San Diego theater season 2005-2006 has been the finest in our history. The quality of productions has been consistently higher than previous seasons, and it's across the board, from community and independent theater to the professional venues.
For San Diego Rep's current offering (at the Lyceum in Horton Plaza), Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel, director Delicia Turner Sonnenberg has honed the script into a compelling masterpiece with cast members who seem perfect for their roles. Lisa Renee Pitts makes a most empathetic Esther, the seamstress. Esther came from a dirt-poor background to become a sought-after dressmaker whose clientele range from prostitutes to the elite. At 35 she is a master of her craft. However, she is still single and living in a rooming house in circa 1905 New York City. She's also given up on love. Pitts handles the many emotions and trials of her role so convincingly that the audience, at moments, cheers her on, and, then later, warn her to beware of her suitor.
Michael A. Shepperd as her Caribbean love-interest, Edward, currently working on the Panama Canal, corresponds eloquently with her, bringing her hope and, finally, love. Shepperd creates the illusion of love, turning it into the reality of a man with a cruel side, faulted badly. Again, the audience warns the innocent Esther of potential disaster. Shepperd handles his multifaceted character quite convincingly.
There is another man in Esther's life. Mr. Marks (Lance Arthur Smith), the orthodox Hungarian Jewish fabric merchant, who provides her with elegant fabric for her clients as well as a touch of humanity and a very special love and friendship. Their moments together, while seemingly just a business transaction, reveal much about both.
Lisel Gorell-Getz plays Mrs. Van Buren, married to a very wealthy, but inattentive husband. Her clothing purchases are more for socialization with Esther than the acquisition of elegant gowns. She, at first, expresses her feelings in a very subdued casualness, but it is apparent that she needs a friend. Gorell-Getz is a master of these understated expressions. She absolutely shocks both Esther and the audience in one scene.
Mrs. Dickson (Sylvia M'Lafi Thompson) is the proprietor of the rooming house catering to a wide variety of single women. Esther's 18 years in the city have all been with her. Thompson has many fine moments as the surrogate mother to her charges. The relationship between Mrs. Dickson and Esther is special.
Lisa H. Payton plays Mayme, a fellow resident and lady of the evening. Mayme is the older-sister that Esther doesn't have. Payton's portrayal runs from sisterly love to aggressive competitor. She handles the varying moods of her character easily.
Fred Kinney's two-floor set replete with two ceilings, six interiors, and the hint of one exterior, works magnificently for this production. Jennifer Setlow's complex lighting always defines the location and subtle moods of the moment. Stephanie Robinson's sound design is alive with environmental sounds. Jennifer Brawn Gittings's costumes range from elegant to tawdry, as do the characters. An accolade to Vocal/Dialect Coach Jeff Morrison who gave the cast the language of the time and station of the characters.
Intimate Apparel is both grand and intimate, with Sonnenberg's direction faultless. Alas, though, no play is perfect. Nottage's first act takes ten minutes longer than necessary to set the scene for Act Two. However, the cast is so, so good, one does not mind the extra words. Put Intimate Apparel on your must-see list.
