“I adore her language and I’m excited to say her words,” said actor Chauncy Thomas.
He is one of the co-stars of New Jewish Theatre’s presentation of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lynn Nottage’s ‘Intimate Apparel.’ “When I grasp them, they taste good in my mouth.”
The play, directed by Gary Wayne Barker, will play NJT from January 27 – February 12.
The play is an unlikely one for the NJT stage. It tells the tale of Esther, a single black female at the turn of the 20th century willing to risk it all in the name of love – even when she knows she is playing a losing hand.
“Yes we are magical – but we are not impervious to pain,” said Jacqueline Thompson, who portrays Esther, as she refers to black women. “And I don’t want us to always think that we have to wear that pain as an honor.”
Though she owns her business making undergarments for a host of colorful clients, Esther is lonely. With the help of her landlord, Mrs. Dickson, and client/friend Mamie, Ester believes she finds a kindred spirit in George after the couple meet and court through a series of letters. George, a native of the Bahamas, is compelled join Esther in America after more than a year of backbreaking work as a laborer helping to build the Panama Canal. But nothing is as it seems.
“When you get some sort of affection from a person and there is a part of you that knows it’s not real, completely truthful or healthy – but there’s that ache in you that wants it to be real,” Thomas said. “And so you choose that it is, and suffer the consequence of that action. That experience is an incredibly human thing. And this play tells it quite beautifully.”
“Intimate Apparel” also explores relationships between Esther’s circle, including her fabric supplier – who is an orthodox Jew.
“What I wanted to bring was the opportunity to be the best storyteller – especially in an environment that is not traditional African American theatre,” said Andrea Purnell, who plays Mamie. “For them to take this opportunity to tell our story intermingled with Jewish Heritage was a beautiful story to be a part of. To have an opportunity to perform such a rich piece of theatre is an unbelievable experience.”
The cast also includes Jim Butz, Julie Layton and St. Louis stage veteran Linda Kennedy as Esther’s landlord, Mrs. Dickson. Kennedy played the role of Esther several years back on The Black Rep stage.
“It’s definitely a full circle moment,” Kennedy said. “I hope to portray Mrs. Dickson with dignity. Here’s a black woman at the turn of the century that owns property and has acquired wealth at a time when people are just coming up from the South looking for a new life.”
Thompson says Esther’s story is one of resilience.
“This play shows how strong we’ve had to be – and how strong we continue to be,” Thompson said. “And how, throughout history, we’ve constantly had to rebuild back from nothing.”
