‘Intimate Apparel’ shows struggles of early 20th century

Since Friday, IU Theatre’s “Intimate Apparel” has transformed the Wells-Metz Theatre in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center into early-1900s Lower Manhattan.

Written by Lynn Nottage, “Intimate Apparel” tells the story of Esther Mills, a seamstress known for her exquisite work with ladies’ undergarments. Esther, played by junior Jessica Turner, lives under the residence of Mrs. Dickson, played by sophomore Tonik Boyd.

Mrs. Dickson badgers Esther to settle down, and she’s not the only one frustrated. At 35, Esther longs for somebody to love. Her most stable romantic relationship is with Jewish fabric shop owner Mr. Marks, played by senior David-Aaron Roth.

Marks and Esther fight their feelings for each other due his religious beliefs and racial stigmas of the time.

Esther begins receiving notes from a man named George Armstrong, played by freshman Ian Martin, who works on the Panama Canal. Esther can’t read or write, so with the help of her clients and friends Mrs. Van Buren and Mayme, played by masters student Andrea Mellos and senior Jasmine Desiree Traylor, Esther begins a courtship with George.

The production’s cast consists of mostly newcomers, with Turner, Traylor, Martin and Boyd all making their IU Theatre debuts.

Guest Director Ron Himes said he is pleased with the show and the audience’s reception so far.

“I think the show was well-received by the audience,” Himes said. “I think the cast did a very good job with the material and that their performances are solid.”

Junior theater major Elaine Griffin said she has heard equally good things about the production as well. She said many of her friends participated in the production of the play, and word of mouth from fellow theater students encouraged her to audition.

“I’ve read the play before, and I know everybody in the show,” Griffin said. “A lot of the actors are really talented, the set is beautiful and a lot of their work has been really good.”

“Intimate Apparel” will continue until Saturday at the Wells-Metz. The show has performances at 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday with an additional performance at 2 p.m. Saturday.