"Look What Love Done to Me." Intimate Apparel Shines Light on the Chasms That Divide Us

By Maria James-Thiaw

Intimate Apparel, a production of Sankofa African American Theater Company and Theatre Harrisburg opened at the Krevsky Center on June 14th. It closes on June 30th. This weekend is your last chance to witness this thought-provoking and innovative production. Everything from the set design to the music, and costumes evoke thoughts of the tug and pull between intimacy and division. 

Sharia Benn directed the play, which stars Latreshia Lilly as Esther, a seamstress who sews beautiful corsets that give her clients exactly what they need. Always discrete and proper, while never judging others, Esther is a passionate creative with intimate knowledge of each of the fabrics and each of the individuals she works with. Esther’s gift lies in the way she can lift the human heart, by masterfully creating intimate apparel for the body. She makes the town’s elites feel sexy while giving the town’s prostitutes a sense of pride. 

An independent entrepreneur, Esther is a self-sufficient businesswoman, who found freedom after slavery ended in her talent for sewing. She built a life for herself, but that life is turned around when Esther falls in love. How will her relationships change when her mister comes into her life? What intimate secrets will be revealed?

The award-winning play was written by Lynn Notgage, who found inspiration in the bits of knowledge she had of her own ancestor who was a seamstress at the turn of the century. It has all the feels of 20th century womanist stories by Alice Walker, Lorainne Hansberry and Zora Neale Hurston. The jazz tunes will take you back 100 years, and one of the songs was composed by one of the lead actors, Jose Solis Corpse, who plays Mr. Marks, a Jewish fabric salesman and close associate of Esther’s.

Intimate Apparel is no fairytale romance, however, and a story told by Mrs. Dickson, a strong mother figure played by Leah Payne, foreshadows this. Her words hang in the air over everything that is to come, “Look what love done to me,” she says. Yes, look. You may find yourself in an intimate dialogue with other audience members as you try not to shout out your ideas about Esther’s love affair from your seat!

This weekend is your last chance to see Intimate Apparel at the Krevsky Center in Uptown Harrisburg. You don’t want to miss it. Get your tickets today at SankofaTheatreHBG.com.

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