Bay Street Theater Receives a Well-Deserved Standing Ovation for “Intimate Apparel”

Bay Street Theater’s current production, Intimate Apparel, written by Lynn Nottage, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, brings Broadway-worthy theater right here to Sag Harbor. If you’ve never frequented Bay Street Theater before, I highly recommend that you use Intimate Apparel as a good reason to try on this amazing artistic venue.

Lynn Nottage has crafted a moving and passionate drama about loneliness, survival, love, trust and betrayal. This is a tale as old as time. One most women have experienced for themselves firsthand: the story of the Prince Who Becomes the Beast. Intimate Apparel is no fairytale with the expected Happily Ever After ending. It’s more of a morality tale warning women that there’s no knight in shining armor coming to rescue you.

Based on Nottage’s great-grandmother’s life, this poignant drama is set in New York City in 1905. The authentic period costumes by Emilio Sosa add greatly to the realism of the play, and the extraordinary fabrics used throughout the play further add texture and color to the entire production.

Under the masterful direction of Bay Street Theater’s Artistic Director, Scott Schwartz, Kelly McCreary (one of the stars of ABC’s hit show Grey's Anatomy) is spellbinding as Esther Mills, a black seamstress. Long before Victoria's Secret, there was Esther Mills's skillful hands creating sexy lingerie for women from all walks of life ... some wealthy white ones, others black “working girls.” Ms. McCreary role is a demanding one. She is present in every scene of the play, and yet, her energy remained high throughout the show, and she magnificently displayed the wide range of emotions this heart-wrenching part called for, often demonstrating Esther’s best virtue -- her indomitable spirit.

The history of womanhood has not been a pretty one for any member of the feminine sex, and this harsh truth transcends size, shape, color, or creed. Arranged marriages, marriages of convenience, marrying for money, or literally selling your body to survive are all forms of prostitution woven into the very texture of society. Esther Mills, with her strong work ethic and marketable skills, was one of those trailblazing women who have paved the way for all women to find a legitimate way to stop selling their souls and bodies for money.

Although the play is set in the dawn of the 20th century, as we watch the play unfold via a revolving set, which was brilliantly designed by Jeff Cowie, the play takes on a contemporary flavor. Esther has a long distance love affair via letters with a man she has never actually met – a Caribbean laborer working on the Panama Canal. If you ask me, this sounds an awful lot like today’s online dating world, where people carry on long distance romances, deluding themselves into believe that they’ve fallen in love with a person they’ve never actually met face-to-face. The illusion of love versus the reality of love is a theme well explored throughout the play.

All the characters in this two-act drama are well developed and the actors portraying them have done a remarkable job of bringing all these diverse players to life. Blake DeLong is believable as the shy, Hasidic shopkeeper who shares his love of fabrics and all things beautiful with Esther. His kind soul and character are a perfect match for Esther, but color, creed, and convention make the probability of these two ever coupling zero to nil. Portia, who portrays Mrs. Dickson, the widowed owner of the boarding house where Esther lives, commands the stage with her strong delivery of some of the best lines in the play. Julia Motyka, as Mrs. Van Buren, with her comedic timing and expressive body language, makes us feel great compassion for this elegant and entitled woman, trapped in an unhappy marriage. George Armstrong, as portrayed by Edward O’Blenis, is charismatic and convincing. Mayme (Shayna Small) is a black prostitute with a pipe dream of playing her piano pieces in Prague. Ms. Small brings an edginess to a part that could easily fall into the stereotypical role of the sweet prostitute. The original music by Michael Holland added a layer of richness to Mayme’s character.

Kudos to the Dialect Coach, Stephen Gabis, who had his hands full with the smorgasbord of dialects needed in this play.

Intimate Apparel is undeniably theater at its best -- a well-crafted script with fully-realized characters, great staging, original music, authentic costuming, and a tight-knit ensemble. A riveting night of theater, you won’t soon forget.

The show runs from July 4-July 30 and tickets are available by calling the Box Office at 631-725-9500 or online at www.baystreet.org.

(Photo by Lenny Stucker)

Cindi Sansone-Braff is and award-winning playwright and author of “Grant Me a Higher Love,” and “Why Good People Can’t Leave Bad Relationships.” She has a BFA in theatre from the University of Connecticut. This summer, August 5th and 6th, Tomorrow’s Classic Theatre Company is producing her full-length play, “Beethoven’s Promethean Concerto in C Minor,” a theatrical tribute to the man, the myth, the music. For ticket information go to: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2936300