Intimate Apparel at the Donmar Warehouse is a magnificent piece of theatre. Set in early 20th-century New York, it follows Esther (Samira Wiley), a skilled Black seamstress who crafts exquisite undergarments for a diverse range of women. Just as Esther weaves stylish pieces of fabric, lace and beads into works of beauty, this production masterfully threads together its essential elements of writing, direction, acting and design. Each component is individually excellent, but together they form something genuinely special: a tapestry of emotion, nuance and artistry.
Esther is a 35-year-old Black woman who quietly commands the respect and trust of her customers. Her clientele ranges from Mrs Van Buren, a wealthy white society wife, to Mayme, a Black, piano-playing sex worker and she treats them all with equal warmth and dignity. With her gentle, unassuming manner, Esther puts people at ease, often becoming a confidante to their most intimate stories. She is accomplished in her craft but dreams of opening her own beauty salon and carefully saves her modest earnings.
Esther lives in a boarding house run by the forthright Mrs Dickson, with whom she confides her yearning for love. One day, a letter arrives from George, a Caribbean labourer working on the Panama Canal. Esther is illiterate so she turns to Mrs Dickson to read his letter and help her compose her reply. Further helped by Mrs Van Buren and Mayme, Esther’s correspondence with George blossoms into a romantic courtship by post and he eventually proposes marriage. However, when he finally arrives in New York, it becomes clear that he is not the man he claimed to be.
Samira Wiley delivers a masterful performance as Esther, offering a captivating blend of strength and vulnerability. She portrays Esther’s quiet dignity and fierce independence while revealing the profound loneliness that shapes her choices. Wiley never allows her performance to slip into sentimentality, instead presenting Esther as a woman of formidable inner strength who refuses to be defined or diminished by her circumstances.
The supporting cast is uniformly strong. Nicola Hughes brings warmth and grounding as Mrs Dickson, the boarding house matron and Esther’s closest confidante. Claudia Jolly captures the complex intimacy between Esther and Mrs Van Buren, a white society woman constrained by her privilege and the social customs of the time. Kadiff Kirwan is compelling as George, creating a character who is multifaceted rather than purely villainous. His performance suggests the desperation and lack of opportunity that drive George’s behaviour without ever excusing the harm he causes.
Faith Omole brings spark and soul to Mayme, whose friendship with Esther transcends the limitations imposed by their different social roles. Alex Waldmann is exceptional as Mr Marks, the gentle Jewish fabric merchant whose unspoken love for Esther is portrayed with heart-breaking subtlety. Their mutual affection is tender but restrained, curtailed by the racial and cultural divisions of the time. Their scenes together are moments of quiet, aching beauty.
Lynn Nottage’s script is a masterclass in character development and social insight, creating dialogue that is both true to its early 20th-century setting and contemporary in its emotional depth. Lynette Linton’s direction is subtle and assured, mirroring the delicate tone of Nottage’s text. She cultivates a deeply authentic atmosphere, drawing the audience fully into Esther’s world. The pacing is finely judged, allowing emotional moments to breathe without disrupting the story’s forward momentum.
Intimate Apparel is a triumph and succeeds both as a period drama and as a timeless exploration of love, identity and human connection. It is thoughtful, emotionally engaging theatre that invites audiences to reflect on how race, class and gender shape not only individual lives but broader histories. It is a beautifully crafted production that is not to be missed.
Need to know: Intimate Apparel plays at Donmar Warehouse until 9 Aug 2025 | See listing
