions, said Whitney-Scott, a 66-year-old playwright who now lives on the Northeast Side.
She also mentioned a restaurant called Spencer’s, which had enviable hamburgers, milkshakes and pies.
“You’d get four chili dogs for a dollar,” she said. “Best chili dogs in the world. That was a staple in the neighborhood.”
Whitney-Scott has incorporated that history into her play, “Snowville Cafe,” which will premiere at MadLab Theatre on Thursday at 8 p.m. and run through Feb. 18.
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Set in Bronzeville from 1970 to 2015, the production follows the marriage of Dell and Matt Snowville, a Black couple who own Snowville Cafe. Attendees will watch the husband and wife fall in love, hit a rough period and decide the future of their relationship.
At the same time, they’ll meet an interesting cast of secondary characters, including friends and the shop’s employees and patrons. There will even be live poetry read by Dell's friend, Stella.
“The people intertwine with Matt and Dell,” said Whitney-Scott, who also produces the annual Columbus Black Theatre Festival. “They have watched them over the years, so they really know a little bit about what's going on, too.”
Whitney said she is "excited" about the history in the play.
There are references to everything from the Columbus Call and Post, a Black newspaper, to the real estate practice of “blockbusting,” or convincing white homeowners to sell their property below market value—after stoking fears about Black families moving into their neighborhoods.
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The Whitehall neighborhood is also mentioned as an area Black people were once too afraid to visit.
“We didn’t cross Nelson,” Whitney-Scott said of the road, which separates Bronzeville (known as King-Lincoln/Bronzeville today) and other neighborhoods from the rest of the East Side, which contains the Whitehall neighborhood.
That was news to Snowville Cafe’s director, James Blackmon, an Alabama native who is the senior drama director at Whitehall-Yearling High School.
“I’m learning so much,” said Blackmon, 54, of North Linden, who also is the artistic director at MadLab. “You're getting a history lesson, but you're getting it on the sly.”
Blackmon also praised the chemistry between actors Wilma Hatton and Ricardo Jones, who portray Dell and Matt, respectively.
“What I like about Dell is, although she likes to show her little hard exterior—she's a tough lady—she's also very vulnerable," said Hatton, who has been acting for about 30 years.
Hatton also has a connection to King-Lincoln/Bronzeville. Not only does she live in the neighborhood, but she heard many stories about its history from her father, who died in 2011.
“When they reopened the Lincoln Theatre—that was one of the last bonding moments that I had with my father," she said. "(He) was able to walk through those halls and he was pointing to the pictures and telling me, 'Look at that. Look at this.' (The play) helps bring my dad back to life."
Hatton said she hopes viewers of the play will see the "humanity" of Black culture.
"Not only can we fuss, argue and fight with the best of them, but we can also love very hard, especially Black women," she said.
Both Blackmon and Whitney-Scott said everyone will be able to relate to something in the production.
And Whitney-Scott was especially happy to see men engaged with the play at a stage reading.
"The men were hugging their wives," she said. "I saw love in the theater.”
@miss_ethompson
At a glance
MadLab Theatre, 227 N. 3rd St., will present "Snowville Cafe" at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; Feb. 10-11 and Feb. 17-18. General admission is $20, but students and MadLab members pay $17 and $15, respectively. Visit madlab.net for more information.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: MadLab Theatre presents Snowville Cafe February 2 through 18
