Want to go?

The Kanawha Players present "Intimate Apparel" at 8 p.m. Feb. 13 and 14 at the Kanawha Players Theater, 309 Beauregard St.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The characters in Lynn Nottage's play "Intimate Apparel" are burdened with the weight of history. Each is charged with representing so much that they sometimes have to struggle to be human, rather than just representations of historical and social issues.

Friday night, the Kanawha Players brought "Intimate Apparel" to life by finding the humanity within the history. Under the direction of Joe Wallace, the cast delivered believable and affecting depictions of these characters and their interactions.

The play is set in Manhattan in 1905.  Esther Mills (Katonya Hart) is a 35-year-old black seamstress who has spent most of her life living in a boarding house, sewing ladies' undergarments. She dreams of opening her own beauty salon and of finding love. Hart showed both Esther's strength and her naiveté, with her sensitive and engaging portrayal of the main character. 

Esther is tied to the other characters through the clothing she creates.

She only interacts with them one at a time, while being pulled in different directions by each. In this production, the physical layout of the stage is arranged so that each character inhabits one portion, with Esther at the center. 

There's Mrs. Van Buren (Kate Woestman), a rich white client who purchases corsets in attempts to show up society ladies and try to regain the attentions of her husband. Woestman captures Van Buren's worldly insouciance, as well as her desperation.

Then there's Mayme (Patty Rosebourgh), a world apart from Van Buren's high society. She's a prostitute who dreams of a career as a concert pianist, but gets no further than performing in the dance halls. Rosebourgh is dynamic and powerful, and she is a perfect foil for Hart's shy, innocent Esther.

Esther's time sewing and meeting with these two women is interspersed with trips to the fabric store, run by Mr. Marks (Greg Morris). Morris can be quite funny, and he depicts Marks with endearing, nervous energy. The tentative flirtation between Esther and Marks supplies the show's most touching moments. 

George Armstrong (Will Taylor), the Panama Canal worker who woos Esther through letters she cannot read, offers promise and a threat to Esther's established life. Taylor convincingly shows Armstrong's rapid transformation from admirable suitor to manipulative husband once he arrives in New York. 

Mrs. Dickson (JoAnn Davis), the owner of the boarding house where Esther lives, serves as a voice of doubt and pragmatism, as well as a connection to the past. Davis delivers the most compelling monologue of the night, describing her mother's washerwoman hands. 

The first act introduces us to these characters, invests us in their hopes and dreams, and then the second act destroys all that it has built up. It's a heartbreaking thing to watch, but beautifully done. 

Want to go?

The Kanawha Players present "Intimate Apparel" at 8 p.m. Feb. 13 and 14 at the Kanawha Players Theater, 309 Beauregard St.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The characters in Lynn Nottage's play "Intimate Apparel" are burdened with the weight of history. Each is charged with representing so much that they sometimes have to struggle to be human, rather than just representations of historical and social issues.

Friday night, the Kanawha Players brought "Intimate Apparel" to life by finding the humanity within the history. Under the direction of Joe Wallace, the cast delivered believable and affecting depictions of these characters and their interactions.

The play is set in Manhattan in 1905.  Esther Mills (Katonya Hart) is a 35-year-old black seamstress who has spent most of her life living in a boarding house, sewing ladies' undergarments. She dreams of opening her own beauty salon and of finding love. Hart showed both Esther's strength and her naiveté, with her sensitive and engaging portrayal of the main character. 

Esther is tied to the other characters through the clothing she creates.

She only interacts with them one at a time, while being pulled in different directions by each. In this production, the physical layout of the stage is arranged so that each character inhabits one portion, with Esther at the center. 

There's Mrs. Van Buren (Kate Woestman), a rich white client who purchases corsets in attempts to show up society ladies and try to regain the attentions of her husband. Woestman captures Van Buren's worldly insouciance, as well as her desperation.

Then there's Mayme (Patty Rosebourgh), a world apart from Van Buren's high society. She's a prostitute who dreams of a career as a concert pianist, but gets no further than performing in the dance halls. Rosebourgh is dynamic and powerful, and she is a perfect foil for Hart's shy, innocent Esther.

Esther's time sewing and meeting with these two women is interspersed with trips to the fabric store, run by Mr. Marks (Greg Morris). Morris can be quite funny, and he depicts Marks with endearing, nervous energy. The tentative flirtation between Esther and Marks supplies the show's most touching moments. 

George Armstrong (Will Taylor), the Panama Canal worker who woos Esther through letters she cannot read, offers promise and a threat to Esther's established life. Taylor convincingly shows Armstrong's rapid transformation from admirable suitor to manipulative husband once he arrives in New York. 

Mrs. Dickson (JoAnn Davis), the owner of the boarding house where Esther lives, serves as a voice of doubt and pragmatism, as well as a connection to the past. Davis delivers the most compelling monologue of the night, describing her mother's washerwoman hands. 

The first act introduces us to these characters, invests us in their hopes and dreams, and then the second act destroys all that it has built up. It's a heartbreaking thing to watch, but beautifully done.