Lynn Nottage's play follows the fortunes of a young black seamstress in 1905 New York. Esther makes undergarments for the wealthy, and the central metaphor of the play is that just as her corsets control and distort women's figures to meet the dictates of fashion, all of the characters in the story find their lives defined and limited by race, gender, class and religion. From the wealthy Mrs Van Buren who must play her part in society while privately enduring a loveless marriage, to the cloth merchant, Mr Marks, whose religion does not allow him to be touched by a woman who is not in his family and which would never sanction a relationship with a black woman, everyone in Esther's world is trapped. However, it is through love and marriage that Esther hopes she will find freedom and escape from the restrictions of her situation. Although Esther's friends, the landlady Mrs Dickson and the prostitute, Mayme, counsel a life based on compromise, Esther hopes that her romantic dream can liberate her. When it turns out, however, that George, Esther's supposed saviour, is as much a product and victim of his circumstances as everyone else, the harsh reality that the road to independence is a slow one, only achieved through work and, perhaps, best taken alone is revealed. As Esther, Samira Wiley puts in a quite extraordinary performance, while Kadiff Kirwan, as her cavalier who proves to be a cad, is wonderfully believable. His character's sad, self-destructive rebellion is nicely contrasted to the passive conformity of Alex Waldmann's tender, but timid, Mr Marks. As the pragmatic and practical Mrs Dickson, Nicola Hughes also puts in a strong performance which is neatly complemented by Faith Omole's depiction of the promiscuous and predatory Mayme. Kudos also to Claudia Jolly as the repressed neurasthenic, Mrs Van Buren. All three women have made their way in the world by accepting it as it is, by conforming to expectations and by using men to gain their place. It is only the stoic Esther who will ultimately face the truth and find the strength to build her life on her own terms. Intimate Apparel may be set in 1905, but its revelation of what lies beneath the façade of apparent success in the world and the hard path to achieve true independence remains terribly relevant.
Rated: ★★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Helen Murray
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