Review: INTIMATE APPAREL at Asolo Reperatory Theater

Set in 1905, a young African-American woman travels to New York City to become an independent lady. Limited in ladies’ trades, Esther paves a grand way in life with her expert sewing and is able to navigate a wide world that New York has to offer. She falls into the confines of societal norms, i.e. marriage and fails miserably, but is able to get herself back up with the help of her friends.

Intimate Apparel premiered at Center Stage in Baltimore, Maryland in 2003. It opened off Broadway at the Roundabout Theater, running from March to June 2004. It has been produced at a number of regional theaters all over the United States from Los Angeles, to New Orleans and Portland. The play was nominated for a vast number of awards and won Outstanding Off-Broadway Play by the Drama Desk Awards, and Steinberg New Play Award by The American Theater Critics Association in 2004.

Esther, played as a doe-eyed innocent by Aneisa J. Hicks, swings between all classes of women of lower, middle, and upper class. Her position as a master seamstress gives her access to the innermost sanctum of all the women she services. A lovable and innocent character, Esther is admired by her cohorts, but they are still not able to save her from the misery of George, who ends up being a thieving scoundrel. While the driving force behind this story is the marriage and dissolution of that marriage to George, the women’s friendship is what to pay thought to. The one common theme that all the women have in this story, no matter their class, is the disappointment of the men in their lives.

The female experiences of this time, the turn of the century, are well exemplified in this story. While women of all classes were struggling to establish themselves and desiring independence, there were few and far between that could find it. This was especially true of African American women. Throughout the play, Esther sees white women treated with respect and class and she wants the same for African American women. She is working so hard just so she can provide a place of reprieve, a beauty salon for black women, and treat them just how she sees white women being treated. Even after all of her monies are stolen, she still has this dream and the backbone of women to support her, and her own skill, that will prop her up again.

My absolute favorite character, Mrs. Dickson played by Regina Marie Williams, is sheer comic relief. Her snappy sayings and her tart little quips lit up the stage.

Intimate Apparel at Asolo Repertory Theatre plays through April 18th. Matinee and Evening Shows are available at Intimate Apparel | Asolo Repertory Theatre.

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