Intimate, yes, but also yearning, sensuous, delicate, and raw. In a restrained but passionate production of Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel, Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) perfectly touches the fabric of the life of its central character, Esther Mills.
Esther (Kecia Deroly) is a seamstress in 1905 New York. Possessed of fine, almost magical hands, and a profound admiration for the beauty of fine fabrics, she crafts corsets and other undergarments for her customers. A 35-year-old Black immigrant from the American South to a place of striking economic and racial inequality, Esther saves money in hopes of opening a beauty shop that will treat Black women with the care that they often cannot find elsewhere. She also dreams of love.
In Nottage’s structure, Esther’s world is fragmented, shown in separate two-character scenes with the people in her life, who do not interact with each other. Her long-time landlady, Mrs. Dickson (Eleanore Tapscott) dispenses tough love, warning Esther against allowing love to get in the way of practical concerns.
A wealthy white socialite enmeshed in a deeply unsatisfying marriage, Mrs. Van Buren (Tori Weaver) treats Esther as a confidante, but never an equal. Mayme (Zipporah Brown), a talented pianist who makes her living as a prostitute and drinks a lot, is a lively companion for Esther, despite their very different lives.
Esther gets her fabric from Mr. Marks (Joseph Waeyaert), a Jewish merchant engaged to a woman from Romania he has never met. Both are gentle souls. Barriers of religion and race make a romantic relationship impossible for them, but they share an intimacy of longing, subtle glances, kind words, and love for the sensuousness of fine fabrics.
Esther also becomes involved with someone she has never met. George (Evan Carrington), a Caribbean man working on the construction of the Panama Canal, begins a correspondence with her. His first act monologues speak the contents of his letters describing his work and expressing increasing feelings for Esther. Her replies are written by Mrs. Van Buren or Mayme, since Esther cannot read or write, a fact she withholds from George.
They agree to marry, sight unseen. It doesn’t work. He is frustrated at being unable to get work; white men are always hired first. He is aggressive sexually, she is sexually shy. He takes advantage of her financially and betrays her personally.
Not only her marriage but Esther’s other relationships fracture in the second act. Some can be re-established. Esther’s dreams can be trampled, but she perseveres.
The actors’ portrayals of their characters are, without exception, clear and full. We know who each character is and why. Sierra Young’s direction allows the action to proceed at a measured pace, never hurried or lagging. She maintains a well-modulated emotional tone throughout. In the first act, emotions — even strong ones — are expressed in a restrained, understated way. In the second act, when the characters’ feelings are at their rawest, their power has been well earned.
Given the importance of clothing to the play, designer Sarah Phillips made the fine choice of hanging neutrally colored clothing along the back wall of the set. Esther’s work is at the center of her world, and so the downstage center placement of her sewing machine and table is meaningful. The stage right and left areas, in MET’s wide but narrow playing area, serve effectively as Mayme’s and Mr. Marks’ workplaces and Esther’s residences, respectively.
Karsen Green’s costumes — notably Mrs. Van Buren’s red corset, Mayme’s multicolored wrap, Mr. Marks’ black suit, the green smoking jacket that Esther makes, and the unshowy, practical dress that she wears — both accentuate the characters and add visual appeal.
Piano music underscores many of the show’s scenes in Tom Majarov’s sound design. Ragtime is a major element of the design, with some jazz and classical as well, especially in Mayme’s scenes. The underscoring subsides at points in the second act when emotions are at their height. In George’s first-act monologues, we get rain and other ambient sounds from Panama.
The show ends with a brief, devastating projection of a photo of Esther, titled “unidentified Negro seamstress, 1905.” However much white-centered history may have rendered Black working people nameless, Intimate Apparel is a rich evocation of the fullness of the characters’ lives. Attention must be paid.
Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission.
Intimate Apparel plays through March 10, 2024, presented by Maryland Ensemble Theatre performing in the group’s downstairs theater at 31 West Patrick Street in downtown Frederick, MD (across the street from the Weinberg Center). Tickets ($5–$38) may be purchased by phone at (301) 694- 4744, online, or in person at the MET box office Tuesday–Friday, 12–6 pm and one hour before performances. A limited number of Pay What You Will tickets are available for each performance starting at $5 each, while inventory lasts.
Intimate Apparel
By Lynn Nottage
CAST
Kecia Deroly as Esther
Eleanore Tapscott as Mrs. Dickson
Tori Weaver as Mrs. Van Buren
Joe Waeyaert as Mr. Marks
Zipporah Brown as Mayme
Evan Carrington as George
Nadia Palacios as swing
Joseph Baltz as Mr. Marks understudy
Jennifer Pagano as Mrs. Van Buren understudy
PRODUCTION
Directed by Sierra Young
Stage Managed by Zack Callis
Asst. Stage Managed by Gabi Mendes
Set Design by Sarah Phillips
Projections & Sound Design by Tom Majarov
Lighting Design by Stephen Knapp
Costume Design by Karsen Green
Properties Design by Lori Boyd
Fight & Intimacy Choreography by Julie Herber
Dialects Coach Eric Jones
Production Manager Melynda Burdette Wintrol
Technical Direction by Cody James
Producing Artistic Director Tad Janes
