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Intimate Apparel by San Diego Repertory Theatre  Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel quickly wove its way
through America’s theatre scene, becoming the most-produced recent play in the
country last year. And it did so with good, old-fashioned storytelling driven
by beautifully written characters who feel genuine and whose loneliness and
desperate search for intimacy is palpable.And San Diego Repertory Theatre is staging an impeccable production that will be tough to match. Director Delicia Turner Sonnenberg has every stitch and fiber of the show fine-tuned – the visuals, the tone, and one of the best ensembles you’re going to see who brings Nottage’s story to life with great feeling and emotion. Lisa Renee Pitts is Esther, a black, 35-year-old spinster seamstress working in a shop that makes intimate apparel in turn-of-the-century New York City. Everyone, including herself, is quick to point out that she is a little plain to look at, but her warm heart and authentic personality has made her several true friendships. These include Sylvia M’Lafi Thompson as her boss (the widow Mrs. Dickson who pragmatically married for security), Lisa H. Payton as Mayme (the lovable and loyal prostitute), Lisel Gorell-Getz as Mrs. Van Buren (the affluent white woman who, imprisoned within her vast circle of superficial friends and married to a distant husband, can only confide in Esther), and Lance Smith as the kind and enthusiastic Jewish fabric merchant Mr. Marks. And then there’s the new person, George (Michael A. Shepperd), who enters Esther’s life via a letter from a man she’s never met who is working on the Panama Canal. It’s an unlikely way for the illiterate Esther to be courted, but with the help of her friends she embarks on a correspondence that will give her hope of escaping the loneliness that her friends are unable to satisfy. The show takes place against Fred Kinney’s well-designed set that has Esther’s friends’ respective abodes on the outskirts with Esther’s sewing station and bedroom alternately sliding onto center stage, George’s Panama existing behind a brick wall scrim which forms part of the New York City street. Costume Designer Jennifer Brawn Gittings outfits the eclectic cast in a variety of marvelous outerwear that everyone sees and their more intimate apparel reserved for the eyes of the ones they love or hope to love.Performs through April 9, 2006.
~ Cast ~
Mrs. Van Buren: Lisel Gorell-Getz Mayme: Lisa H. Payton Esther: Lisa Renee Pitts George: Michael A. Shepperd Mr. Marks: Lance Smith Mrs. Dickson: Sylvia M'Lafi Thompson Director: Delicia Turner Sonnenberg Scenic Design: Fred Kinney Lighting Design: Jennifer Setlow Costume Design: Jennifer Brawn Gittings Sound Design: Stephanie Robison Vocal/Dialect Coach: Jeff Morrison Dramaturge: Eric Bowling Stage Manager: Monica A. Cuoco |