Find yourself in "Intimate Apparel" at The Stagecrafters

Theater: Stagecrafters
Show Title: Intimate Apparel
Opened: January 11, 2008
Seen: January 12, 2008
Reviewer: Gary Labowitz
Submitted: January 13, 2008
The Stagecrafters presents “Intimate Apparel” by Lynn Nottage, directed by Catherine A. Pappas. Jan. 11, 12, 17, 18 19, 24, 25, 26 at 8:00 pm, Jan. 13, 20 at 2:00 pm.
8130 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA

Stagecrafters is an intimate theater. The play “Intimate Apparel” is an intimate look at the life and struggles of a turn-of-the-century black woman in New York City. While the play is generally of somber tone, it points to the power of continuing striving against difficulties of life. Sometimes these are imposed on us by societal limits and prejudices; sometimes they of our own making through bad choices. Either way, the heroine of this story never gives up.

Set in 1905, we find Esther Mills, a talented seamstress, who make intimate apparel for ladies of fashion and ladies of the evening. She is living in a boarding house and saving her earnings for a dreamed of business. Esther is played beautifully by Sherri’ Warring in a straightforward, forceful manner. Ms. Warring successfully sets the tone of the show, leads all players in its hopeful direction, and fills us with the full range of her character’s struggles. Esther expresses her longings to her landlady, Mrs. Dickson (Faye O. Wooten). She shows her moral character when with her prostitute friend, Mayme (Qisha Lawson). She projects her dignity and pride when with a high class client, Mrs. Van Buren (Mary Ann Domanska). She exposes her tenderness with her fabrics supplier, Mr. Marks (William F. McDevitt).

Because of her loneliness and her desires, Esther comes to meet her hoped for lover, from Barbados (by way of Panama), George Armstrong (Kyle Paul Dandridge). He becomes the instrument of the satisfaction of her dream, the undoing of her resolve to build a future, and the calamity that forces her to start over from her beginnings.

This play covers a lot of emotional territory! I found myself identifying with the kinds of emotional connections Esther has with the variety of people she deals with. Of course, circumstances differ, but haven’t we all let ourselves be led astray by a persuasive malefactor? At least once??

The play walks the thin line between good and bad people, with none purely one or the other. The bad prostitute has good in her. The good high society dame has bad (or at least despair) in her. The admirable fabrics dealer has faults. Even the disastrous lover is more misguided than evil. The only neutral person on the scene is Mrs. Dickson who only turns out to be nosey and prying, but isn’t that just like a landlady?

The production was cleverly set (Patricia Masarachia and Gilbert Todd), allowing one physical plan to take on several scene changes with minimal activity. The central furnishing, the bed, was changed by the simple act of changing the spread — from Esther’s quilt (containing her life’s savings in the patches) to the fire red cover of Mayme’s business bed, to the more elegant lace covering of Mrs. Van Buren’s boudoir.

Lighting (Gilbert Todd) was skillfully used to focus attention to elements of a scene and to keep the play moving. The use of period music, largely the lilting rags of Scott Joplin, set a relaxed tone. Even though several of them were written after the date given for the play, they are the perfect background music.

Only a few “misses” interrupted my concentration. Mr. Marks, who is a soft-spoken character, turned his back while speaking and I missed some of his dialog completely. Mrs. Dickson occasionally spoke too fast, in dialect, and I could not understand what she said. No matter. The play flowed on and took me with it.

“Intimate Apparel” is a play to lose oneself in and come away with some self searching, a worthwhile result.