By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN? Saturday 26 July, runs through 9 August 2025 RUNTIME: 145 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)

Jack Thorne (The Motive And The Cue, National Theatre) recently described Lynn Nottage, the author of this play, as ‘the closest thing to a living Shakespeare we have’ and on the evidence of this production it’s easy to see why.

• Read on for reasons including how Intimate Apparel is ultimately devastating as we realise the truth of Esther’s situation

Samira Wiley (from TV’s Orange Is The New Black) plays Esther, who sews lingerie for women from all walks of life and dreams of opening her own beauty salon in 1905 New York.

We join her on her 35th birthday wracked with insecurities about the way she looks and wondering whether she will ever find the romantic man she dreams of marrying while saving to buy a beauty salon where black women will be treated as royally as the predominantly white women she sews for.

Esther’s enthusiasm for the fabric of her trade is shared with salesman Mr Marks played with a twinkle in his eye by Alex Waldmann.

She receives a letter via a mutual acquaintance from a man she has never met who is working on the Panama canal and, because she can’t read, her upmarket bored and married client, played by Claudia Jolly, helps her compose increasingly affectionate responses.

Elsewhere Faith Omole (Standing At The Sky’s Edge, National Theatre) plays Esther’s friend Mayme who buys her lingerie to enhance the sex work she performs.

Esther’s letters to Kadiff Kirwan’s (The Hot Wing King, National Theatre and TV’s Slow Horses) George become increasingly heartfelt and, despite the pair never meeting, he proposes to Esther and she accepts.

The 1st act ends with the pair’s marriage and as we join the couple on their wedding night we hope George can fulfil all the dreams of the kind, modest and open-hearted Esther.

George is given real depth by Kirwan and Wiley’s Esther remains the focus of the audience’s sympathies as the complications of a tightly structured final act reveal themselves.

Nottage’s Intimate Apparel is exquisitely constructed, occasionally funny and ultimately devastating as we realise the truth and tragedy of Esther’s situation.

• Main pictures via Facebook courtesy Donmar Warehouse Tickets
• Have you seen a Samira Wiley show before and what do you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
• Enjoyed this preview? Follow monstagigz on Twitter @NeilDurham, email neildurham3@gmail.com and check us out on Instagram and Facebook