The time is 1905. The place is New York. Esther is an African-American seamstress living in a Lower Manhattan boardinghouse in Lynn Nottage’s play, ”Intimate Apparel,” a Kean Stage Production that’s directed by Ernest Wiggins and plays there through Oct. 22.
Esther (Rachelle Dorce) is 35 and has lived in the boardinghouse for 18 years. During that time, 21 of its residents have married. Now she is making a camisole for the 22nd. Esther just hasn’t found her Mr. Right yet. She is motivated though and has been saving her money to open a beauty parlor in Harlem.
Esther sews the same corset for Mrs. Van Buren (Amber Adeline), the Fifth Avenue woman, as she does for Mayme (Brenna Singman), the house pianist and whore. Each client has dreams of the world they aren’t a part of. As Esther tells Mayme, ”What she got you want, and what you got, she want.”
As for romance, Esther begins a relationship by mail with George (Walmbegan N’Dure), a good-looking West Indian working on the Panama Canal. (We see him onstage, lit dimly, reading his letters in an intense voice with a strong accent.) But Esther cannot read or write, so she has friends help write and read the letters. In the meantime, a friendship is emerging between Esther and Mr. Marks (Daniel Pellicano), the Orthodox Jewish salesman she buys her fabric from.
The entire play was absolutely mesmerizing from beginning to end. The set was very well done as it truly felt like you were in a different time and place. The entire stage is quite small but they made it feel as if it were much larger. Also the actors were fantastic. Their costumes and accents were both perfect for the time and place.
The star of the play was of course Rachelle Dorce, who is not only a Kean student but also a member of Alpha Psi Omega, which is the National Theatre Honor Society. Dorce absolutely nailed this performance. She truly brought the character to life. She also seemed to bring out the best in all of the other actors as there was a real chemistry between all of them.
Three other actors who were absolutely mesmerizing were N’Dure, Pellicano and Singman. The three were all fantastic in their roles. N’Dure was the perfect choice to play George. With the lighting dimmed and N’Dure appearing just slightly at first, he truly brings you to Panama. With his accent, clothing and his perfect body language, N’Dure became George. I honestly at times forgot that he was playing a part rather then just living.
Pellicano had what seemed like a minor role, but he truly made every scene count. Every time he was on stage, he absolutely dominated and made you pay attention to everything he said. He was perfect in every way for the role, and I question if anyone could have pulled off this role quite the way he did.
And last but not least, Singman was sensational as Mayme. She has amazing chemistry on stage with Dorce and fit the role to a T. She was mesmerizing when out there and you truly fell for her character. She made you fall in love with her.
Overall, the play was outstanding from beginning to end. With twists and turns that you would never expect and fantastic acting, it is worth every penny to see it. Make sure to check this play out before it ends.
