Intimate Apparel focuses on the life of Esther (Samira Wiley), a black seamstress living in New York in 1905. She has spent years creating romantic moments for others, sewing the titular intimate apparel for ladies all over the city, but has yet to find love herself. At 35 this is on her mind, but she knows her worth and refuses to settle for the suitors suggested to her. Somewhat unexpectedly, she receives a letter from George (Kadiff Kirwan), a Caribbean labourer who is working on the Panama canal. Thus begins a romance by correspondence – but can it thrive when the pair conspire to meet?
It’s an absolutely captivating story – one that had us gripped from start to finish. Each character is brilliantly written by playwright Lynn Nottage: they’re all believable and have real emotional depth – we bought into each individual story immediately. Alongside Esther and George we meet Mayme (Faith Omole) and Mrs Van Buren (Claudia Jolly) who are two of Esther’s clients; Mrs Dickson (Nicola Hughes) who is Esther’s landlady; and Mr Marks (Alex Waldmann) who is a Jewish fabric salesman, supplying Esther with the materials required for her apparel.
It’s an ensemble piece – each actor is excellent – but we must note that Samira Wiley is absolutely superb. Best known for her TV work including Orange is the New Black and The Handmaid’s Tale (for which she won an Emmy) she delivers a finely-tuned, nuanced performance, showcasing an incredible range and depth which is really rather rare and special to see. It’s a truly spellbinding performance.
We had a wonderful evening with Intimate Apparel – it tells a captivating story, it’s full of characters we genuinely cared about, and it’s brought to life by a hugely talented cast. A captivating piece of theatre.
GAY TIMES gives Intimate Apparel – 5/5
More information can be found here.
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