Lynn Nottage's INTIMATE APPAREL Opens at Pasadena Playhouse Tonight, November 11

The Pasadena Playhouse presents tonight's opening night performance of INTIMATE APPAREL. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage and directed by Sheldon Epps, INTIMATE APPAREL will perform through December 2, 2012, at The Pasadena Playhouse.

"It has been such a pleasure to explore Lynn's beautifully lyrical play these past few weeks with this wonderfully talented cast," said director and Playhouse Artistic Director Sheldon Epps. "The underlying theme of people longing to connect to another person is so relevant in today's climate that I'm excited to have our audiences energized by these fascinating characters and their stories."

In INTIMATE APPAREL, the time is 1905 in New York City and Esther, a middle-aged, black seamstress, has learned to make ends meet by teaching herself to sew beautiful and delicate lingerie for her uptown and downtown clientele. After nearly two decades of loneliness and watching the younger and prettier girls come and go in the boarding house in which she rents, Esther finds solace and possible romance in letters from George, a handsome, young Caribbean man working on the Panama Canal. Re-energized by his affectionate words, but hindered by illiteracy, Esther confides in two of her patrons, Mrs. Van Buren, a rich white socialite, and Mayme, a prostitute, to pen her letters back to George. Meanwhile, Esther's heart also seems to lie with Mr. Marks, the Hasidic shopkeeper who relishes in sharing his exquisite finds of satins ???and silks and has also grown increasingly fond of Esther. But the impossibility of their match is obvious to them both, so Esther settles for a marriage to George. He subsequently manages to frivolously spend all of her life savings on whores and liquor – dashing all of Esther's hopes of opening a beauty salon. Once again penniless and alone, Esther reluctantly returns to her sewing machine to refashion her dreams from the cloth of her life's experiences.

INTIMATE APPAREL is the winner of the 2004 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play. It is written by Lynn Nottage, Pulitzer Prize-winner for 2010's Ruined.

The cast for INTIMATE APPAREL features (in alphabetical order):
· Kristy Johnson (Jitney, The Good Negro) as "Mayme"
· Dawnn Lewis (Dreamgirls, Sister Act-The Musical, "A Different World") as "Mrs. Dickson"
· Angel Reda (Dangerous Beauty, Follies, Wicked) as "Mrs. Van Buren"
· Adam J. Smith (Matter of Honor, "Castle," "90210") as "Mr. Marks"
· David St. Louis ("Third Watch," Parade, Rent, Ruined) as "George Armstrong"
· Vanessa Williams ("Soul Food," "Lincoln Heights," "Melrose Place") as "Esther"

In addition to director Sheldon Epps the creative team for INTIMATE APPAREL includes scenic design by John Iacovelli (The Playhouse's Under My Skin, The Heiress, Art and Blues for an Alabama Sky), lighting design by Brian Gale (The Playhouse's The Heiress), sound design by Steven Cahill (The Playhouse's As Bees in Honey Drown) and costume design by Leah Piehl (The Playhouse's The Heiress).

INTIMATE APPAREL will play through December 2, 2012. The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. The performance schedule is Tuesday through Friday at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Single show ticket prices for INTIMATE APPAREL range from $32.00 - $62.00, with Premium Seating available for $100.00. Service and theatre restoration fees apply to all purchases. Rush tickets are available for $20.00 one hour prior to the performance time and are subject to availability. Rush tickets must be purchased at The Pasadena Playhouse Box Office.

Tickets are available by calling The Pasadena Playhouse at 626-356-7529, or by visiting The Pasadena Playhouse Box Office, Tuesday – Sunday from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. during non- performance dates. On performance dates the Box Office is open Tuesday – Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are available 24 hours online at www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org. Group Sales (8 or more) are available by calling 626-921-1161.

For additional information visit www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org.

Photo Credit: Jim Cox